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Welcome to Studio ON — Our In-House Virtual Event & Video Studio

When the pandemic hit, our event planning team at ON Advertising had its business model turned upside down. As our clients had to postpone or cancel their in-person events and pivot to a virtual event environment.

Our team rolled with the changes from the onset and helped our clients reach their audiences in ways that were as seamless as possible. But we also took an opportunity to step back, evaluate what the landscape for events was going to look like in the coming months, and evaluate what we could do to best meet our clients’ needs.

The result? A commitment to creating the best possible virtual event for our corporate and non-profit clients. No matter what their needs or their preferred platform might be. However, we realized in the process of making that commitment that we needed a few more tools in the toolbox.

Studio ON

And that’s when we decided to create Studio ON — our new in-house production studio. Located on the 7^th floor of our building in downtown Phoenix, Studio ON has been built out with full filming, production, and live streaming capabilities. Meaning we can now provide our event clients with the highest production value possible for their virtual events.

Studio ON made its debut on July 23rd when we hosted St. Vincent de Paul’s “Calling All Angels” event. The virtual event was a mixture of pre-recorded and live content; and was presented on YouTube Live so it could be streamed to both computers and television screens throughout the world. The goal of “Calling All Angels” was to find new donors to sign up for St. Vincent de Paul’s new “Angels on Call” digital app, which links families in need with potential donors on a 1-on-1 basis.

The event was viewed by hundreds of people across North America — and far exceeded its fundraising and engagement goals.

“We needed new ways to connect with people, to bring people together — from their own homes, of course — to give people something to watch and hope for that was in their control,” said Ryan Corry, Chief Strategy Officer for St. Vincent de Paul. “ON Advertising provided the expert guidance, technological support, and physical space to create that experience for St. Vincent de Paul and the people who matter most to us. With ON’s help, we were able to do something brand new at a very high level — and we are thrilled with the results, the lessons learned, and our new partnership with ON.”

Work with ON Advertising

Studio ON is available for both live and pre-recorded corporate events. As well as non-profit events, networking opportunities, general video production, and so much more. It boasts a variety of potential configurations to help customize the look for each client; and has state-of-the-art video and production equipment to ensure exceptional quality.

We look forward to continuing to find new and innovative ways to serve our clients during the pandemic. And we appreciate the opportunity to create virtual events that exceed expectations.

Events We Attended in 2020: The Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism

The Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism is typically an in-person, three-day long event each year. And it shares education, and information about travel professionals and destination marketers. It’s one of the most sought after, important events of the year, as tourism is our state’s number one export industry, and one of our clients in the agency is Visit Glendale. But, just like a plethora of other events, the Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism went virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And shifting from in-person to remote attendance turned the extended conference into just two days of webinars lasting just a few hours each day.

Join us as we examine our client’s first virtual event ever and learn how the adjustment to virtual attendance affected the way the conference was presented, what it means for Visit Glendale’s future, and what strategy changes came from the annual event for all of us!

What Works

To best understand our new, recommended strategy for Visit Glendale, a tourism client within the agency, we keep an eye on the Arizona Office of Tourism’s program. And we align Glendale CVB’s tourism campaign to complement the State’s activities.

Considering we target the same cities they are advertising in, including markets like Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, San Francisco, New York, and Dallas, we are able to amplify the message for Glendale; without having to spend as much advertising dollars. We follow a similar cadence to the Arizona Office of Tourism’s Rural Marketing program. This program allows small DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) and CVBs (Chamber & Visitors Bureaus) outside of Maricopa County to partner up with each other. And to advertise, along with the state, to amplify the overall message to travel to Arizona.

In terms of tourism, things are certainly a little different right now for Macro-Economic Dynamics. As COVID-19 has become an everyday worry, processes have pivoted to include social distancing policies, travel restrictions, and more. These changes are already having a huge impact on the economy. According to the conference, past recession recoveries have followed three common shapes: V (Rapid), U (Steady and Incremental) and L (Long Haul). V (Rapid) is a fast, dramatic dip in the economy followed by a narrow trough and quick, steady recovery over a period of six months. U (Steady and Incremental) is an extended trough period and a gradual upswing. And L (Long Haul) is a very long period of minimal increment improvement, which would be the worst case scenario for our state. So, what does Arizona’s plan look like, exactly?

