Tag: Online Advertising

6 great Simpsons quotes and how they relate to online marketing

April 3, 2017 Comments Off on 6 great Simpsons quotes and how they relate to online marketing Blog, Online Advertising, Social Media

We know that some of you could turf out Simpsons quotes like there’s no tomorrow, but have you ever thought about how some of them can actually relate to your career as an online marketer? No?
We’ll help you out then…

homer-panic“Now we play the waiting game…Ahh, the waiting game sucks. Let’s play Hungry Hungry Hippos!” Homer Simpson   

Online marketing isn’t a waiting game. There’s plenty you can be doing in between your campaigns. Think about the strategic spend you can place on your social campaigns and targeting, which means that your wait time for results will be minimal. Granted, there’s a certain amount of being patient, but there’s so much more that can be done than creating campaigns and anticipating

“I used to be with it, but then they changed what “it” was, and now what I’m with isn’t it. And what’s “it” seems weird and scary to me.” Grampa Simpsontumblr_mgzy4uqbxr1qfrrv2o1_500
Well yes, this much is true – there are changes going on all the time in the online marketing world. One minute you know what you’re doing and the next it’s all changed.Trends come and go, even platforms change their interface at the blink of an eye. Keeping up is just part of a life in marketing and branding. The beauty of tracking online campaigns is the speed at which reactions can take place in order to keep everything relevant, cost effective and visible.

“I’d be mortified if someone ever made a lousy product with the Simpson name on it.” Lisa Simpson

Ah yes, the importance of perfection! We all know nobody’s perfect, but getting as close as you can is vital when putting your name out there. Your social accounts, online ads and website all proudly carry your name and branding and represent everything that’s great about you; company values, products, customer service. If you’re not proud to put your name to something, think twice before publishing to the world via online.

“Science. What’s science ever done for us?”  Moe the Bartender
board-03-moes-electricityB..b..but science is everywhere! Believe it or not, there is a science behind everything you do in a marketing campaign. From the techniques you use to draw the eye to an ad, to the processes you use to get it seen and promoted, there are the sciences to all aspects of online advertising and marketing. Our analytics services might just help you out with that side of your business.

“Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean that I don’t understand.” Homer Simpson

Getting your messages seen by people is the first step. Getting them to care is the next one. Creating and publishing quality content is a start, but by continuing to target those who have genuine interest in your product, service or brand you’ll go a long way to making people care. There comes a time to accept that not everyone on the planet needs you, but those who want to share your greatness with you will build an authentic relationship with your business online. People might understand your message, but do they care?

“Yes, but I’d trade it all for a little more.” Mr. Burns
More, more, more…There’s a part of every marketer that wants more.giphy Sometimes it’s about testing the water to see what reaction you can gauge from an online campaign. Other times you’re sure you’ve got it spot on and, hey presto, it works. The idea is to target your audience, not just the masses. Check back into your online analytics at regular intervals and take it all in for a moment. Listen to what the results say, and don’t get greedy. If you’ve reached your peak audience, great job! Pushing it too far may result in negative effects.

What social networks should you be using to kick-start your student recruitment in China?

February 18, 2016 Comments Off on What social networks should you be using to kick-start your student recruitment in China? Online Advertising, Social Media, World Wide Web

The recruitment of international students to colleges and universities used to be something that happened with more traditional methods of advertising and media.

But with a 34% increase in Chinese students coming to study in Ireland last year, this seems to be a market that
establishments are aiming to target more meaningfully, but perhaps are struggling to bridge the long distance gap.

With several social networks and search engines that we know and love being unavailable in China, here’s a quick guide to popular ways of communicating with your new target audience via social media and online advertising.

WeChat

WeChat-Logo-2015WeChat is the fastest growing online messaging app in China. It has similar characteristics to WhatsApp and allows people to communicate on a one-to-one basis or in a group. With over a billion accounts signed up for, around 650 million are active.

It is also home to a public accounts platform, which has a similar purpose to Facebook. This is the key feature that allows people to interact with businesses and vice versa. It’s mobile capabilities are seeing it become the most highly used social networking app in China.

WeChat provides text messaging, voice messaging, broadcast messaging, video conferencing, video games, and photo/video sharing, and isn’t limited to communication with only friends.

It also includes a ‘Moments’ features, which is similar to Instagram – it allows you to take a picture and share it with your friends and other social networks, with filters and captions available.

