This difficult time put marketers in a situation to question ourselves:

Is it wise to promote your brand on Facebook/Instagram during COVID-19?

There may not be a concrete answer to this question as the facts required to make the decision might be different for different brands as well as products. So we have a few data that could help you figure out your choice amidst the current dynamic scenario.

Digital consumption and usage is high

It is obvious that with lockdown active, consumer’s engagement in outdoor activities has come to a complete halt. Overall, the global online traffic has increased by 67% than normal daily average. Effect of which can also be seen on social platforms like Facebook/Instagram where people are spending time much more than normal. Thus increasing the numbers of available impression in these platforms. Facebook reports 70% increment in messenger video calls and 50% increment of total messaging through messenger and WhatsApp during COVID-19.

Low competition, low cost and high reach

Gain twice the audience at the same amount spent. Yes, that is true. With rising impressions, cost of result is going down during covid-19 for all industries across all regions.  Also, brands are investing less into marketing during this time, decreasing competition and in turn lowering the cost for advertisement.

Serve consumer today, win business later

Figuring out what to communicate during this time is an excruciating experience. Apart from few brands, communication could be tricky and backlash is just one post away. We have seen this is prominent ISP in Nepal. Be sensitive and relevant with your communication. That is one step towards building brand connection with customers. And trust me, this connection with your customer will give you long term benefits, even after the COVID-19.

However, deciding whether to start promoting your brand on Facebook depends completely on your jurisdiction. You may consider the facts presented here to decide whether to invest in ads during this time.

Author: Pranish Balami

The post Brand Promotion during COVID-19 appeared first on Digital Advantage.

Despite the setbacks, proactive marketers are always seeking ways to increase Instagram Engagement. Here are few tips to help you get what you seek from Instagram for your brand. 

Know how often to post:

This is a common dilemma for marketer. Knowing how often and when to post is an important aspect of publishing content on Instagram. When deciding the frequency of the post, nature of the brand/product should be kept in mind. However, a sweet spot remains at 1-2 posts per day. Now the time you post content on your Instagram profile is tricky. You can find a lot of logic and views from experts regarding the post timing, if Google searched. But the best way to find which time you need to post is from the insights that you get for your Instagram page. You can find a breakdown of highest engagement on content, daily as well as hourly basis. A quick look at this insight gives you an understanding of your followers’ habit and you will have an idea of when to post what kind of content.

Explore the full range of Instagram video formats

Instagram has recognized the potential of moving visuals and offers a range of video options for marketers to use. From Stories to 60-second videos, make sure you use all the formats to the fullest for your brand visibility and follower engagement. For example, you can use Instagram Live Stories for grand launch, product reveals, behind-the-scene stories published for your followers to increase engagement.

Unlock potential of Instagram Stories

Thousands of people go through Instagram Stories every day and almost one third of the most viewed stories come from businesses. Stories enables you to post mix of photos and videos that disappears after 24 hours. But the impact that it makes stretches for longer pushing your chances of visibility, reach and engagement higher and gain new followers.

Using Live stories draws people in because it is actually happening in real time as they can view it on a device that they are never away from. On the other hand, pre-recorded stories are more suitable for an in depth coverage of the product or a quick promotion.

Use # correctly 

Using the best hashtag determines whether you appear at the top or sink to the bottom of the feed in Instagram. Keeping your hashtag too generic will make your content face competition from millions of others. Being too specific makes your content invisible because not all will know about it. So, you need to use a mix of trending and industry-specific hashtags to find the best hashtag to connect to your targeted followers. Having said that, the number of hashtags you use is also critical.  Although Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags, tons of them in the caption makes it look unprofessional and untargeted. Which is why most of the top brands use seven or fewer hashtags in their caption.

Learn from your best performing content

From your activities and page insights, learn to drive up your Instagram engagement on your page. From identifying the most effective hashtags, visual styles to the best times to post, there are many ways of honing your Instagram marketing strategy. By continuous monitoring your page you can develop best practices for your own brand. Social listening and analytics from different tools, which you can find through Google search, will also help you to fine-tune your strategy and increase engagement. But one fact should not be forgotten that Instagram marketing journey is never over.

