Category: Paid Social

Building a Brand Performance Strategy for Bread & Butter Wines

Posted on by Coegi

Brief

Coegi partnered with a high-growth wine brand to launch a full-funnel digital campaign to quantify the impact on both brand and performance goals using advanced measurement studies.

 

Highlights

10.6%
Ad Recall Lift

9.1%
Purchase Intent Lift

621%
Site Traffic Lift

Challenge

Bread & Butter Wines came to Coegi in 2020 seeking a stronger marketing strategy to stand apart from the crowd of wine brands. Coegi was asked to provide a holistic, integrated marketing strategy that could reach their full-funnel goals:

  • Drive brand awareness in the US and Canada through emotional connection
  • Via increased brand awareness, drive trial and move brand into selection set within target consumers

Solution

Our targeting strategy reached consumers based on multiple data signals such as demographics, interests, and competitor affinity. This data indicated what was going to drive brand trial. Initially, we created six audience personas to focus on niche competitive opportunities and product use cases. Going into 2023, this was narrowed down to two core personas using purchase behavior data. 

We also used advanced research to understand wine buyers aged 25-54 and living in their top 8 sales states. Using an omni-channel digital strategy, our initial goal was to increase reach and frequency against key audiences. We selected channels offering efficiency and effectiveness, while also balancing lower-funnel ROAS goals. 

Key channels we are prioritizing include: 

  • Influencer and content partnerships to build trust and authenticity
  • Connected TV, display, and Facebook/Instagram to drive reach/frequency and website traffic
  • Instacart, Citrus Ads, and paid search to drive ROAS 

Additionally, we used advanced measurement through Upwave, Facebook, and Nielsen Catalina to understand the full-funnel impact on the brand – from ad recall to purchase intent. 

Throughout our multi-year partnership, we have served billions of cross-channel impressions. In the first three months, we saw a 621% increase in website visitors period over period and 27,000 site actions. 

The first Instacart campaign was especially successful in driving trial, with a nearly 3X ROAS, increasing attributable sales across all varietals. Instacart has continued to have a strong impact. The most recent campaign touts a 4X ROAS, 32% increase in YoY Instacart sales, and an average cost of conversion of $3.73. 

Our campaigns run with Nielsen Catalina were successful at driving incremental value for the brand. The display campaigns helped reclaim former customers with especially strong performance from lost/lapsed customers. The CTV campaign boosted exposure among key audiences and generated $230,101 in sales value of products transferred to their e-commerce cart after seeing an ad. 

The Bread & Butter team continues to be pleased with the Coegi partnership, and is currently planning for 2023. 

Social Media Marketing for Higher Education Brands

Posted on by Jenny McNamara

Looking for a way to stand out among the sea of colleges and universities competing for the attention of potential students?

Paid social media marketing is one of the most effective tactics you can use for your higher education institute.  

Most higher education marketing plans under-utilize paid social media in favor of more traditional advertising tactics. While these channels can be effective, there is a major opportunity cost in omitting social media channels where potential students are most engaged. 

Social media is a must-have tactic to reach student audiences and revitalize education brands’ market positioning. In this article, you’ll learn Coegi’s key best practices to optimize social media marketing for higher education so you can drive results – from awareness to enrollment. 

Using Social Media to Compliantly Reach Potential Students

Higher education audience targeting strategies can feel fairly prescriptive. Colleges and universities want to reach and engage with prospective students, whether undergraduates, masters, or professional students. This might seem pretty straightforward; however, reaching undergraduate students in a data-driven way is becoming increasingly challenging due privacy laws restricting advertising to minors. 

But, not all hope is lost. The data clearly shows that young adults are highly active on social media. So, while perhaps less frequently targetable by demographics, higher education brands can and should use social platforms to reach these individuals from a contextual standpoint in a compliant and authentic way. 

Tips for Targeting and Resonating with Student Audiences on Social Media

  • Avoid over-segmenting your audience to prevent overlap. For example, an audience of “all prospective students” and an audience of “prospective journalism students” will overlap and compete which will limit performance. 
  • Tailor creative to specific audiences and social media platforms. What performs best on Facebook will be different from what resonates with users on TikTok. 
  • Contextually target student audiences on social media using specific hashtags, TV shows watched, or other relevant interest factors based on research and trends.

Parents are Students Too When It Comes to Vetting Schools (And They’re Also On Social Media)

While paid social media is an excellent tool for reaching young students, focusing solely on students can limit your education campaign’s full potential. Nearly everyone is on social media – not just teens and young adults. Incorporating parents into your audience mix can vastly increase higher education campaign reach and efficacy, whether they are looking into colleges and universities for themselves or on behalf of their children. 

Social media encapsulates a wide demographic range, though the preferred social channel may vary. For example, Facebook and Instagram remain very popular with older generations. Consider leaning into these channels to capture more of your parent and professional student audience.

On the other hand, Snapchat and TikTok have higher usage among younger audiences. By creating a cohesive strategy across multiple social media platforms, you can ensure you’re reaching every potential decision-maker in the school selection process.  

Tips for Advertising to Parents on Social Media 

  • Sprout Social indicates that parents love hearing from other parents. Lean into messaging that focuses on building a community of support and educational resources across social media. 
  • Incorporate parent testimonials or useful statements from school administrators through short-form social media video formats.  
  • Use swipe-thru or animated graphics to highlight job placements, internship rates, and other ways your school can help facilitate their child’s success. 

