Technology

There are a lot of digital marketing methodologies to stay on top of, but native is an important one to understand. Learn all about it with our Guide to Native Advertising.

Native advertising falls within the giant realm of content marketing.
This kind of advertising must be: paid for, native to the publisher’s platform (blends in), and labeled as an advertisement. It’s legally required to disclose that it’s an ad.

What is Native Advertising?

Native advertising, whether long-form articles, short tweets, or a stylized Instagram featuring a product, is always paid. This is why it is defined in the category of paid media. Businesses and content marketers use it as common practice.

Native advertising is another avenue for brands to publish content and inform or engage with their audience. While it falls under content marketing, it’s not a catch-all term for branded content online. Native ads are different than display or social ads.

This type of native content needs to be contextually relevant and and make sense. It fits within a normal feed and doesn’t jar or disrupt the audience’s experience.

Guide to Native Advertising

Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter make money off allowing businesses to put in their native advertising within a user’s feed. In fact, native ads will make up more than half of all display spending in 2017.
Besides the “in-feed” ads that you’ll find on social media, there are also promoted listings within searches that are also considered native ads.

Native advertising includes (but isn’t limited to) sponsored content, paid content, and advertorials.

What does a Native Ad look like?

Since native advertising fits within a variety of online platforms, the look and feel of it can differ greatly.

Some common examples of native ads could look like:

• Educational content 
• Imagery or video only content
• How-to content
• Quizzes 

Think entertaining or helpful. It has a purpose to the audience and value to them.

While it’s still a form of advertising, it doesn’t evoke the pushy approach. Unlike traditional tv or print ads, native advertising isn’t screaming sales-y. A native ad is usually not going to resemble a traditional ad that’s all about touting the benefits of a product or service and persuading the audience to buy. The purpose isn’t to mislead customers. It’s to engage with them in a way that is comfortable and familiar to them.

A native ad is not as much about the brand itself necessarily but about positioning the brand as an expert or leader within its industry.

Native ads are usually highly targeted at what the brand understands their ideal audience to be. Who would be most interested in the brand? What has been the overwhelming demographic in past customers? The brand figures this out by analyzing data and doing their research – or they hire a marketing team to help out with all of this.

Examples of native ads include those aesthetically pleasing promoted Instagram posts from brands or clever promoted tweets which pop up seamlessly in a user’s timeline.

What is Sponsored Content?

Sponsored content is a specific type of native advertising where businesses pay publishers or influencers to post about their brand. This could be a celebrity promoting a vitamin, clothing line, or app. It could be a list on BuzzFeed that focuses on a certain brand.

Taking a look at sponsored Instagram posts:

• Influencers charge $271, on average, to share a sponsored post on Instagram.
• The average follower count of an influencer is almost 63,000 people.
• The most popular category for paid content is lifestyle.

An Instagram influencer doesn’t necessarily have millions of followers. Moreover, the above statistics differ greatly based upon what industry the business sponsoring is in.

Why use a native ad over other forms of digital ads?

People are much more likely to share a brand’s native advertising on their personal social pages when it fits within the type of content to which they already enjoy subscribing and sharing.

Native advertising also results in more time spent from consumers with the content than a typical ad.

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have all integrated native advertising into their sites. This type of content marketing has been wildly successful for both the social media corporations and the businesses advertising on them.

How do you determine the success of a native ad?

Some metrics used to measure the success of native ads include:

• Clickthroughs
• Social shares
• Downloads
• Views 

With ad blockers and constantly updating feeds, it’s hard to get consumers to pay attention to brands in such a busy online world. Native advertising engages an audience on their terms and can inspire not only brand awareness but brand loyalty.

We hope you’ve learned from our Guide to Native Advertising! Now take the next step by getting our Free Website Audit!

How Does Content Go Viral?

Content going viral can seem like a miracle or too far-fetched. But if you take a closer look, there are patterns and insights into what goes viral.

