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Month: May 2015

BOT Traffic is Out of Control
Various articles have appeared recently discussing BOT traffic and how this type of traffic is a great danger to the integrity of online advertising. And it is true that BOT traffic is a real problem with an estimated 10-20% of all traffic being BOT (11% of online and 23% of video according to the WSJ).

This has resulted in a slew of solutions that promise to “clean up” the traffic by measuring and filtering out any BOT traffic. Of course these solutions come at a cost and to make sure you buy most will make you test your traffic and find as much as 60% BOT (especially if you run a small website – You are prime target of these people). However, while these solutions claim to do a good job of identifying and cleaning up BOT traffic, most are vastly over shooting and identify and eliminate what they identify as “suspicious” traffic but that in reality is perfectly legitimate traffic.

Take for example the case of a referrer that is not passed by a source of traffic. Most BOT filters will identify this traffic as BOT but in reality this traffic in many cases is totally legitimate. Many networks for example do not pass referrers and “domain” traffic is more often than not masked but the traffic is legitimate. As a result, we’ve seen very solid conversion traffic labeled as BOT. The reason is that more often than not the algorithm designed to identify BOT traffic is not capable of distinguishing between a source of valid traffic and a source of BOT traffic.

On the other hand we’ve seen so called IAS rated traffic that guarantees 100% human (with the restrictions mentioned above) being tested and proven to be fraudulent. The reason is simple – some traffic providers cheat. And since many web owners do not have the IAS test code on their site, they may be paying for traffic that is BOT and not realizing it, until the advertisers on their site ban them. Additionally, a simple fact is that while some BOT traffic is easy to identify, most people who send BOT traffic are not dumb and are adapting.

So what is the solution?

First and foremost get your traffic from reputable networks or sources that are testing the traffic that they provide and are able to detect BOT or non performing traffic before it comes to you. A CPM for a certain type of traffic or a click have usually known cost brackets so any traffic that is offered at a fraction of what most would sale it for has to be viewed with caution.

Second, understanding what is your traffic type. Is it search, pop, domains, etc.? This will give you the ability to assess the traffic based on referrer being passed or not and as a result if referrer or IPs mismatch are legitimate for example.

Thirdly, finding and implementing simple solutions to test your traffic to insure that it is human. These include simple testing like CAPTCHA on part of the traffic that you get (2-3% is enough with at min 25% passing). Other solutions include blocking traffic from known BOT (published by IAB if you are a paying member), blocking IPs that generate more than one click per day on an ad, implementing honeypot links (click traps – these can even be implemented by yourself via a simple 1 pixel image and link), measuring mouse movement, off-screen clicks, etc. These are great options for rapidly identifying BOT traffic and, often, they are available free by ISPs.

Finally test your traffic continually and no matter what the quality. This is the best way to insure that the traffic that you get is clean day in and day out.

Bottom line is that, in our view, the best solution to addressing and managing BOT is to be aware of where your traffic comes from and test it and continue testing no matter how reputable the source of traffic may be. People who send BOT are smart and they are always going to find a way to fool algorithm no matter how much we think we are in control.

Just as a side note, here is a diagram that I saw from Solvemedia back in 2012 entitled “The BOT Stop Here” (click on the image to enlarge it). It has a great illustration of estimates that show anything from 4% to 31% BOT traffic in advertising depending on who you talk to and some down to earth recommendations. Bottom line it is your $ that is at play so make sure you are careful.

Additional resources on this issue:
- Wall Street Journal – http://www.wsj.com/
- Website Magazine – http://www.websitemagazine.com/
- IAB List of BOT – http://www.iab.net/
- Malware Domain List – http://www.malwaredomains.com/
If you have any questions, let us know by contacting one of us via information@onwardclick.com
May 27, 2015
The Basics of Growing Lead Conversions Using Social Media

A strong social presence is crucial to the success of online marketing, and social media is one of the best ways to build that online strength. If you’ve already been publishing content Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social platforms, you’ve completed the first step. Perhaps you’ve begun building up a decent following and your audience is starting to engage. What’s next? How can you use this engagement to drive leads for you business?