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment 

Leaning into social media opens the door for innovation within higher education marketing. Young audiences are on the forefront of changes to the social media landscape. This gives higher education advertisers the unique opportunity to test out new tactics and be early movers in the space. Your brand can increase credibility and favorability amongst your key audiences by creating social moments that surprise and engage these individuals.

This also applies to the types of creative you use. Students want to see something engaging and on-trend. TikTok, in particular, is a space to experiment with creative short-form video formats and explore innovative ways to drive leads. Check out these universities who are using TikTok to engage with students: 5 Universities and Colleges Winning on TikTok

Tips for Innovative Higher Education Social Media Campaigns

  • Research current social media trends among your target audience groups and regularly swap creatives to stay fresh and relevant.
  • Try using less formal creative messaging such as meme Reels on Instagram or trending TikTok challenges and hashtags.
  • Ensure your social media ads have a clear call-to-action to lead users towards application. 

Measure the Right Actions

Education brands face a unique challenge with social media marketing because their most critical action, submitted applications, is often not directly measurable. Obstacles, including third-party website domains and pixel data limitations, can complicate attribution. However, there are a number of high-intent actions users can take on your website that are worth measuring in paid social media campaigns. 

First, determine which lower-funnel actions are most important and measurable. Two such examples are clicks to start the application process or clicks to sign up for a campus tour. After determining these KPIs, optimize your social media campaigns for them.

From there, establish a conversion rate between “clicks to apply” and completed applications, for instance. By taking this analysis a step further, education brands can work to create a more complete picture of social media campaign attribution. 

Tips for Measuring Social Media Marketing Success

  • Identify existing data that can inform your measurement baseline. If you can cross reference campus visit button clicks against real campus visit data, you can identify incremental lift attributable to social media ads.
  • Develop data tracking strategies before media launches so you have an accurate picture of performance across the entire social campaign. 
  • Ensure all aspects of your strategy align with key KPIs so your campaigns garner meaningful results. 

Social media marketing for higher education brands offers fresh and engaging opportunities to reach the full spectrum of your target audiences. Think outside the box and explore how your institution can creatively show up on social platforms to drive high-intent actions, while also building greater brand awareness. 

To see some of these strategies in action, view our case study on Using TikTok to Reach College Students.

If you’re looking for a higher education marketing agency partner, contact Coegi today to learn more. 

5 Key Components for Building an Omnichannel Search Strategy

Posted on by Coegi

 

If your search marketing strategy stops at basic Google SEM, you’re missing out on a wealth of opportunity. Paid search is no longer just a straightforward marketing tactic in your media playbook. New technological advancements and shifting consumer behavior are changing the user journey for search.

Sure, Google is a continuously evolving target that requires marketers to dedicate time and energy to evolve with it. But it’s also important to understand the value of leaning into search algorithms on social and e-commerce platforms to promote product discovery. 

So, as search marketing becomes both more multidimensional and omnichannel, how can you use it to your brand’s competitive advantage? 

There are five emerging components of search you can leverage to create a future-proof search marketing strategy:

  1. Social Search
  2. E-Commerce Search
  3. Zero-Click Search
  4. Visual Search
  5. Multisearch

#1 – Social Search

If your goal is to reach new audiences in the Gen Z or Millennial demographics, social media is a must-have component of your search strategy. Social media is Gen Z’s favorite channel to learn about new products, per Semrush survey data. In fact, 28% of Gen Z say the primary way they discover new brands and products is through social media ads versus the 27% who do so through search engines. Even after initial discovery, social media remains the top channel for additional product/service research among both Gen-Z and Millennials. 

Any social platform with a search bar can be a tool for brand discovery. Tap into the search engine optimization elements of social media by implementing a well-researched keyword strategy on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. Develop keywords to promote product discovery and increase conversions, and play to each platform’s unique algorithms. Explore ways to optimize your content – paid or organic – to match what your consumers are looking for. 

Social Search Tip

Optimize everything – your profile description, shopping pages, captions, closed captioning, hashtags, and location – for key search terms. 

#2 – E-Commerce Search

Although search engine marketing is traditionally viewed as a bottom-funnel, conversion-driving tactic, it’s also an excellent tool for initial discovery. What better way to tap into this potential than optimizing for search on e-commerce and retail sites where there is a shorter purchase cycle? 

A MediaPost article reports that, “Amazon, Google, and eBay have become the top three destinations to search for products in the United States.” In fact, 60% of online product searches start on Amazon alone – more than the total of all search engines. Plus, another 35% of consumers start their searches directly on retailer websites. 

Using these platforms, consumers are more likely than ever to discover a product for the first time and immediately purchase it. That’s the beauty of the speed and convenience of e-commerce today. You can tailor your content on shopping channels to rank for product-focused, transactional search queries and drive quick conversions. 

E-Commerce Search Tip

Use the space available on product and brand pages to include a blend of relevant branded and unbranded keywords. This will defend your footprint against competitors and introduce your brand to in-market consumers. 

#3 – Zero-Click Search

Zero-click search refers to search engine queries that do not result in any clicks to other links. Instead, the user is able to find the information they need in the snippets at the top of the search engine results pages. Zero-click search accounts for 25.6% of mobile search queries, per Semrush research. From Google My Business to Rich Answers, brands can provide a wealth of information to consumers without the need for a click, simplifying the user experience.