While viral video is a common term, it can be any piece of content that goes viral. An article. An image. It can even be a person or event. Remember when Ken Bone went viral during the 2016 presidential debates? How about the 2017 Fyre Festival disaster which went viral both as an actual news story and as a topic that incited many jokes and memes.

When content goes viral, it can make cultural and geographic boundaries disappear. Of course, the term viral relates to the medical term virus. It’s roughly the same idea, except instead of a disease, the contagious thing is content which travels fast and far.

Viral content reaches more and more people as the content is shared and discussed. The various social media platforms make it easy for users to share amongst their online communities.

Viral content catches a spark and quickly spreads online. However, there is no strict definition of how many views, retweets, or shares you need to go viral. It doesn’t necessarily have to include the whole internet. It can mean the content was popular in a specialized corner of the internet where your audience and business industry live. Going viral can mean on a local or global scale.

Your audience is the deciding factor in if your content goes viral. It’s up to them to start the ripple effect. 

Common characteristics of viral content:

Compelling

Funny

Cute 

Feel-good, uplifting, or positive

Interesting

Useful

Shocking (though brands should most likely steer away from being controversial)

Essentially, viral content evokes an emotional response. Often, it resonates with people. Think heartwarming humanity pieces or adorable animal videos.

When a piece of content gets a response, usually a strong one, the viewer doesn’t want to remain passive. That is what gets them to click or tap and share it and comment and share their opinion of it with their own audience. That’s the whole point. You want people to pass your content along.

The psychology behind viral content

Content that causes an emotional response, whether positive or negative, has a higher likelihood of being shared. Emotions are contagious.

What compels someone to tap share? Well, one aspect is that people share content which they identify with and that fits within the social media image they want to project to their followers and friends. People share what they want to reflect their image online to others. They tend to think of the original content they post and the content they curate and share as reflective of their personality and their identity online.

There is no secret formula to going viral but there are things which you can do to improve your chances and stack the odds in your favor.

Tips to better your chances at going viral:

• Giveaways and contests can generate quick attention in your brand. But that tactic still needs to be well thought out, planned out, and purposeful.

• Optimize your content to be found. Include a clear, explanatory title (if relevant). Same goes for tags (hashtags and otherwise), keywords, etc.

• Share your content across all your business’ social media accounts. Put your content in more than one place. For example, you can upload a video to YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and your blog.

• When it comes to blogs and articles, longer content actually has a better chance to get shared more times.

• Be sure you have social sharing icons in the appropriate places so it’s an easy, streamlined experience for people to share your web content on the social platform of their preference. 

• Pay attention to timing. Posting on the right days and at the right hours can make a huge difference in how many eyes see your content. Track and keep tabs on when your followers are most active.

• Keyword research can help you discover what your audience cares about and is interested in. Keyword research can also help you to keep track of trending topics so you can take advantage of what is already buzzworthy and getting attention online.

• Accept that your most beloved or timely content may not go viral. Don’t get your hopes up or count on one piece of expensive content to catch on. There is an inevitable element of luck when it comes to content going viral. But high quality content posted consistently will garner your brand more attention than erratically posting then going radio-silent for months.

• Track your content and the results. Analyze what gets the most engagement and/or shares. Learn from this to optimize content for the potential to go viral.

To get a leg up on smart digital marketing, take advantage of the Intrix free website audit and find out how your website is really working for you!

Is rebranding a good business decision? Everything needs to evolve – including brands. Changing with the times is a necessity which brands shouldn’t ignore out of fear.

Evolving a brand means rebranding. This is when elements of an existing, established brand are altered or totally changed. This term doesn’t apply to businesses starting up and creating their brand for the first time.

Your brand represents the identity of your company and every brand has a distinct story to tell. Brands that connect with people will earn their trust and loyalty. A brand has to have some humanity and human characteristics.

Possible reasons to rebrand?

• Don’t be out of touch. Design trends go through phases and what looked good twenty years ago will probably look outdated today. 