With these few tips, you can use social media to grow lead conversion.

Identify the Proper Channels.

There are so many different social media platform businesses can choose from, however that does not mean you should necessarily be using them all. Take some time to figure out what networks your audience is hanging out. It’s much more important to invest your time on platforms that work, instead of spreading your efforts across the board. You may need to start out with the trial and error method. If you are spending a lot of time on one platform with little results, it might be time to move your efforts elsewhere.

Grow Your Following.

If you don’t have many followers on your social platforms, there’s not much of a chance you will see lead conversion. Take the time to grow your following. This will not happen overnight so patience is key. It’s important you know the persona you are targeting and share content relevant to that audience.

Hubspot allows businesses to create “streams”, a feature that allows you to monitor conversations happening around a keyword of geographical region. This can help you keep track of what’s going on and engage in these relevant conversations. More times than not, you will end up with a new follower and a potential lead.

Optimize Your Profile.

Often times, businesses create social media profiles that offer visitors no opportunity to become a customer. A short blurb and a link to your website is not enough. Just like your website, your social media profiles should have a clear call-to-action and an easy way for leads to complete that specific action.

There are many different ways you can use your social media profile to make it easy for visitors to connect with your business. Drive your followers to contact you by provided a link to your “contact us” page and a phone number. Social media is widely used on mobile devices today so you are giving your customer an easy way to connect. Facebook also has a “custom tab” feature that gives users a way to showcase custom content alongside the default tabs. For example, if you are looking to gain more blog subscribers, you can create a tab that invites leads to sign up and directs them to a form on your site.

Publish Gated Content.

When publishing a new piece of content, place it behind a “gate”, or landing page with a form. Social media is great for promoted gated content because once a user reaches your form, you know you’ve already caught their interest. When you post content to Twitter of Facebook for example, anyone who clicks your link has already decided they want to view the content. Although some leads will be put off by filling out a form, many will be happy to provide information if the content is presented well and your business has a decent reputation.

More Than an RSS Feed.

Linking to your content through internal links is important to your social media strategy, however it should not be the only thing you do. A lot of companies are using their social media channels as RSS feeds and not much else. By only publishing your own content, you are missing out on many of the benefits of these platforms.

Social media is a great opportunity for businesses to engage with their customers. Businesses should mix up their posts with relevant news articles from other industry influencers or questions to their audience. Twitter is a powerful tool for connecting with influencers, and you can do so by sharing their content and engaging in conversation with them.
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/

May 26, 2015
Cutting the Cord: Reach Millennials with Mobile
Millennials are the first generation of digital natives and have never known a world without the Internet. They depend on mobile devices more than any other demographic for information, communication and entertainment. They also make up a high percentage of the students to whom many colleges are marketing. Reaching millennials is a challenge for numerous reasons. First of all, they have a different view of their relationship with brands. They want to identify and engage with the brands they use, more so than any other demographic. Secondly, they take longer to make a buying decision. With so much fragmentation in the marketplace for this population searching, it is important to not remain “stuck” on utilizing only channels that provide direct lead generation. Brands who maintain this mentality will see their marketing suffer. Third, multi-screening (using more than one media channel at the same time) is not a trend, it’s a way of life for millennials. According to Google Education, statistics show nearly half of this population uses smartphones to research education options.

What does this mean for marketers?

Investing in more upper funnel channels, such as online video, online radio or display advertising, brands are making a conscious choice to be present more often to prospects earlier in their research as opposed to limiting their focus on those who are in the decision phase. Marketers must adapt a multi-screen approach to be present where potential customers are if they want to reach the millennial marketplace. They must be willing to employ strategic campaigns to include multi-screen, texting, television and radio.

Mobile trends worth noting:
- Mobile searches are projected to surpass desktop in 2015
- Mobile impacts search, organic, social, web design and even forms of traditional media
- Organic visits from mobile have grown 58% year-over-year
- Mobile ad conversions from paid search have increased 16% year-over-year
- 71% of users access social media from their mobile phone vs. desktop
- 70% of marketing professionals state that video converts more efficiently than any other medium
Welcome to the mobile first world.