The post Power of Instagram appeared first on Digital Advantage.

Google Trends:
If you don’t know how popular your brand or product is, look no further; Google trends is the best tool to give you a perspective of your brand’s online presence. We use this tool to identify the search terms used to find your product or your competitor’s product nationally or even region specific. Once you have these data, you have a better understanding of how and what you should be promoting and where.

Bonus TIP: you can also use Trends to find the trendiest stories, which you can use to your advantage.

Google Keyword Planner:
The name itself is self-explanatory; it plans your keywords. So why do you need this? Because you have a nice product ready to show to your customers, you have also prepared nice Banners and images for your customers but how do you reach them? Demographic is a way to go, but to be more specific and understand how your customers search for relevant product, you need help and that help comes from Keyword Planner. It shows you all the terms used to search relevant product and their volume and if we try to sit and plan to find these terms on our own, it would take us days with no data.

Google Display Planner
Similar to Keyword planner, Display planner helps you get data for your Banner Ads. Often we have seen brands go blind with a budget for placements. What is Placements? It is where the ads are being shown and that is exactly what Display Planner helps you with. You can use this tool to first identify the numbers of placements (websites, apps, games etc.) available to you in your targeted area. It just does not end there; you can also get an estimated forecast for each placement to find out the right budget for the ad.

Facebook Insights
Every one of us uses Facebook regularly but we fail to look deeper into the tools that Facebook has created which gives us immense data to understand our customers and their behaviors. It should be necessary practice for Brands to observe Facebook Insights and use it regularly. You not only get audience data like their Age, Location, Interests, Time of interaction; you also get to monitor what your competitors are doing. See head-to-head comparison with other brands and find out what they are doing better or wrong, which is one the simplest ways to improve your strategy.

Likealyzer.com
Does not matter if you are a brand or an agency, this site is a killer and one of my favorite. It is one of the easiest tool you can use to see your Facebook page performance. All you need to do is go to the site and write you pages name, BOOM! You will get tons of observations and recommendations for your page, just follow the advice and you will have yourself a solid foundation for your page. Furthermore, you can also use this tool to see how your page is doing compared to others in your region. I mean I still do not understand how do they let you do it for FREE.

Research & Training
Digital marketers are like Doctors, you cannot just have a limited knowledge and start practicing. Technology advances, things keep changing and at a much faster rate than ever, so you do not have the option to sit still and rely on your knowledge. Start subscribing to blogs and sites of your preference, read articles, explore campaigns and take inspiration from others.

I would also recommend short courses for Brand Managers to get a better understanding of this vast channel for better implementation of their ideas. Nowadays many institutions have opened in Nepal that are providing course where you get to learn practically. One such institution I feel has the right setup and expertise in Nepal is Neosphere (neosphere.com.np), would definitely recommend it for Brand Managers and people interested in starting a career in this field.

Author: Shabab Sabbir

The post Tips to start thinking like a Digital Marketer appeared first on Digital Advantage.

1) It’s easy – People believe that Digital Marketing is too simple of a job and doesn’t require a lot of effort, eventually underestimating how hard it actually is. A lot of businesses try doing their own digital marketing, but insufficient skill or knowledge regarding the subject leads them to achieve poor results, ultimately creating the misunderstanding that Digital Marketing is of no use.

Digital Marketing needs special attention and one has to be very patient. Giving it lesser time and effort than it requires can make you underestimate the power of it, alongside you never really know what you are missing out on.

You can definitely do digital marketing yourself to a certain extent, given that you’re the person who knows about your industry customer base and target audience, better than anyone else. The best outcomes though, should be learnt well or left to the professionals.

2) Slashing payments – As digital marketing industry is growing at a rapid rate, so is the growth of freelancers and agencies providing SMM service. Thinking of Digital presence just as a basic need and handing it to someone for a minimum cost is not going to help you grow your business. Digital Marketing is a tool that can be used wisely on the right hands, therefore, the sooner you realize that minimum payment is not a good decision, the better. Put some thought and effort into identifying your business objective from this effective medium and decide on the right team.