Google Search Click Thru Rates – Semrush

Let’s address the elephant in the room – losing website traffic sounds like a detriment for brands. So, how do you flip zero-click search to your advantage? Forrester’s 2022 report by Nikhil Lai, Implement Holistic Search Marketing To Win The Search Engine Results Page, states that zero-click search, “challenges marketers who ‘have measured success purely through clicks’ to accurately measure search’s impact, according to Ryan Green, VP of marketing and innovation at Coegi. Without relying on clicks, search practitioners become more like PR directors focused on awareness, visibility, and top-of-funnel strategies.”

So, lean into your content quality. Make sure your technical SEO is optimizing for transactional search queries, and your content and website schema are structured for rich results. If you’re selling a product, you want it to rank in the top Google Shopping results for relevant keywords. Likewise, if you’re trying to rank for informational queries, make sure you have highly useful content on those topics written according to SEO best practices. This will increase your authority and improve your chances of gaining featured snippets. 

Zero-Click Search Tip

Add FAQs on key topics to your website to boost your chances of showing up in Google Rich Answers.  

#4 – Voice Search

Google voice search became available to Android users back in 2012. By 2020, 63% of Americans began using voice assistants in their daily lives – whether it was Siri on iPhones, Cortana on Microsoft devices, Alexa on Amazon Echos, or others (National Public Media, 2020). Today, we are seeing an even greater consumer adoption of connected devices for voice search. This includes hands-free devices like connected cars, voice-activated CTV remotes, and, of course, smart speakers. 

Currently, local search is a leading driver for voice searches beyond basic weather, music, and news queries commonly used with voice assistants. However, the growth of mobile commerce and hands-free search is making voice search a more important player in the search and e-commerce ecosystem. As the technology becomes more responsive and user-friendly, the Internet of Things will help create a wealth of opportunity for more voice search and voice shopping applications. So prepare now – start exploring how to make your content adaptable for voice search and explore connected device integrations. 

Voice Search Tip

The average voice search is 29 words long. Write content in a conversational tone and lean into Q&A formats targeting long-tail keywords. Also lean into broad match terms to allow your keywords to evolve with user queries. 

#5 – Google Multisearch

Multisearch is a new tool from Google allowing mobile app users to search using a combination of text and image. Using this AI-driven technology, users can upload an image and then type an accompanying query into the search bar. A multisearch example Google shares is uploading a picture of a houseplant plus the query “care instructions’.” 

Similarly, you can snap a photo of an item, such as a rug or a sweater, and find it or similar options for sale online. ‘Multisearch near me’ even allows users to snap a photo of an item and then find where it is available nearby. This provides a unique way for local restaurants and brick and mortar retailers to reach new customers via search. Think of the beautiful food pictures you see on Pinterest or Instagram. With multisearch near me, you can upload one of those images and see if a local restaurant has a similar dish to try. 

By layering text and image, multisearch responses can be more relevant to the user, personalized to their wants and needs. Although still a new and evolving tool, it’s clear to see the discovery and commerce potential multisearch offers for brands. 

Multisearch Tip

Develop search content, whether written, video, or image, for humans – not just to appeal to the Google bots. The goal of multisearch is to be as relevant and useful as possible – ensure your content matches these needs. 

Search engines, social media platforms, and e-commerce sites are collectively enhancing what’s possible for search. This means you need to extend both your SEO and SEM strategies to all possible channels in the media mix. To succeed with your search marketing strategy, focus on your audiences’ user journeys and discovery experiences first and foremost, rather than gamification of the SEO system. 

Key Takeaways to Improve Your Search Marketing Strategy: 

  • Think human, while leaning into Google’s emphasis on relevance and usefulness with your content. 
  • Create and structure content for rich results such as images, videos, how-tos, FAQs, charts, and more.
  • Take an omnichannel approach and apply your search strategy to social media channels and digital marketplaces. 

2023 Social Media Advertising Trends Marketers Need to Know

Posted on by Lindsey King

Social platforms are no longer one dimensional. Instead, channels are blending shopping, entertainment, online gaming, and content sharing to better keep up with shifting consumer needs. There are more opportunities than ever for you to not only show up on social media, but do so in a way that drives meaningful business results and long-term customer loyalty. 

So, what strategies should you be focusing on for your brand’s social media presence in 2023? Here are our top social media advertising trends for 2023 to level up your strategy: 

#1: Social Platforms Becoming the Preferred Search Engine

Both Meta and TikTok made major strides with improving search functionality in 2022. These advances and shifting consumer behavior laid the groundwork for more product discovery via social media search in 2023. 

What You Need to Know:

Social Search Tips:

  • Review your social media presence from an SEO lens. Explore ways to optimize your content including your profile preview, captions, alt text, hashtags, location, and more.
  • Conduct research on sites like SemRush, Google Trends, or AnswerThePublic to find trending search terms.
  • Use a blend of branded and unbranded keywords to show up for key queries as well as trending hashtags. 

Social Media Trend #2: Growth of Social Commerce

The growth of social commerce will continue in 2023. However, trends like live shopping and social commerce experiences in the metaverse are falling out of style. Instead, expect a greater focus on more practical, in-feed shopping ads that lean into consumer preferences for convenience and speed. 