• Naturally, a rebrand can benefit a brand that has had bad press. A new look and message can help customers to forget a bad reputation and give a second chance.

• Often when two companies merge or an acquisition occurs, a new logo is created to represent the change.

• A rebranding can show that your business is capable of adapting to the changing market and audience. If customers are changing (in age, interests, etc.), it benefits businesses to change with them.
  
  
• Has your product selection/services changed or expanded? A rebrand can create a professional and clarified image for your company.

• A rebrand may stimulate business growth if your business is in an economic rut or if your look isn’t dynamic. People pay more for strong brands they can trust and identify with. Think Nike, Apple, Coca Cola, or Louis Vuitton. 

Potential benefits of a rebrand?

• A rebrand can help to differentiate in a competitive market or against direct competitors.
  
  
• It can be that a visual change often comes with a change in reputation and messaging. A new look for a brand can revitalize interest.

• It can help to make your brand relevant again and appeal to a broader audience. It can give you the chance to attract a wider audience outside of your typical demographic. A well-done brand design can appeal to those even outside of your niche, unique customer base.

• A thoughtful rebrand won’t alienate your existing audience. In fact, it will likely garner more engagement from your loyal customer base.

What does a rebrand include?

Rebranding can involve a superficial logo tweak or an elaborate redo of multiple elements of the brand such as product design/packaging, tagline, messaging, voice, brand values, and website.

Rebranding can involve rolling out new products/services and changing other aspects of the original brand look or slogan.

It can also involve introducing a new website. Whether a complete redo or just particular elements like website copy, design, layout, or pages and sections added. Companies with outdated websites would benefit from a new site that is mobile responsive with a modern design. Being mobile responsive is an absolute necessity for businesses in 2017 as the majority of people are searching locally on mobile. 

Examples of successful rebrands:

• CVS changed its name to CVS Health and discontinued selling all tobacco products, pulling them from stores for good. They also launched a tobacco cessation program at the same time. These moves strategically positioned the company as more health care focused. The rebrand was announced at the New York Stock Exchange with a large banner.

• Old Spice kicked off a new campaign in 2008 with the creative savvy of Wieden + Kennedy. The company was in a rut and wanted to compete with the brand Axe to sell products to young men. This Swagger campaign helped Old Spice reinvent itself in the eyes of old and new customers. The momentum of that rebrand has helped the brand remain successful and current nearly ten years later.

• In 2014 Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) was purchased by Eugene Kashper, a businessman who had already made millions rebranding European breweries. While PBR was an established brand, it was stuck in a bit of a rut. Their share of the beer market had been hovering in the low single digits. Although it did have previous success with a clever repackaging that positioned “Blue Ribbon 1844” as an expensive luxury beer in China, a foreign market. For the American market, Kashper has been in the midst of revitalization efforts since purchasing the company. Most notably, he released an alcoholic soda which increased PBR sales by 20% for the whole of 2015. He has also opened a tasting room and microbrewery for the brand. In the future, he plans to sell more of the 77 beer recipes the company owns to take advantage of the current craft beer craze.

Examples of rebrands gone wrong:

Sometimes rebrands go wrong. Let’s learn from some big brands who made a mistake.

• There was major backlash when GAP changed their logo. They underestimated how attached their audience was to the classic look. In under a week, they went back to the original logo.

• The London 2012 Olympics also faced fierce public opposition when they tried altering the classic logo of the games. 

• Tropicana customers were unhappy with a new package design introduced in 2009. Customers clamored to let the company know that they much preferred the previous packaging. The criticism was heard loud and clear as the original look returned within a few short months.

Tips for a successful rebrand:

• Don’t compromise your quality or reliability with customers.

• It’s not a decision to take lightly as rebranding can have a big impact on business. Be sure to do your research before deciding on a rebrand and the details of it. Think about the reasons behind why your business is considering a rebrand and anticipate how your customer base and fans might react to it. Consider insights into your industry, the current market, your customer base, your core values as a business, and so on. Let these insights guide you into the right decision for your brand.