Arizona’s Tourism Recovery

The AOT Destination Recovery Plan for the next 12-18 months is based upon the “U” Steady and Incremental plan. With the possibility of adjustment to other plans if the virus requires. And it should come as no surprise that for the state of Arizona, accelerating leisure travel activity statewide is priority #1.

As far as outdoor recreation is concerned, Arizona’s outdoor amenities allow individuals to explore. And all while maintaining social distancing protocols, which is extremely important during the pandemic. Because of this, these opportunities will become the destinations for a number of staycations as Arizonans rediscover their own backyard. Many parks have already been seeing high visitation, even with travel restrictions in place. To help, itineraries promoting the lesser visited, populated areas will aid in dispersing and spreading out visitors.

But, along with a shift in strategy comes the need for accommodations. This means supporting Destination Marketing Organization efforts. No matter whether it’s promoting staycations or campaigns related to residents rediscovering the Arizona they know and love. Plus, it will be important to develop a plan to tie travel experiences to other overnight options; and even bundle local places to stay with nearby experiences. These programs could drum up additional interest and promote community exploration. As well as keep a visitor who traveled to the destination longer than anticipated.

Interestingly enough, meetings, incentives, conferences, events, and other business travel make up a large portion of travel to urban areas in Arizona, like Visit Glendale. And what is usually a reliable source of travel and hotel stays, has changed due to COVID-19. In turn slowing down the typical indirect spending to local establishments. The Arizona Office of Tourism has historically focused on leisure travel. However, it depends if a budget becomes available. Then, they’ll focus on helping to accelerate the return of business travel that is so central to stabilizing visitor volume.

By applying these tactics on a smaller scale, we can help Glendale CVB get through these times; and help them come out on top on the other side of the pandemic.

What’s in Store

According to the Traveler Sentiment Report from Destination Analysts covering data from March to July of 2020, 18% of those surveyed are extremely worried about contracting COVID-19 by traveling. In Arizona, when asked what best describes their current state of mind regarding getting back out and traveling, 15% of those surveyed say they are ready to travel but feel some hesitation.

But, now that we’ve learned about the Strategic Recovery Plan for the state of Arizona, what’s in store for FY21? Consumer sentiment and health will drive decisions. In fact, the main initiative of the Arizona Office of Tourism will be the Rediscover Arizona campaign! And when consumers are ready to start traveling again the campaign will be expanded to drive markets; and then to the target cities and national audiences.

A Look at Arizona Governor’s Conferences Past

This year was the first time the Arizona Governor’s Conference on tourism was held virtually. And it certainly looked and operated quite a bit differently than it did years prior!

With COVID-19 leaving the future of well…everything uncertain, we’re eager to see what the conference will look like in the year(s) to come. But not only does the pandemic have the potential to change the format of the conference, but it could equally change the content that the event is centered around. Depending on how long it takes to return to a “new normal”, that includes travel, the industry could see massive changes in the near future. And that means everything from panel discussions to internal strategies are contingent upon what kind of recovery Arizona sees. So, we’re staying tuned – and so should you!

Partner with ON Advertising

At ON Advertising, we deliver business results. We offer an extensive list of services that can help your company with whatever you need by tailoring a business growth strategy specifically to you. Despite these unprecedented times, we are more determined than ever to help your business succeed.

The Influence of Gen Z on Marketing

Boomers? Gen X? Millennials? Move aside and make way for the newest generation making waves in the marketing industry: Gen Z! Born after 1996, many members of Generation Z aren’t even old enough to vote yet. The oldest of the group turning 23 just this year. But despite their seemingly young age, they’ve been given an advantage. And that’s the ability to be a completely internet dependent generation; with a whole lot of influence that comes with it.

Just last week, a couple of our expert team members virtually attended the WP Engine webinar: “Generation Influence. Gen Z and the power of identity in marketing” featuring Jason Dorsey, a leading Millennial and Gen Z researcher and president with the Center for Generational Kinetics, as well as Mary Ellen Dugan, CMO at WP Engine. And we learned a ton about how Gen Z is making an impact on buying habits; and influencing the marketing aimed at every other generation. Join us as we discuss what sets this generation apart and what differences they’re making in marketing at every turn.