What You Need To Know:

Social Commerce Tips:

  • Stay on top of platform updates and new e-commerce features, especially on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest. Allot a portion of your social media marketing budget to test and see which tactics drive the most social commerce sales for your brand.
  • Focus on creating engaging content first, that is then supported by shoppable posts and e-commerce integrations. 

Social Media Trend #3: The Rise of Micro and Nano Influencers

Brands are dedicating more resources to the multi-billion dollar influencer marketing industry. Why? Because it is an increasingly effective and, in the case of micro and nano influencers, cost-efficient way to build trust, awareness, and authenticity for your brand. 

What You Need To Know:

Influencer Marketing Tips:

  • Concentrate on micro and nano influencers whose profile content aligns with the interests of your target audience and whose followers look and behave most like consumers you want to reach. 
  • Incorporate influencer marketing into your overall digital media plan for omni-channel consistency and efficiency – don’t isolate it from the broader strategy. 

Social Media Trend #4: Short-Form Video Rules

Short-form video will continue to dominate the creative space – whether on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or Snapchat Spotlight. With shortening attention spans, people expect quick-hitting content on social media. This is especially true for paid advertising. 

What You Need To Know:

Short-Form Video Tips: 

  • Prioritize video content – it’s what people want to see and the social platforms are placing it higher in the hierarchy of feeds. 
  • Adapt your video style to fit the expected user experience and technical dimensions of each platform. Follow these video creative best practices to create an engaging experience without the need for expensive production.

Social Media Trend #5: Demand for Authenticity

The BeReal boom is a clear indication that today’s social media users are looking for authenticity. And, they are hypercritical towards brands that fail to match the organic user experience or live out their core values, especially on social media. Paid ads should match the trends and style of the user-generated content (UGC) on the app. Ads that obviously look out of place in social feeds are seen as disruptive and can negatively impact brand image.

What You Need to Know:

Social Media Brand Authenticity Tips:

  • Get familiar with each media channel or platform and understand how to create native-feeling ads. 
  • Experiment with using popular sounds or trends that are native to platforms.
  • Show representation and diversity in your ad creative and ensure your content aligns with your brand values and your audiences’ values. 

For help implementing these 2023 social media trends into your marketing strategy, contact Coegi today for a discovery call.

3 Reasons to Advertise on TikTok in 2023 

Posted on by Anissa Reko

3 Reasons Why You Should Advertise on TikTok in 2023

TikTok took the social media world by storm in 2019. But it wasn’t just a boredom-induced pandemic era trend. And it’s no longer just an entertainment site for kids. The platform is evolving, and even more so, the way people use it is changing. 

TikTok is rapidly becoming both a search engine and shopping tool. We are also seeing a much broader demographic adopting the platform as it becomes mainstream. These shifts present new opportunities for brands to show up in the space and create revenue-driving results. 

So – if you don’t advertise on TikTok yet, here are three reasons why you should be in 2023:

#1 TikTok is Gen-Z’s Google

TikTok is increasingly being used as a search engine over Google. In fact, an astonishing 40% of Gen-Z uses TikTok as a visual search engine. TikTok is excellent at keeping users in the app, so the progression to becoming a search engine is only natural. Users can find what they are looking for quickly, and the results tend to be more authentic and useful. Leaning into this trend, TikTok expanded the description field from 300 to 2,000 characters. “The added room for your descriptions will enhance (…), with more opportunities for keyword matching, in order to showcase more relevant, local content”,  according to Andrew Hutchinson of Social Media Today.

Another feature the social media platform is exploring is linking keywords from user comments to search results for greater relevancy. An easy way for brands to leverage TikTok keyword crawling is to use sites like Answer the Public for keyword research. This site generates lists of the most commonly asked questions around keywords you type in. You can use then use insights those to optimize your  video descriptions for your TikTok ads.

Looking beyond the longer descriptions and keywords, TikTok videos themselves help users find information in an easy-to-understand format without excessive ads or other clutter. Studies show that people engage more and retain information better when watching videos versus reading text alone. One user featured in the New York Times describes how she can quickly find what she is looking for by watching a couple of TikToks, whereas her parents may have to scroll through multiple pages of Google results.

#2 TikTok Usership Continues to Grow

After a banner year of growth aided by the pandemic in 2020, TikTok continues to grow and engage users. In 2021, TikTok was the most downloaded mobile app in the world – beating out Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Not only is it gaining more users, but existing users are also spending more time on the app. In 2019, users spent an average of 7 hours a month on TikTok. By 2021, that number grew three times over to 25 hours per month. 

In the United States, TikTok is the second most popular app for people under age 35. The large number of Gen-Z and Millennial users have long made TikTok seem like a “young person’s app.” However, in the first half of 2022, people over age 30 made up over 37% of TikTok users, and this number is only growing. With the increasingly wide range of user demographics, TikTok advertising should be considered for nearly every brand.

#3 E-Commerce on TikTok is Just Getting Started

There is no time like the present to join the world of e-commerce on TikTok. This is especially true when you consider how #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt sold out countless products through over 21 billion video views. According to TikTok data, 92% of global users take action after watching a video on the platform. Plus, “TikTok users are 1.5x more likely to immediately go out and buy something they discovered on the platform.” So make sure your business is the one they buy from!