3) Miraculous ROI – Some businesses feel that investing in digital marketing will give them miraculous return overnight; but that is not how it works. Achieving success in the field of digital marketing requires selection of the optimum platform, right tools, right team and a lot of patience, which will eventually give you the maximum return.

4) Not required for my Industry – For any industry, social media can be a very effective channel.  But that being said, not all social channels serve the same purpose and you shouldn’t put equal emphasis on each channel.

For example, for a B2B company with a technical service offering, channels like Pinterest, Instagram or Snapchat might not be the platform to focus on, rather, platforms like Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook should be prioritized.

Similarly, if you are B2C company selling fashion products, Linkedin might not be the most effective channel. But for both types of company there are channels, when used properly can provide great return.

5) No one visits Website – websites are treated as an item on the checklist which just needs to be published – that’s not correct. It’s very crucial to have a website as that is you’re Identity. Website is a virtual window that can depict what kind of a business you are. Treat your website well, and do not stick to stereotypes. You are always at your best when meeting someone, similarly your website should always be treated the same. Companies should focus on three elements to make good digital impression; Good Looks, Impression and Engagement, so that the conversation between your company and your customer is interesting and active.

6) One Person Can Do It All – Some companies look to one person to make all their marketing decisions. No matter how smart and dynamic that person is, it’s doubtful that they are an expert in SEO, PPC, content marketing, email campaigns, social media, design and development, marketing automation, analytics, etc. That’s why digital marketing needs a team – each with their own special talents – to make recommendations and drive results.

7) All You Need Is Digital Marketing – Some digital marketers feel that online marketing strategies are all they need often and ignore the other forms of marketing. However, it is essential to view your online efforts as just one of the parts of your marketing plan; email and direct mail are still quite effective. Digital and traditional marketing activities must be given equal importance.

The post 7 Myths of Digital Marketing appeared first on Digital Advantage.

Digital marketing makes use of digital technologies to promote a brand and convert its leads into customers. It makes use of internet as a promotional medium along with mobile, TV and internet. It has now become an important part of every marketing strategy as modern users want companies to have a strong and effective online presence.

With the immense growth of Internet & mobile users in Nepal year over year, the scope of digital marketing in Nepal is very broad and includes all forms of marketing done through electronic devices. There are many types of digital marketing services and the success of your marketing campaign will depend on understanding which type of services will work best for your business needs.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – It helps to increase the website’s visibility across search engines. It is a process including several techniques like link building (internal links and back links), content creation, keyword research and technical analysis of the site. A top place on the search engines can help you business website show on top and gives you an edge over competitors. Companies providing this service will give you regular reports to monitor the progress of this process and its effects on your site’s position.

Email and Newsletters – It is one of the earliest forms of digital marketing. It includes sending the personalized and targeted messages to meet the requirement of the users. It is an important way to not only stay in touch with customers but also promote new products and offers.

Pay per Click (PPC) – It helps you increase the visibility of a site through sponsored links on search engine pages. This campaign is relevant to the keywords that people use on search engines. The cost of this campaign will depend on the competitiveness of the keyword you are using. It is very effective in generating instant traffic for specific keywords.

Social Media Marketing – Digital marketing companies pay a lot of stress on this form of marketing. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Interest, Instagram helps in establishing direct contact with the user. A strong social media presence will help you build an online community to help build the brand’s image, showcase products and services, get feedback directly from end users and attract more potential buyers.

A better understanding of various forms of digital marketing can help you create an effective strategy to promote your business online. It has become an important part of every marketing strategy as it helps you connect directly with your present and potential customers. Hire a professional digital marketing company to help your business get a wider reach.

Digital marketing services can help your business reach new heights. A digital marketing company knows how to blend different techniques to create an effective strategy based on your business requirements. A little research can help you find a good company matching your needs. Also just because there are tons of platforms to choose from, doesn’t mean you have to invest in all of them.