Who is Gen Z?

According to WP Engine’s brand new, groundbreaking study (data collected pre-COVID-19) with The Center for Generational Kinetics, the identity of Gen Z is unlike other generations. One difference being that they are the most internet dependent generation. So much so that anything less than 1 hour without screen time can feel pretty uncomfortable for 24% of participants. And while these users, who need constant access, are active on the internet, many have become their own content creators. With some even making a living doing so in industries like gaming, vlogging, and more. Even teaching themselves, through trial and error, about platforms like WordPress. Interestingly enough, Gen Z is leading all Americans in planning to (21%) or possibly starting (24%) their own business in the future.

What else sets Gen Z apart on the internet? Their overall openness and transparency. Because they are born-digital, they have a digital mindset – and a digital vision to match. According to the study, they see the digital experience as being the emotional human experience; that they are one and the same. In fact, 54% of Gen Z members share images publicly online, 50% share videos publicly online, and 46% even share selfies publicly online. And they hope that honesty is reciprocated; with 23% trusting someone they met online rather than in person and 56% being friends with someone they only know online and have never actually met in person. But above all, Dugan says that Gen Z wants entertainment before information. That personalization is important, but a predictive experience (41%) is really what they’re searching for in comparison to an anonymous one (59%).

The Gen Z Difference

So, how does that translate into making a difference? The answer is influence. Generation influence more specifically. To do this, they’ve achieved a cohesion as a generation; and they are similar around the world due to internet and cheap technology access. According to the WP Engine’s study, freedom (22%) and tech-savviness (19%) are the most important things to them. Which seeps into everything they do. Intriguingly, 72% believe they are part of a social movement, as a form of activism, only if they are responding to a position on social media.

Less surprisingly, 72% of Gen Z participants use brands that contribute to a social cause, compared to 69% of Millenials, 62% of Gen X, and Boomers coming in last at 51%. Truly, a great product is what builds Gen Z’s trust in a company or brand the most. Across all generations, loyalty ranked highest in importance, which means they use a product regularly. As long as it aligns with their values and helps others view their lifestyle as cool, of course. They are, however, more likely to buy a product if they can customize it (75%) in comparison to 56% of Boomers. Plus, because they do the research, they don’t need to know someone to have recommendations. But on top of it all, Gen Z has a sense of corporate social responsibility; and they’ll forgive you if you aren’t perfect, which is pretty critical for a brands longevity nowadays.

To fully build trust in a company or a brand, Gen Z is looking for quality products, stellar customer service, and most importantly: honesty. Achieved through real online reviews, from real customers. In fact, 82% of participants in the study said they would trust a company more if the images they use are unedited and of actual customers. Compared to Boomers at 73% with the same feeling, and even Millenials at 79%, this younger generation is holding companies accountable and demanding more transparency, which is beneficial to all of us in the long run.

Gen Z Influence

To put it frankly, Gen Z has the power to make huge changes in marketing and buying habits for all generations to follow. For example, 59% of Gen Z participants believe that all shopping will begin to take place online within the next 10 years. However, it may take a moment for other generations to catch up to similar sentiments. Take for instance the stance on AI. 64% of Gen Z thinks artificial intelligence will positively impact the world; and only 46% of Boomers feel the same way.

According to the study, 79% of Gen Z participants feel as though the internet has made people even more connected, compared to 70% of Boomers. So, how do we bridge this disconnect? By realizing the similarities between generations, what they want, and letting Gen Z lead the charge. Case in point being that all generations, with the exception of ready-to-eat food, prefer websites over apps for online purchases. And this could drastically change how we do our online shopping in the future.

According to the webinar, if we make a Gen Z digital experience other generations will continue to catch up – which is key.

Work with ON Advertising

As the world shifts towards Gen Z influence, we are keeping up with what’s new at ON Advertising. Because we believe that in order to keep up with the ever-changing marketplace, it’s essential to stay in the know. When you partner with us we develop a strategy, based on research, that targets your ideal audience and accomplishes your business growth goals. And from advertising to digital marketing, full-service is what we do best.
Contact us to speak with our team of experts and start working with us today!