TikTok offers several commerce solutions for brands to try out. The Shopping Partner Integration allows sellers to create product catalogs which buyers can browse and purchase products from in the platform. There is also a shopping direct integration where “creators and merchants run an e-commerce business directly on TikTok.” Other TikTok e-commerce options include: 

  • Product Links: Make organic videos shoppable with a link driving users to a checkout page of the featured product.
  • LIVE Shopping: Show off products in real-time during a TikTok Live and highlight the path to purchase.
  • Dynamic Showcase Ads: Tap into your audience’s interests based on their TikTok activity with dynamically generated video ads.
  • Collection Ads: Create a carousel of product cards for your In-Feed Ads featuring your top items. When a user taps, they’ll be brought to a more expansive shopping gallery to browse.

Taking the leap to advertise on TikTok may feel intimidating, but today is always the best day to start understanding the platform and its users. With continuing shifts in video views and online shopping, those who aren’t willing to adapt and be authentic on the platform will be left behind.

Ready to advertise on TikTok now? Check out our top 6 tips for successful TikTok campaigns!

1 TikTok internal data, Global, March 2022.

 

Pinterest Advertising Tips & Best Practices

Posted on by Coegi

Pinterest is a frequently overlooked social platform for advertising, with many marketers defaulting to Facebook and Instagram. However, it can be an excellent tool for brands looking to reach niche audiences in a discovery mindset. Inspiration is a key driver in marketing effectiveness, and Pinterest is where consumers go to be inspired.

Pinterest users are action-takers who intend to make purchases, plan projects, or develop new skills. This sets Pinterest apart from other social media platforms where users just skim through and like friends’ posts or news headlines. In other words, Pinterest is the ideal site to increase brand awareness and consideration.

If you’ve historically been hesitant to use this platform, read on to learn more about how your brand can capitalize on Pinterest ads.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a social curation platform that acts as a digital inspiration board. It lets users create, share, and categorize online content per their interests. Marketers should think of Pinterest as a combination of a powerful visual search engine and online social community, making it the perfect place to promote product discovery among potential customers. 

What are pins?

Users can upload and save images from the internet and add captions, descriptions, and links. These are known as pins. Pins can be saved or uploaded to customizable boards on user’s accounts to have multiple points of inspiration. 

What do people use Pinterest for?

85% of Pinterest users use the platform as their first stop before beginning a new project. So, Pinterest is using this intel to lean heavily into commerce, giving users the opportunity to create shoppable pins and shopping lists. These shoppable pins are look native in the user’s feed, creating a less disruptive advertising experience. Additionally, Pinterest has new AR features that allow users to try out products virtually before purchasing. People use the platform to discover and research products and brands, making it the ideal platform to reach your audience before competitors do.

Types of Pins

There is a diverse range of ad formats you can leverage on Pinterest. Idea pins, how-to pins, downloadables, video pins, idea pins, shopping pins, and collection pins are just a few examples. Some of the newer and more valuable formats that marketers can utilize are idea pins, try on pins, and collection pins.

Idea Pins

These pins are Pinterest’s interpretation of the “story” concept that other platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram have used. Idea pins are short form video content or a series of images. These pins are usually demonstrations or how-tos. 

Pinterest Idea Pin Example

Try-On Pins

Try-on pins use augmented reality technology to allow the user to test out a product before purchasing. From trying out makeup to seeing how a new couch would look in their living room, try on pins allow users to visualize the product in their life before purchasing. 

Pinterest Try-On Pin Example

Collection Pins

These pins consist of several elements – one large main hero asset and three smaller secondary assets. Once clicked, collection take users to a page where they can view the hero asset up close next to the secondary assets. This can help brands showcase multiple complementary items or highlight different product features in one view.

Pinterest Collections Pin Ad Example

Who Uses Pinterest?

The platform has over 400 million monthly active users, who utilize the platform to plan projects, make purchases, and become inspired. Pinterest’s user base is primarily female, with 60% of their global audience consisting of women. Unsurprisingly, women are also the most likely to make purchases on Pinterest.

However, the user base is steadily diversifying, with male and Gen-Z users growing by 40% this year. Additionally, 45% of social media users who bring in an average household income of over $100K are active Pinterest users, meaning Pinterest users are high earners and high spenders.  People in many different life stages, and with many different interests (from new homeowners to hobbyists to gift shoppers), utilize Pinterest. 

How to Advertise on Pinterest

To start advertising on Pinterest, you must first create a Pinterest Business account. This gives you access to analytics, exclusive pin formats, and the ability to create ad campaigns. From there, you will receive a prompt to select a campaign objective. 

Pinterest advertising objectives include: 

  • Brand awareness – Brand awareness helps consumers to discover your brand, products and services
  • Video views – Video views optimize the quality and duration of views, as well as completion rates
  • Web sessions – Web sessions drive visitors to your website and increase awareness and consideration
  • Conversions – Conversions encourage users to take action, such as signing up for a mailing list, or adding items to their cart
  • Catalog Sales – Catalog sales aide in the discovery process, helping users find products and services

These objectives determine your spend and ad formats, so choosing one that most accurately reflects your company’s business goals is important. 

How to Target on Pinterest

Advertisers have several options when it comes to targeting. You can target users who have already interacted with your brand online, find new customers through lookalike modeling, target by keywords, or even create a target audience by uploading a mailing list.

Pinterest also gives users the ability to target by interest with their premade interest targeting options. For example, if you were advertising a modern chair, you could select “contemporary design” or “modern home aesthetic” in order to refine your audience even further.