While mobile will never replace traditional advertising, it can work in conjunction to expand the audience, engage the consumer, and build the brand. Brands refusing to embrace the necessity of strategic mobile marketing are missing an opportunity to reach millennials, and convert prospects to customers.

Original Source: http://www.leadscon.com/
May 26, 2015
How to Market to a Misunderstood Demographic – ‘Gen Edge,’ aka Gen Z

Marketers have invested heaps of time — and ad dollars — over the past few years trying to target millennials. Recently, though, our clients have begun asking us to help them wrap their minds around the mores of a new generation: “Gen Edge.”

Who are they? And how do we talk to this group?

The first question is far simpler to answer than the second. Those of us who track consumer culture are still in the midst of studying Gen Edge’s social behaviors.

Here’s what we know for certain. Also called Gen Z, they’re the children of Gen Xers, and are approaching their 20s. By some estimates they account for as much as 25% the American population. And, they are more diverse than any other age group to date, representing a blend of races.

What we don’t know is how drastically Gen Edge will evolve the consumer-brand relationship, increasingly impacted by technology.

In our always-on, socially-charged world, a marketer’s failed attempt to connect with Gen Edge could be broadcast across media channels in seconds. The only way to prevent that is to gain a deeper understanding of Gen Edge.

Here are three trends we have uncovered in our study of this group, and the implications for marketers:

Trend No. 1: They found their heroes and idols, not the other way around.

There was no such thing as a “microcelebrity” in the past — famous people were either in the movies, on TV, or their music played on the radio. Because they haven’t been impacted by mass media nearly as much as Gen X or Gen Y, Gen Edgers have found their own heroes and idols. They have a much broader range of them too, discovered on YouTube, Netflix, Buzzfeed, and Chive-like forums.

Implication for marketers: Dig deeper to find relevant talent for campaigns.

Casting talent as a spokesperson or partnering with a celebrity today is a high-risk, high-rewards scenario. Whom you choose to partner with and how you choose to get your brand talked about when it comes to Gen Edge is critical, and it may require a lot more homework and discovery of microcelebrities.

Trend No. 2: They embrace imperfections and individuality.

Gen Edge isn’t trying to project an image of perfection — and they aren’t expecting you to be perfect either. It’s kind of a relief, right? This group would rather everyone just be their real selves. Showing your warts could actually go a long way with this group because they dislike squeaky-clean “perfect” brands. Plus, Gen Edge wants brands that feel a bit malleable so there’s room for them in the mix. They like to take content, reshape it, or make their own.

Implication for marketers: Don’t try too hard, and own who you are.

A new Yo Campaign or a Snapchat effort might not be the right thing for you. And even if it is, you don’t need to start saying “BRB” for no reason or “erryday” instead of “everyday.” An inauthentic voice will be very obvious to this demo and could quickly backfire rather than help in connecting with them. So if you’re an old brand, own it.

Trend No. 3: They don’t love or hate logos, but do care about the story behind them.

Gen Edgers won’t be happy to parade around lux logos just because they are expensive, like their parents might have. Badging for this group is more individualistic, it’s smarter and it reflects an attitude more so than a head-to-toe look.

A brand’s actions matter more than the brand itself. So a Gen Edger may be just as happy to display a $2,000 Maiyet bag as she would a $40 Everlane tote, knowing that both brands care about craftsmanship and are transparent about the production process.

Implication for marketers: Be transparent about your brand story, and make content accessible to consumers on different platforms.

Badging still matters, so this group could be willing to pay a premium for your brand or be loyal fans, as long as they feel good about your business. What does your brand stand for: Quality? Innovation? Social good? Think about your brand’s story, articulate it wisely and release that content across as many channels as possible.

As Gen Edgers approach college graduation and head out into the world to earn jobs and acquire spending power, we’ll learn more about their tastes and the brands they choose to bring into the world. But in the meantime, it’s critical to know that this generation is unlike any before it — so before attempting to target them with marketing messages, you must put time into understanding the unique characteristics of this group.