QQ

Tencent_QQQQ is an alternative instant messaging service to WeChat, although it is owned by the same company, Tencent. It has similar features such as online social games, music, shopping, microblogging, movies, group chat and voice chat.

Last year, there were 829 million active accounts, which peaked at over 176 million simultaneous users online.

QQ moved to being a free platform in 2003, but there is still a premium membership scheme offering extra features like QQ mobile, ringtones, and SMS. Users can also purchase ‘Q Coins’ for in-app purchases such as avatars and items for blogs.

Weibo

Sina_WeiboWeibo has some similar features to both Twitter and Facebook. It’s one of the most popular networking sites in China, and is used by over 30% of Internet users.

The word Weibo is actually the Chinese word for “microblog”, which makes it the perfect platform to share your stories for potential students to read and interact with.

It has 222 million active users, a number that is growing fast – the platform has seen 38% year-on-year increases in users with active accounts.

Posts consist of up to 140 characters. In the same style as Twitter, you can mention users using ‘@’ and you can use hashtags to create tags by typing  ‘#content#. The platform also allows for reposting someone’s content, formatting, favouriting, using emojis and auto-shortening URLs.

Baidu

228px-BaiduBaidu is the largest online search engine in China. It is a highly intelligent service and offers various search types within its powerful software.

Not only does it boast a great search engine, it also hosts maps, a music service, encyclopaedia, language services, cloud storage, online communities, anti-virus software and SO much more.

It’s advertising platform is again similar to Google AdWords with a pay-per-click mechanism working across the search engine itself and sites in association with Baidu.

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There is clearly plenty of potential for educational establishments to pinpoint target future students in China through interest, courses of study and job aspirations.

Kongalytics is committed to growing its presence in China and will be featuring handy links to several Chinese social networks and search engines allowing you to feature online and advertise to those will will be excited at the prospect of studying in Ireland, the UK or the USA.

We’re going to whisper this, but – “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”

September 9, 2015 Comments Off on We’re going to whisper this, but – “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” Blog, Hints and Tips, Online Advertising, Social Media

It’s September, which can only mean one thing…It’s CHRISTMAAAAAAAS!

sorry

 

 

We’re truly sorry for the content that follows – it’s festive and early – but it’s true to say that as a marketer, you have to be ready. In fact you had to be ready yesterday.

Christmas is the biggest online marketing opportunity in the calendar and to not have a proper plan in place for the coming months is almost scandalous.

In the UK alone, £636million was spent online just on Christmas day last year. Across the world, online traffic increased from the festive period on 2013, a trend that is only set to continue this year.

Don’t believe us? Check out this ridiculously informative infographic that proves how online retail is increasing.

christmas-day-2014

 

We also can’t continue without a mention for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, because they are a HUGE deal too. Last year, Black Friday was the biggest day for online sale…EVER! Sales were up by 92% than on the same day in 2013. Just make sure you’re prepared for the demand.

Visits to retail websites on Cyber Monday were also up by 39% from 2013 to 2014, so with the demand for bargains rife at that time of year, it might be worth considering offers of your own to bring in valuable customers.

So now you know how important it is to get your social and online campaigns planned, so what are you going to do about it?

Remember, when you’re setting out your schedules, remember to include deadlines, dates to publish, platforms and to make sure all personnel is in place to deal with the incoming traffic.

Here are a few ideas of what to plan:

  • Blogs – make your blogs relevant to your products or services. Ask questions, encourage engagement and educate your followers.
  • Social posts – get your Christmas Day messages and images ready now. Schedule them well ahead of time so that no one forgets to do it at the last minute.
  • Special offers – if applicable to your business, do you want to roll out discounts and specials heading in to the festive period?
  • Online advertising – what Facebook posts and tweets are you going to promote? What’s the budget? Decide now!

Be timely with everything, don’t leave anything too late. People are incredibly organized in this day and age with purchasing abilities at their fingertips, so to get ahead of your competition is vital.

Be decisive and stick to your plans as much as possible. Of course, factors can change, so don’t be afraid to move things around and re-plan along the way. But that’s why it’s vital to begin planning and run with it before you end up just doing a few slap-dash campaigns for the sake of it.

elf-gif

 

You might even want to stick to a theme, an idea, a single campaign. Penguins worked for John Lewis.

What kind of subjects should you be planning blogs and social posts about? How about…

  • Order deadlines
  • Special offers
  • Opening hours for the holidays
  • Highlight great products or services
  • Last minute ideas
  • Something for the kids – a Santa message maybe?
  • Post Christmas sales
  • How your products/services tie in to the festivities

Feel ready to spread festive cheer this year and don’t make your Christmas campaigns a last minute rush. If you enjoy the festivities, so will your customers!