4 Pinterest Advertising Tips

Here are four best practices to maximizing your advertising efforts on Pinterest:

  1. Keep it Visual: On Pinterest, visuals are everything, so it is important to tailor your creative to the platform. Users are looking for pins that look good on their boards, so make sure your creative is high quality and aesthetically pleasing. 
  2. Mix it Up: The most successful Pinterest marketing campaigns are experimental, so vary the type of pins you use. Like many other platforms, short-form video content typically performs well on Pinterest. Video ads autoplay on mobile devices, which highlights your ad against other pins. Mix in different styles of content to keep your audience engaged. 
  3. Lean into Analytics: Pinterest ads manager allows advertisers to track their campaigns and access valuable analytics. Use these metrics to understand trends and optimize business goals. 
  4. Be Descriptive: Utilize the description for each pin to give the user helpful, inspiring context and let them know why they should save your pin. 

Pinterest ads offer brands a great opportunity to reach reach and persuade niche audiences. If you’re in search of a new platform to breakthrough the noise and engage consumers, don’t over look Pinterest.

For more tips, view our 2023 Social Media Advertising Trends article here.

How to Level Up Your Instagram Marketing Strategy

Posted on by Julia Read

Instagram is a social media powerhouse which nearly all brands should be using in some way. With 1.4 billion users available to target and a wealth of commerce-focused tools, there are endless opportunities for brands to grow through the platform. 

Instagram has a multitude of capabilities to help businesses grow: Instagram Shops, full-funnel campaign options, integrated commerce websites through Shopify, BigCommerce, Magneto and WooCommerce, as well as multiple ad formats to connect with your brand’s audience.

However, if you’re only leveraging static images in your advertising, and not incorporating new media formats and interactive tools, you may be missing the mark. 

Keep reading to learn what Instagram’s new algorithm changes mean for marketers and key ways to drive your brand goals using Instagram marketing.

What You Need to Know About Instagram’s Algorithm Changes

Instagram recently made two major updates. First, they altered their algorithm to focus on video and reels. Seeing the vast opportunity with the rise of video on platforms like TikTok, the goal of this change was to drive greater interaction with content users interact with rather than content from personal connections and followers. Another change made was regarding the length of video content. Instagram Reels used to be restricted to a 30 second maximum. That has now been extended to 90 seconds. 

After backlash from very popular influencers (The Kardashian-Jenners in particular), Adam Moseri, CEO of Instagram, paused the company’s test of a full-screen video/photo feed layout. They also began decreasing the volume of recommended posts in feed, once again showing more follower content instead. Although the video-heavy test is on hold, the main goal of social platforms is to keep users on the apps for longer. And video content proves time and again to be the most engaging type of media.

The algorithm heavily impacts both users and brands. How can you use these changes to your advantage? We have four tips you can use to lean into these updates and maximize the effect of your Instagram ads on business goals. 

4 Tips to Level Up Your Instagram Marketing Strategy

  1. Lean into video: Although Instagram reverted their video heavy update, 91% of Instagram users watch videos on a weekly basis. Also, Reels now make up over 22% of all posts and receive higher engagement than any other post format. The longer your audience views or interacts with your content, the more likely they are to remember your brand when preparing to make a purchase. 
  2. Understand your audience: Instagram users are looking for quick, emotionally-compelling content. You don’t necessarily need high production value to do this – in fact, authentic marketing is exactly what people want to see. Find what your audience values and speak to their motivations through your ads.
  3. Complement with other marketing channels: Build a strong omni-channel experience for your audience. One of the best ways to improve your Instagram marketing is by supporting it with other channels. Make your brand consistent across multiple social and digital platforms, as well as in-person, to connect the dots in the customer journey. 
  4. Test new tactics: Regularly experiment and test new ad formats such as Instant Experience to increase engagement or a Collection Ad to drive conversions. Or, test first and third-party data segments other than Meta’s demographics and interests to reach a different audience. Find what works best for your brand and use these learnings to your advantage.

As the second largest social media platform in the US, Instagram offers boundless opportunities for advertisers. To take advantage of this, it’s important to stay in tune with platform updates and changes in user behavior. Use these four steps to future-proof your Instagram marketing strategy and start connecting with your customers.

As marketers, it is our responsibility to understand trends and algorithm updates to help grow your business. For help kickstarting your social media strategy, contact Coegi for a discovery call today. 

2023 Video Advertising Trends and Best Practices

Posted on by Julia Wold

In our Social Media Trends Report, we highlighted that video content is king. Well, that trend is not just across social media, but across most digital channels: programmatic video, Connected TV, YouTube, programmatic out of home, etc. To capitalize on this, brands must approach video marketing with a strategic, omnichannel approach to reach target audiences wherever they are most engaged.

How Have Trends In Video Consumption And Ad Spend Changed?

Social Media Is An Untapped Market For Video Advertising

As a consumer, it feels like videos are everywhere. But as a marketer, video continues to be underutilized. In fact, across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, video content comprises only 14%, 11%, and 5% of each network’s content, respectively. This is largely due to creative costs and misunderstanding about the ROI video offers. 

Social Media Video Marketing Trends For 2023

Social media video advertising spend is continuing to increase. Video ads are expected to account for nearly 35% of social ad spend in 2023. 