Graciously shared by Adage.com

May 26, 2015
Another New Anti-Bot Traffic Effort Announced

It seems that 2015 is going to be well-known as a year where the digital advertising industry finally got its act together when it comes to fighting non-human traffic. There have already been several announcements concerning new software, new ad platforms, new ‘blacklists’ and many other efforts made by a variety of companies that are trying to put the ‘bad players’ in digital advertising on the defensive for once.

Two major companies, Videology and White Ops, have just announced that they will be partnering to combat bots and other non-human activity that takes place related to online video. These two companies have been working together since early last year to fight global ad fraud, but this announcement is helping to take their efforts to the next level.

According to the press release, “The partnership between Videology and White Ops equips the Videology platform with the most robust real-time bot and non-human activity detection and prevention solution in the market today, protecting digital advertising stakeholders from cyber threats so they can focus on their audience.”

The new technology from White Ops will help to identify bots earlier than before, even the very first time they appear. This detection will take place at the impression level, which allows it to stop fraud on each ad display rather than blocking entire URLs. Other anti-fraud measures are often too broad, blocking domains and cookies in some cases.

Scott Ferber, the Chairman and CEO of Videology said, “Bot traffic is a major concern of our clients, and rightfully so. But access to inventory is also key when it comes to video advertising. White Ops is uniquely equipped to combat bot traffic in today’s marketplace, and through our deep integration, our clients can leverage Videology’s proven ability to solve for portfolio-level objectives, without making trade-offs on media quality.”

Original Source: http://performinsider.com/

May 26, 2015
Digital Estimated to Influence Half of In-Store Retail Sales

The research is based on the data provided by Deloitte

Notes: Digital technologies influenced an estimated 49% of in-store sales last year ($1.7T), in line with previously-released projections and up from 36% the year prior, says Deloitte. Mobile’s influence, as expected, has been growing quickly, directly impacting 28% of in-store sales last year, accounting for about 57% of digital’s total impact.

Digital’s influence continues to be greatest in the electronic and home furnishings categories, per the study, which forecasts 64% of in-store sales to be impacted by digital technologies this year.

In related news, a recent study from 4INFO and Nielsen Catalina Solutions found that mobile display ads can drive in-store CPG sales, with the analysis of 83 mobile campaigns finding that the return on ad served (ROAS) was 257%, indicating a $2.57 incremental sales lift for each dollar spent on mobile ads. In other interesting results, mobile was found to drive twice the sales lift of desktop when measured by total sales per thousand impressions ($30 and $13, respectively), while an examination of ad clicks versus sales lift found no correlation at all between those who click and those who buy.

About the Data: Deloitte defines the “Digital influence factor” as “the percentage of in-store retail sales influenced by the shopper’s use of any digital device, including: desktop computers, laptops, netbooks, tablets, smartphones, wearables devices and in-store devices (i.e., kiosk, mobile payment device).” The “Mobile influence factor” is defined as “the percentage of in-store retail sales influenced by the shopper’s use of a web-enabled mobile device, including smartphones.

According to Deloitte:

“The digital influence factor was calculated using a proprietary methodology to arrive at the percentage of digitally-influenced conversions. Traffic for each store type was modeled statistically, then segmented into trips where digital devices were used either before the trip, during the trip, both before and during the trip, or not at all. Segment- specific conversion rates were applied to arrive at digitally- influenced conversions. The aggregate digital influence factor is a weighted average by percent of total retail sales attributed to each store type.

The digital influence factor projections were based on fitting an adoption model to historical data, with an assumed saturation rate of 90 percent.”

More details are available in the report itself, accessible by clicking this link.

The summary was provided by http://www.marketingcharts.com/

May 21, 2015
Non-Viewable Video Ads: 76% Are in Background Tabs or Off-Screen
For both video and display ads, “viewability” has become an important topic. Now that the Media Ratings Council (MRC) had released a standard for “viewability” —a video ad is considered viewable if half its pixels are on-screen for two seconds—publishers and advertisers are able to measure viewable impressions.