Digital Marketing just characterized is not facebook; it is the new age online marketing that involves uniting with the potential consumers in an approachable and convenient way, engaging with them in an effective and enhanced manner. It’s a win-win situation for both the marketer who can develop the consciousness of his business and the consumer who can be benefitted from the most up to date social media techniques.

The increased awareness and usage of the online platform has made marketers to focus their efforts on building long-term brand commitment as opposed to short-term conversions. The dynamic marketing environment is gaining momentum and the new digital culture offers open doors for retailers willing to reconsider how they work together.

The entire world has become a Global community which is connected mere by a touch of a button or a click of mouse. Be it Facebook, Google who have been in the forefront for their consistent engagement with consumers on a regular basis for their various new initiatives or the e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Amazon, Daraz, Kaymu, Jabong, Myntra which redefined the whole shopping experience, Digital Marketing have evolved as it has gained tremendous momentum in the contemporary marketing environment.

Digital Marketing as it exists today entails specific techniques to reach out to their target audiences. So it’s time we start thinking on how we can utilize this effective medium to reach our potential customers by getting to know about the various aspects of Digital Marketing and getting out of the shell we all know as Facebook.

The post Digital Marketing is not Facebook appeared first on Digital Advantage.

To give few examples of waste:

Fixed Budget Allocation: Advertisers have a tendency to set a fix spend on campaign without actually identifying the best performing adset. As a result, if a campaign contains 5 ads with a fixed budget, and only one of those ads was performing better, you are actually losing almost over 70% of your budget if you are not dynamically directing your budget towards the winning adset.

Same Ad: Most advertisers – on average – let ad creative go stale (i.e. they stopped generating results) for a month before changing them out. This is easy to monitor, and generating/ testing new ads is quick and cheap

Not trying out new audience: I almost always find advertisers reaching out to the same audience segment for different types of ads that they run. But using features like lookalike, engaged, website visitors audience, advertisers can see a significant increase on their ROAS.

Limiting Ad Types: Many advertisers don’t use the range of various ad types available – which is criminal on platforms such as Facebook, when so many ad formats are on offer, generating radically different returns. Some examples can be Dynamic Product Ads,Offer Ads, Carousel Ads, Re-targeting etc.

Ad Creative: The difference between good creative and bad is enormous in terms of performance, yet most marketers still ‘sign off’ on each element of creative copy by committee, rather than based on performance. Here are some examples of how creative can impact performance: I have seen higher ROAS for ads that stated “X amount off” instead of “X percent off”, when images featured no gifts compared to images featuring gifts, when ads featured main courses instead of appetizers.

SOLUTION

It’s not simple and requires adaptation. In this new era of modern marketing, you will have to adapt to new changes, be flexible with experimentation and always try to use new tech and features available for reaching out to your target audience. It’s time for precision targeting so you don’t have the luxury to hold on to your old mass marketing habits nor the people, practices and partners who are holding you back.

Few things you can apply this year for a better result:

Set ROAS goals: Don’t spend money without identifying very specific return goals. It’s okay to get it wrong, but as long as you make it a practice, it will give you a better understanding of how to measure ROAS for future campaigns.

Run multiple ads: As I mentioned earlier, all ads don’t work well. So don’t rely on one ad. Create multiple tailored ads, 3-5 ads per segment if possible to best achieve or exceed your goals.

Test & Experiment: Your team or partner should make it a practice to keep on testing new audience, creative, ad types, bids etc. Just because something is working good doesn’t mean it can’t get better.

Use other media: Running social media campaigns gives you lot of data and insights into you target audience. Use that data to create ads in other media like display ad and traditional media.

So in 2018, plan your Social Media spend wisely and set specific ROAS goals to become an efficient advertiser. Have a look at your last year spend and set key indicators for future comparisons. This is a LOT of work, and can’t be done with your traditional manpower levels, or without the help of powerful technology, but if your media spend is meaningful, the ROI improvements on your media spend totally justify these additional costs.

The post What’s your Digital Marketing Budget and how much you plan to lose in 2018? appeared first on Digital Advantage.