PS: Over 40% of consumers expect an online response to queries within an hour, so also make plans to deal with an influx of inquiries. Keep up your customer service with prompt and helpful responses.


*Bonus Content Klaxon*

Here are a few resources that you might like to use for your social campaigns.download

Free Festive Stock Images

Christmas Song Lyrics – y’know, for all your cheesy blogs…

Free Christmas Fonts – just double check each license before you download

Gifs, gifs, gifs

‘Drive’ Online Sales – Hit Customers That Are “In Market”

August 19, 2015 Comments Off on ‘Drive’ Online Sales – Hit Customers That Are “In Market” Blog, Facebook, Online Advertising, Online Advertising, Social Media

Last year, I bought my first car. It was an

exciting time, but as someone who likes to partake in a lot of research before making a purchase, it was also a little bit stressful.

I was looking for resources to make it as easy for me as possible and I naturally turned to online sources to assist my decisions.

After looking at various car sales websites, review sites and forums, I can honestly say that my head was fried.

I’m also a bit of a Facebook addict (maybe that goes with the job territory!) so as I was regularly flicking through my timeline, I noticed a gradual increase in targeted ads.

The one that struck me the most and sticks in my mind to this day was a Facebook ad to highlight the introduction of the new Ford EcoSport to the market.

Although we all like to think of ourselves as people who aren’t easily swayed by advertising, I have to say I was really taken with this

particular one. My thought process was something along the lines of –drive-online-sales-hit-customers-that-are-in-market

  • Yes, it looks nice and shiny
  • Ooh look, I could get credit and pay it off monthly
  • I’d be the first to have a new product – cool!
  • It would solve my undeniable problem of having no transport

Although I didn’t end up buying one, at the time the ads addressed all of my problems. Isn’t that what a targeted ad should do? It was near on perfect.

Having since done a bit of research into the Ford EcoSport advertising strategy, it turns out they did intentionally make big waves in social advertising that year. They focused solely on social ads to get the word out about their brand new product.

It worked a treat, as Ford sold all 500 limited edition cars before the campaign was due to come to and end. Check out more details on the Ford strategy here.

Facebook tends to agree that it is the ideal platform for sales leads in the automotive market. It reveals these stats as having a role in its influence to purchase vehicles:

  • 60% of people are “in market” for a car for at least 6 months
  • 27% of people report doing most of their vehicle research on a mobile device
  • More than 7 in 10 mobile-first consumers report feeling overwhelmed by all the information that is available
  • 65% of these mobile-first consumers worry that they’re going to make the wrong decision

It also highlights the potential problems that current advertisers face and how they can further capitalize on their advertising spend:

“By the last month before purchase, most people have narrowed down the type, size, fuel source, brand and other vehicle features for their car-purchasing decision. In fact, 59% of average car buyers have narrowed down their choice of vehicle to 1–2 cars by the last month before purchase. But this last month is when people say they are exposed to the most car ads on digital. This signals an opportunity for marketers to reach and influence car buyers on digital earlier in the purchase cycle, when they are still trying to decide on their choice of vehicle and features.”

Let these be small lessons towards understanding the needs of a potential customer. Go the distance to identify the problems that your products and services offer and be sure to address them in ads using imagery and clever wording.

While we agree that to only use one medium to advertise is a risky strategy, this success story proves that if done right, social streams are powerful selling tools.

 

 

Seasons Change and So Do Your Audiences

August 18, 2015 Comments Off on Seasons Change and So Do Your Audiences Blog, Facebook, Hints and Tips, Online Advertising, Social Media

Seasonal marketing – are you going to have to work harder when the sun comes out?

Sunny days get us all smiling and feeling refreshed about life. The birds are tweeting (in a literal sense!), the sky is blue and your office has an all-round good buzz.

But hold on a second – if everyone is out enjoying the good weather, who is spending time browsing your website or buying your products?

That’s where clever, seasonal online marketing comes in to play. We all see shop windows changing when the sun makes an appearance – they
go from autumnal and cosy to fresh and bright – and why should you online presence be any different?seasons

The truth is, research does show that you have to work a little bit harder in sunny weather to attract attention. Until everyone has access to a mobile phone screen that is non-reflective, browsing hours whilst sunbathing will be decreased.