Google has added some important research to the discussion with the release of “5 Factors of Video Viewability,” a helpful document that pulls together research on video ad placement to show why ads aren’t being seen and help solve the problem.
- Why are some video ads not viewable? Google finds that 76 percent of non-viewable ads are either in a background tab or not on the screen at all. The remaining 24 percent were scrolled off the screen in under 2 seconds.
- A video ad’s placement on the screen plays a big role in its “viewability”. Google finds that putting an ad in the center column of the page and the top of the page leads to the best “viewability” scores. Getting ads in the top center is the optimal way to go.
- Video ads on mobile devices are far more viewable than ads on desktop computers. When Google looked at non-YouTube video ads on all three platforms, it found that desktop videos were 53 percent viewable, smartphone ads were 83 percent viewable, and tablet ads were 81 percent viewable.
YouTube ends its study with recommendations for both advertisers and publishers. Advertisers should buy fewer 300×250 pixel ads and look for optimal page placement, while publishers should strive for a 54 percent “viewability” rating just to meet the online average.

View the full study online for free (no registration required). For brands that want to make sure their ads get seen—and that should be everyone—it’s full of helpful information.

Original Source: http://www.onlinevideo.net/
May 21, 2015
Which Marketing Channels Drive Phone Calls to Businesses?
Mobile-only media such as mobile search and display are the source of a majority of phone calls to businesses, according to an Invoca analysis of 32 million phone calls throughout 2014. But are these media referring high-quality calls?

Looking at the top marketing channels driving calls, the study indicates that mobile search was by far the largest source of calls, referring 45% of the study’s sample over the yearlong period. While the results may be specific to Invoca’s platform and therefore not necessarily broadly applicable, it isn’t surprising that mobile search is such an influential driver of calls given its convenience and the popularity of click-to-call functionality in search results.

Beyond mobile search were desktop display (11% share of calls) and desktop search (9%), followed by mobile display (8%). So while mobile trumps desktop by a large margin in search-driven calls, display-referred calls were slightly more the realm of desktop than mobile.

In looking at the discrepancy between search- and display-referred calls, it’s worth noting that research released several years ago found that mobile local search ad clicks were most often followed by a phone call, while display ad clicks were most frequently followed by accessing maps and directions.

Returning to the Invoca study, the analysts note that call durations are an indicator of high buyer-intent, such that the duration of a call is a key indicator of call quality. Mobile trails on this front, with mobile search-referred calls lasting 3 minutes and 58 seconds on average and mobile display-driven calls 2 minutes and 58 seconds, both shorter than the overall average of 4 minutes and 7 seconds. That may not necessarily reflect low-quality calls, though, instead perhaps being indicative of the on-the-go mentality of mobile callers, whose searches often convert quickly.

Nevertheless, offline channels – which drove just 16% of the calls analyzed – generally averaged longer durations. Newspaper-referred calls, for example, averaged 6 minutes and 10 seconds, more than a minute longer than desktop display, the best-performing online source. Calls driven by magazines, direct mail and directories also saw durations higher than the average. As the study authors note, the level of effort in calling from a print ad reflects high buyer intent.

In other interesting study results:
- Tuesdays received the highest volume of phone calls, 48% more than Sundays, which had the lowest;
- One-quarter of calls came from landlines;
- The recreation and leisure and insurance industries had the highest call volume;
- The home services industry had the longest average call duration (6 minutes and 48 seconds), followed by the insurance industry (5 minutes and 26 seconds);
- Notably, while 79% of automotive calls came from offline channels (with TV a prime source), automotive calls lasted just 1 minute and 52 seconds on average;
- Offline sources also accounted for an above-average share (44%) of financial services calls, although mobile search was the single largest source of calls (21%); and
- Radio accounted for 7% of insurance calls (versus 6% of calls overall), with insurance being akey advertising vertical on radio.
About the Data: Invoca analyzed 32 million phone calls, a representative sample of calls that ran through its platform between January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. The calls spanned over 40 verticals and sub verticals.