Client Spotlight: Pioneer Packaging

At ON Advertising, we have a portfolio chock full of incredible clients; and this month, we’d like to talk all about Pioneer Packaging! Founded over 35 years ago, Pioneer Packaging is a leader in packaging design and manufacturing of customized packaging solutions. They’ve been engineering these solutions for various clients within the industrial, retail, and moving and storage industries since the beginning. They make sure that each client partnership results in cutting-edge packaging that truly reflects the quality and message of their business. They approach each project with the mindset of “Imagine It…Done”; and it’s what authentically sets them apart.
We’re honored to have been working with the Pioneer Packaging team since 2013 and cannot wait to see what the future holds for our partnership. Here’s a look at what we’ve done during our time together so far!

What We’ve Been Up To

Having worked with Pioneer Packaging for over 6 years, we’ve gotten to know their brand well. Over the course of our partnership, a custom strategy, unique to their brand, has allowed us to execute some awesome jobs with their team.
Our extensive scope of services for their team includes:

Website Creation and Maintenance:
- Within the website creation service, we’ve continued to maintain and update their website for performance and functionality. This includes doing things such as updating plugins, keeping media up-to-date, optimizing pages, and more.
SEO Blog Posts
- We create blog posts that emphasize packaging trends and industry news. They also strategically leverage SEO keyword terms that people use to identify a company like Pioneer Packaging online.
Paid Media Management
- We advertise Pioneer’s Packaging services to users within Arizona and California and leverage keywords in Google’s platform to target the ads to individuals interested in general, food, and medical packaging services.
Email Marketing (4,000 Individuals Per Month)
- We write and distribute an email blast to prospective clients and current Pioneer Packaging clients.
Social Media Growth and Management
- We create content specific to social media platforms to garner traffic and engagement.

In our industry, we know that it’s easy for businesses to get lost, and even lose contact with their customers for a number of reasons. In this instance, our partnership came to fruition because Pioneer was having difficulty engaging with their clientele and building new business. While connecting the right people at the right time may be difficult, it can certainly be done!
Once we understood the Pioneer Packaging audience, we immediately got started on helping simplify their marketing process. And we also focused on building valuable relationships between them and their customers through inbound marketing techniques. We’ve built them a new website, executed effective email marketing campaigns, engaged digital advertising on Google Ads and LinkedIn, provided high-quality video production, and generated creative collateral.

What Happened

Due to our efforts, Pioneer Packaging has experienced some pretty incredible growth over the years, in a number of aspects of their business. From 2018 to 2019 alone, we’ve seen an increase in website speed and increased the number of targeted keywords for Search Engine Optimization. The Pioneer Packaging website has been one of the main drivers for new business leads for their company. Plus, thanks to Google Ads, the amount of sessions has increased by 15%, users by 17%, new users by 18%, and paid search by 65% from 2018 to 2019.
Not to mention, social media strategies have also been crucial to Pioneer Packaging’s increased success. For instance, we work weekly to create social media platform-specific posts that we know Pioneer Packaging’s audience will be interested in. We can attribute the steady growth of their social media numbers to consistent posting when the audience is online. And highlighting specific services and packaging, utilizing trending hashtags, and sharing relevant industry information has also made an impact. Interestingly, much of Pioneer Packaging’s traction can be attributed to the topic of sustainability. Specifically sustainable packaging – of which they have hundreds of products available. Because green packaging initiatives are extremely important to Pioneer Packaging, it has become a strong area of expertise for them and interest for their audience.
But in tandem with post topics, we’ve also streamlined the ways in which we convey Pioneer Packaging’s messaging. How? By implementing an informational, conversational caption style and a cohesive photo editing technique so that each social media platform represents the brand accurately. All of this combined has created an overarching brand they can be proud of.

What We’re Planning for Pioneer Packaging

Each year we partner with Pioneer Packaging means new opportunities for growth! So what’s ahead? Going forward, we are setting our sights on some exciting new ventures. From a new website and new videos to improved paid advertising and new business leads, a ton is in the pipeline. We will continue to work towards increasing engagement with their clientele and new business building.

ON Advertising

We are an ad agency committed to the success of our clients. Our talented, enthusiastic team brings a diverse set of skills, insight, and creativity to whatever we work on. We cultivate long-term client relationships while executing projects and providing the bottom-line results our clients look for. Contact us today to unlock the potential of your brand.