Studies on markets in France have shown that rainfall has a significant, positive effect on online sales, with some areas seeing a 15% increase in online sales compared to dry days.

Similarly, a decrease in air temperature saw an increase in online purchases and when the highest temperatures were recorded, e-commerce slowed down on average.

So, what can you do about it? Here’s a few ideas:

  • Use social media to get in on the weather conversation. It might be small talk, but people will be willing to engage with a real-time post.
  • Use your location to snap pictures. Show everyone how lovely your shop/office/study looks in the glorious rays of the sun!
  • If you can relate weather to your products or services, go for it.
  • Consider changing your Facebook/Twitter/Google+ cover image to something bright and cheerful to match people’s moods. Try and keep it in line with your company branding though.
  • Capitalise on rainy days. Missed out on sales and visitors during sunny periods? When it’s gloomy, go get ‘em!
  • Plan your social posts around evening times when, even on a good day, people may be settling down for the evening indoors.
  • On a rainy day, give people something to do – hit them with a message that makes them want to take action immediately.

That’s just a few hints for you, so remember to reflect the seasons within your online campaigns.

Facebook Business Page Reach

January 20, 2015 Comments Off on Facebook Business Page Reach Blog, Online Advertising, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media

business-168-1024x614

If you are a business owner who utilises Social Media to grow your business, you have probably already seen some signs of decreasing organic reach on your Facebook Business Page. There are some indications from Facebook that this trend will continue over the coming months and businesses will have to pay to get their content seen by potential customers.

This may seem alarming and will probably frustrate you and your team, but don’t get too worried – instead look at what opportunities may arise from having more control over the target audience that will see your content.

At Kong Digital, we are strong believers in data analysis. Understanding what is happening in your social network provides you with knowledge that allows for smarter decisions on your marketing campaigns on a daily basis. Having insight into the behaviours of your online community across social platforms, online advertising and SEO is a powerful tool that will ultimately help you to win in your sector.

integrated-campaignsBy categorising social media and online advertising campaigns, you will gain a better understanding of the true demographics of the people who are most interested in the various aspects of your business. You can therefore make sure that your content is promoted to the best possible audience both demographically and geographically. Analysing your social and advertising data on a regular basis will provide you with the necessary insights to make better decisions and drive positive ROI.

Facebook is obviously looking to increase its revenue by making businesses pay to get their content seen, but by doing this they are also giving you control of your target audience. Whether your content is seen by 1000, 10,000 or 100,000 people, if they’re not interested in what you have to offer then you are wasting your time and energy.

That’s why we say “Take Control”! Understand your target audience, know what content drives engagement, recognise the signs that highlight what’s working and what’s not. Get started by allocating a small budget for your social advertising and start pinpoint targeting your potential customers and tracking the ROI of your social and advertising activity.

zuckerberg-quote-1024x576By taking control, you will greatly increase your ROI in terms of both time and money you have put into your Social Media and Advertising activity. You will also see a much better reach to engagement ratio, which in return will have a positive effect on your organic presence on social media and search engines.

We look forward to sharing more in-depth strategies over the coming months on how to get the best ROI from your Social Media and Advertising campaigns.

robert-stamp

What will 2015 bring?

December 22, 2014 Comments Off on What will 2015 bring? Miscellaneous, Online Advertising, Social Media

As ever, there are several predictions for the social media world in 2015. It’s an ever changing platform, so it’s in ways impossible to accurately predict, but it’s possible to recognise trends that could come to light in the near future.

So, what does 2015 hold? In summary, you can expect the following to happen in the coming 12 months:

– The importance of video will increase. Uploading creative video content directly to social media sites will be of increased value.

– There may be a shift away from direct social marketing in favour of building a social community and connecting with others.

– Mobile platforms will play a major role in 2015, with an increase in marketing apps and mobile versions of social networks. Instagram, for example, will capitalise on this trend.

– Paying for content distribution will be more common place and the reliance on organic reach will decrease.

– There is expected to be an emphasis on data analysis. Businesses should be taking more notice of what their collected data means and how it can drive them forward.

– Better data analysis will drive the plans for paid reach and a sensible spend will be beneficial to gaining valuable followers and customers.

– Making the most of the interactive nature of social media will grow. Simply pushing messages out will decline in favour of interaction and engagement.

– As has been the trend in the last couple of years, businesses will move a higher percentage of their marketing budgets to social media and online advertising.

For more opinions from social media experts, click here.

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