• Think about how different elements of your brand align or the possibilities for them to align.

• Of course there are market changes but don’t forget that your brand should keep up with cultural changes as well. For example, people of all ages are on social media on a daily basis now. So your brand should be online too. Even big brands that are a hundred years old make an effort to be modern and keep up with the new trends and technology.

• Color can have a much bigger impact than you might guess. Different hues evoke different emotions so think about the feelings you want people to associate with your brand when picking a color scheme.

• You want a smooth transition by unveiling or releasing all aspects of your rebrand at once.

• Create buzz and announce when you launch your new branding.

Make rebranding a good business decision with a great encompassing digital marketing plan. How is your site’s SEO? Take advantage of the Intrix Free Website Audit now!

Local hypermarketing is all about targeting specific geographic communities. Geo-location data has had great innovations that can help your marketing immensely if you take the right approach. 

Local marketing is now inherently associated with both mobile and social platforms. Potential and existing customers routinely look for businesses in these platforms and they expect businesses to be available. 

Here are some tips for local hypermarketing your brand in 2019:

1. Local search is inherently mobile. We’ve known for a few years now that people are using search engines more on mobile than desktop. The majority of local searches are done through mobile as well so you want your page to be responsive and load quickly. It’s an absolute necessity in this day and age.
2. Many searches for brick and mortar businesses will result in an actual visit. Therefore, make it easy for customers by including directions and a photo of the front of the business from the street on your website. A “click to call” button is also advisable to make it streamlined for them to ask you any questions.
3. Pay attention and monitor the ranking factors for local search, which include: local data, engagement, and traditional SEO such as inbound links and title tags on webpages. Make a plan for how you can improve your ranking.
4. On your website, include tags and meta-descriptions that are specific to your city or region. Of course, include industry-specific ones as well.
5. Use personalization to build unique connections with customers. It helps to tailor your marketing efforts to individual customers. This earns you loyalty. Personalization is about marketing your content to your unique audience – whomever is most likely to engage and buy from your brand. Unique landing pages are an example. Another example of personalization is to have further product recommendations pop up on a page based on their browsing history.
6. Start a blog on your website and post about local topics that are relevant to your audience. Just be sure to include the appropriate tags for each post and update your blog regularly.
7. Take advantage of geofence technology to target ads to people close to your business (via the gps location of their mobile device).
8. Run a mobile paid search campaign.
9. Run a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. Be sure to use target keywords that are specific to your industry and business. This helps your campaign to deliver more leads and sales.
10. Track data and pay attention to analytics – especially when it comes to ad campaigns, social, web traffic, etc. By analyzing regularly, you can update your marketing strategy to improve it.
11. Make sure your business is listed on Foursquare and Facebook Places so customers can check-in and show their friends and family that they’re at your business.
12. Have a response strategy online. Monitor the reviews that pop up about your business. Respond to any comments online. It’s critical to maintain a consistent, friendly, and professional tone while responding on social media or in emails and reviews. Be sure to respond to both Yelp and Google reviews and thank people. While bad reviews can be daunting, don’t ignore them. Instead, respond in a helpful and professional manner. 
13. It can be beneficial to feature online reviews on your website if you have good ratings and some stellar highlights from reviews.
14. Encourage people to leave reviews and follow you on social media by including these buttons on your website.
15. Consider providing online coupons through your website or third-party apps that specialize in location-based places or coupons.
16. Submit your information to local directories, both online and print publications.
17. Build up links by collaborating with other local businesses or influencer bloggers.
18. Make sure all your social media accounts are optimized for local customers. Include any contact or important business information.
19. Start a contest on social media to reward and engage customers. Alternatively, try an incentive based program such as rewarding customers who sign up for your newsletter or leave an online review.
20. Reach out to potential customers on social media by following them or joining discussions. This will help to increase brand awareness as well.

Use these local hypermarketing tips to get to the next level in your local brand awareness! If you want to check your website’s current search engine visibility, get Intrix’s Free Web Audit now!