Digital channels overall are set to exceed 60% of global ad spend. Since half of social media users prefer video over other types of content and 85% of social media users want more videos from brands, the use of video in social media has never been more important. 

Ready to tap into the opportune video advertising market? Here are four tips for high-performing social video content marketing. 

1) Understand How Social Platforms Are Used

It’s important to keep in mind that social sites are used for different purposes. For example, Instagram is the top platform for viewing photos, Facebook is used most for sharing content, and LinkedIn is used mostly for professional networking. Consider how your brand and your creative messaging fits into the user experience on each platform. 

2) Lean Into Platform Prioritizations

Understanding which formats different platforms prioritize to optimize your ad types for maximum visibility. For example, Instagram stated they are going to “double-down on [their] focus on video and consolidate all video formats around Reels” as they try to keep pace with TikTok. Knowing this, Instagram Reels and Facebook overlay ads in Reels should be utilized for paid media marketing. 

3) Keep It Short And Simple

Videos must be short and to the point as consumers’ attention spans are ever-shortening. According to Vidyard, 60% of all online videos in 2020 were under two minutes long. In 2022, 58% of users indicated that they will watch the entirety of a business’s video if it’s less than 60 seconds long. Even six second advertisements that quickly showcase the brand’s value drive consumer consideration.

4) Always Use Captions

Videos with captions receive 40% more views and make viewers 80% more likely to watch until the end. We should never exclude audiences who are deaf or hard of hearing. Accessibility is key for video across all channels. 

So, Why Is Digital Video Advertising So Effective?

Video is an impactful medium in the art of storytelling, but there’s a deeper neurological reason that compels us to consume. According to research, the brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. When you consider we can only process five words per second, and our attention span is roughly eight seconds long, it’s easy to understand the science behind video’s growing popularity. 

In fact, four times as many consumers would prefer to watch a video, rather than read about the same subject. And yes, it’s ironic that I’m writing about this topic.

 

Why You Should Incorporate Social Media Video Into An Agnostic Video Strategy

Despite social media’s massive popularity, putting all your efforts into Facebook video may cause your brand to miss out. Not everyone is active on social media and audiences are fragmented across many disparate social platforms. This is why we encourage our brands to incorporate both programmatic and social channels into an agnostic video advertising strategy. This ensures they are delivering this high-impact creative to their audiences regardless of where they are spending time. 

What Are The Benefits Of An Agnostic Video Marketing Strategy?

  • Ability to repurpose video advertising content across channels
  • Greater audience reach by not excluding certain channels 
  • Improve frequency by retargeting across channels
  • More accurate tracking and measurement capabilities 

Written by Julia Wold, Director of Operations and Anissa Reko, Senior Social Media Specialist

Additional Reading

3 Key Elements for Better Performing Video Content

Why Short Form Video is Critical For Your Brand’s Success

Creating Strategic Opportunities With Connected TV Advertising

6 TikTok Tips for Advertisers

Posted on by Nicole Mackenzie

TikTok advertising provides a unique opportunity to engage with potential customers in a highly authentic way. However, what was successful on other social platforms won’t necessarily shine on TikTok. Before you jump into advertising on TikTok, it’s important to understand the algorithm and the user expectations. 

Befriending the TikTok Algorithm

The sometimes infamous, sometimes beloved TikTok algorithm serves content to users based on their interests and engagement on the app. If an individual likes, shares, and comments on videos about parenting and gardening, for instance, they’ll continue to see content around those topics of interest. There are endless corners of niche content such as “book tok”, “mom tok” and “gym tok” which brands can tap into.

To most effectively reach your target audience, consider which videos your ideal consumers are likely interacting with. Tailor your content to their interests, down to the captions, sounds, and hashtags.

Once you have a clear understanding of your target persona, use these TikTok advertising tips to drive success:

Six TikTok Tips

(1) Define your purpose and brand message

Enter TikTok with a clear understanding of why your brand is there. Know what you want to tell consumers, understand what they value and are interested in, and learn what kind of messaging they are receptive to. Without these things in mind, your message may be miscommunicated or lost (the algorithm can be unforgiving). 

(2) Use influencers to build trust and authenticity

Influencers are a priceless resource when it comes to reaching your audience, especially on TikTok. Contrary to popular belief, influencer marketing drives lower-funnel results, is accessible for all budgets, and applies to any industry vertical. Micro influencers are especially important on TikTok to boost your brand authenticity. These creators often have more engaged, albeit smaller in number, followers. They are also experts on the platform and will help you create organic-looking content users are more receptive to. 

(3) Understand and take advantage of trends

Nothing turns users away from a TikTok campaign quicker than a blatant lack of understanding of trends. Of course you must craft creative content that is unique and represents your brand. But to really grab your audience’s attention, design creatives to seamlessly fit into the ‘For You’ page through tone, humor, and aesthetics. Avoid being out of touch with your target demographic by devoting time to actually becoming familiar with the platform and observing engagement patterns and trends firsthand. 

(4) Know the purpose and importance of short-form video

Short form video (6-30 seconds long) drives higher engagement than nearly any other media format. It’s TikTok’s bread and butter. With this platform, the message and draw of a video outweighs its length. Play around with the style, format, and timing of posts to see which combination gains the most engagement for your brand. 