Original Source: http://www.marketingcharts.com/
May 21, 2015
Solving the E-Commerce Puzzle: The 3 Most Important Pieces

When it comes to e-commerce, there are many good and evils you have to go through to find the perfect solution for you. Unfortunately, the best way to get to that solution is to test every individual piece and find the best one.

Most of us don’t have the time to test these elements, so here are three of the most important pieces an online retailer can focus on in order to have a successful start with their e-commerce website.

1. E-Commerce Platform You Can Trust

The main thing you need to decide is which e-commerce platform you can trust. There are various platforms you can get, many of which are free, open source and affordable. WooCommerce, Magento and Shopify top my list, here’s why:

WooCommerce

The most obvious e-commerce recommendation would be WooCommerce because of it’s integration with WordPress, the most widely used CMS. WooCommerce installs as a WordPress plugin and since many websites are already powered by WordPress, it goes hand in hand.

WooCommerce has many pros and few cons. For majority of businesses, this will be a great platform. One of the few downsides of WooCommerce is that it’s difficult to take manual or phone orders. I’ve had to work with clients and developers in the past to create a custom solution, but those solutions generally tend to come out clunky and are tough to maintain.

So if you need a lot of unique functionality, I would suggest you first look into it to make sure there’s an extension or easy fix for that.

Magento

The second platform is Magento. It is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world and it was designed to be a cart software. Having said that, it does lack some useful features such as blogs, however, that can be added with extensions.

Magento is perfect for HUGE stores. The stores that have thousands of products, which are updated by a feed from your vendor are a good fit with Magento.

Overall, Magento is robust in its e-commerce capabilities, however, that comes with a few downsides. The most important one which is performance. Unless you have a Magento expert to optimize your store, you may eventually run into performance issues that could cause your website to be slow or unstable.

Shopify

The final e-commerce platform I can recommend is Shopify. It is different from WooCommerce and Magento in that it is a hosted software. That means you do not need your own hosting or worry about installing software. It is already installed and setup, you just add your products and preferences and you’re good to go!

When you use Shopify, you’ll be amazed by how smooth and intuitive its user interface is. Everything seems to be there and is easy to setup.

The major downside with Shopify is that because it is a hosted solution, you are limited by how much you can customize it. Yes, you can create completely custom themes for it, but if you’re looking for some custom functionality, you’ll probably be out of luck unless you can find a Shopify app that accomplishes that.

2. Get Your Tracking in Order

The next piece of the e-commerce puzzle is to get your tracking in order. How can you tell which parts of your marketing campaign are effective if you do not have good and accurate tracking? The answer, you can’t.

The 3 primary tracking components are:

– Google Analytics

– Conversion Tracking

– Phone Call Tracking

Google Analytics

This is an obvious one. All you need to do is register a Google Analytics account and insert the code into your website. This will give you a lot of valuable data right away such as total users that see your website, where they came from, and how long they stayed on your website.

Conversion Tracking

Conversion tracking refers to tracking your leads or sales. This is usually done by creating a goal in Google Analytics that tracks that specific conversion page.

If you’re getting paid traffic from AdWords, Bing Ads, or Facebook, you should also insert the conversion code they give you on that conversion page. This in turn will report back to their system so you have additional reporting for how many of the clicked users converted into a customer.

Phone Call Tracking

Tracking is all fine and dandy until the person picks up the phone and calls you. For many years, businesses just accepted the fact that every customer that called was a random one, or they had to ask awkward and annoying questions such as how the person heard of them and so on.

With phone call tracking such as CallRail, you get that data automatically. You’ll know where they came from and what keywords they used to search for you.

3. Mobile Optimized Website Design

The final piece of the e-commerce puzzle is a mobile optimized website.

It’s no secret that Google has released an update to their algorithm that would punish websites that were not mobile friendly. If you’re trying to sell products, you should be selling them to mobile users, because those are the majority of internet users now.

Thankfully most of the WooCommerce, Magento, or Shopify themes you buy these days will be responsive and will have a good mobile experience. But if your website does not have a good mobile experience, then it is time to hire a Web designer to fix your website up and give your mobile users what they want.

See the original article at websitemagazine.com

May 12, 2015