(5) Lean into analytics

Dive into TikTok Business Analytics to track which type of content performs best. This is especially useful when trying new tactics or A/B testing to determine what works and what doesn’t. You should also use audience analytics to understand who your content is reaching. TikTok’s targeting parameters are relatively broad, so this data can provide a better view of who is actually seeing and engaging with your brand. 

(6) Entertain your audience, but keep it authentic

Authenticity is mandatory on TikTok. Your sponsored content must feel organic to drive positive engagement and create meaningful results. Don’t be afraid to embrace dancing trends, create comedic skits, or insert your brand into the latest trending sounds. Be prepared to craft energetic and encouraging replies to user comments, and even look to those comments for inspiration for future videos. Be as approachable as possible to establish a brand community on TikTok. 

 

Successful TikTok advertising can mean different things to each brand. Whether the goal is increased engagement, social buzz, or sales, following these six TikTok tips will help you move the needle in the right direction. Embrace creativity and innovation to reach your audience in a way that makes a lasting positive impression on the fastest growing social platform. 

For more TikTok campaign tips, check out this TikTok Q&A article and our list of TikTok Dos and Don’ts from Coegi’s social media specialists.

Want to get on TikTok? Reach out to Coegi today to get started.

Tips For Successful TikTok Advertising Campaigns | Q&A

Posted on by Nicole Mackenzie

Interested in TikTok advertising campaigns? It’s no surprise. TikTok is easily the social platform to end all social platforms for Gen Z. But it’s seen widespread adoption across most age groups. This popularity makes it the third most popular social media app in the US behind Facebook and Instagram.

Brands want to go wherever consumers are migrating. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in a substantial increase in TikTok advertising. TikTok ad revenue increased by 170% from 2020 to 2021. In 2022, it is projected to skyrocket by an additional 184%, reaching a total of nearly $6B dollars.

However, if brands go about TikTok advertising campaigns in the wrong way, they are likely to do more harm than good. 

Coegi’s Social Operations Manager, Nicole MacKenzie weighs in on how to nail your next TikTok campaign and make a splash for your brand.  

What Kind Of Creative Messaging Is Best On TikTok?

TikTok is a visual platform, a place where users go to be inspired, seek creativity and explore. If there is strong creative execution, you’ll likely succeed on the platform. But, remember to keep messaging short and to the point. Authenticity is also huge and plays a key role in prompting users to take the desired action. 

What Kinds Of Brands Are The Best Fit For TikTok?

Beauty, clothing, and food and beverage brands are natural fits for TikTok. Users are able to directly see these products in use in real time. This eliminates the element of surprise when trying out a new product for the first time and builds trust with the consumer. 

Other industries outside of the CPG category, such as travel, sports, and technology, can also thrive on TikTok. TikTok allows the user to go on a journey. They can visually see travel destinations first hand, view highlights from a sporting event, or hear directly how a product changed someone’s life for the better. That can be very persuasive.

What Are The Most Important Elements In A TikTok Campaign Strategy?

First, there are the logistics of choosing an objective, budget, target audience and bidding strategy. Beyond this, brands must dive into an intentional campaign strategy that’s unique to the platform. TikTok’s algorithm is a complicated formula that serves content to a user based on their interests and previous engagements. In order to create that compelling content, brands should consider these six key elements to a successful TikTok marketing campaign. 

  1. Define your purpose and brand message
  2. Connect with TikTok influencers and build a trusted partnership that aligns with your brand mission, values and goals. 
  3. Understand current TikTok trends and how your brand can use them in a way that is inline with your brand.
  4. Know the purpose and importance of short-form video engagement
  5. Utilize TikTok analytics and pay attention to trending performance in order to curate high-performing content
  6. Entertain your audience and keep it authentic

What Are Some Common Mistakes Brands Make With TikTok Advertising Campaigns?

The most common mistake is to start making content before fully understanding the platform and what performs well there. I have seen brands struggle to adapt their messaging strategy to cater to TikTok. This leads to diminished performance and user interaction. 

Other common TikTok advertising mistakes are:

  • Copying and pasting content or ads from other platforms
  • Skipping influencer marketing campaigns
  • Not utilizing user-generated content.

Brands that only post ads, have no familiarity with creative editing tools, and are not effectively engaging with their audience, are missing out on the full potential of TikTok.

How Will TikTok Change Over The Next Five Years?

I believe TikTok will continue to adapt and compete with Facebook and Instagram. TikTok’s algorithm is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It shows how the platform will continue to evolve and reshape the future for social media, especially as the most downloaded app last year. 

To continue growing, the app is moving more into the social commerce space, focusing on ways to build revenue for creators and brands. New social commerce tools, like the TikTok Shopping feature for in-app product selling, and more interactive elements like responsive videos, will help brands drive engagement. We can only assume more features are on their way. So, it is vital to keep up with new developments and tools as they are released.  

What’s Your Favorite Thing About TikTok?

For a long time I refused to hop on the TikTok bandwagon, mainly because I knew I would be addicted. In the end, though, I’m honestly happy I did. As much as I dislike sitting on my phone, I’ve come to find that I can feel both productive and entertained at the same time. Sending videos to friends and family that I think they will find a laugh, joy, purpose, or inspiration from makes me happy. And I feel accomplished when I find videos that are helpful and inspiring towards my hobbies (cooking, house DIY, travel, etc.). I didn’t realize that a platform only composed of videos could be such an uplifting and helpful tool!

To learn more, check out these other pieces from Coegi:

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