Ranked in Top 28 Best Advertising Agencies of Phoenix 2020

Wow, we’re honored! We’re proud to announce that ON Advertising has been recognized as one of the top 28 Best Advertising Agencies in Phoenix of 2020’ – scored by Expertise.

Expertise is a company that helps over 10 million customers find the best-qualified service professional for their needs monthly. They scored Phoenix Advertising Agencies on more than 25 variables across five categories; including reputation, credibility, experience, availability, and professionalism, and analyzed the results!

At ON Advertising, our team includes talented account executives, web developers, social media managers, graphic designers, videographers, and more. And whether you are a business-to-business or business-to-consumer operation, we can help you unlock the potential of your brand. We are an ad agency committed to our clients’ success. Our analytical approach combined with our outstanding team guarantees that our clients receive a focused, well-conceived plan to meet their marketing and advertising needs – every single time.

We are a marketing and advertising agency with innovation and big creative ideas at its core; and we’re ready to add your project to our portfolio and help your business thrive.

Micro-Influencers and Marketing

Have you recently seen a post from someone advertising for something like designer leggings or the newest makeup line? Was it from your favorite celebrity, so you bought it right away? Did it feature a promo code – or even make it clear it was an advertisement at all? If you’re active on the internet in any capacity, you likely follow micro-influencers. Or you’ve at least have seen their, often sponsored, posts like this on your timeline. But, within the fast-growing industry, ranging from beauty influencers to fitness gurus, there are tiers of influence. And contrary to popular belief, having more followers doesn’t always mean being more influential.

According to HubSpot, a micro-influencer is someone who has between 1,000 and 10,000 followers on social media, compared to a celebrity or influencer who could have millions per platform. But, how could using micro-influencers mean success for a business? We explored the power of influencer marketing, on a smaller scale, and its role in business growth today.

Why Micro-Influencer Marketing Matters

On the surface, it may seem to make sense for companies to solely aim for partnerships with influencers with a much larger audience. However, the most important aspect of influencer marketing is actually doing some influencing. The goal is to drive consumers to make purchases or use a service; and a niche following could be the secret to doing so. How, exactly? By harnessing the authenticity that comes with having such a close-knit community that follows them. Which is something larger accounts don’t often bring to the table.
In the influencer industry, there are “celebrity influencers” who have massive audiences watching their every move. This could be a famous actor promoting a new vodka on the side, for instance. Or, it could someone who has become a celebrity solely due to their influencing career. And though these influencers typically have followings in the millions, they don’t often have the engagement level per post to match. Why? Because it’s just not often believable. That’s not to say they don’t have swaying power over their audience. Because many fans and followers will purchase anything their favorite celebrity does. And, according to Forbes, the higher the follower count, the lower the engagement rate is.
On the other hand, Micro-influencers are usually aiming content to a niche audience. One that is interested in all of the same things they are. An audience who is looking to them for tips, tricks, and advice. While maybe not as large as one belonging to a famous athlete, their smaller following is far more likely to trust their word. That’s thanks to more intimate, closely established relationships they’re able to achieve through things like Instagram Stories and social media posts on their platforms. Not only that, but micro-influencers are typically able to speak directly to a larger portion of their audience without millions trying to get through. Meaning influencing is happening even in one-on-one conversations. And it seems to be working because, according to Marketing Dive, 82% of survey respondents said they were highly likely to follow a micro-influencers’ recommendation.
All in all, a perfect mix of micro-influencer marketing and celebrity-type influencers is ideal for ROI. But, for companies without the budget, micro-influencers are just as effective for spreading their messaging at far less a cost. And a well-rounded partnership with someone equally as passionate about your product or service, who actually uses and recommends it, only helps establish a company as trustworthy and reliable.

Micro-Influencers And Marketing With ON Advertising

At ON Advertising, we employ custom social media strategies. These ensure your message is heard by the right people. As well as shared in the right places, and that the activities are driving your company’s business objectives. Especially in ways that we can be measure, verify, and justify. We design each social media campaign to help you connect with your audience in meaningful ways. And to help build trust in your brand.
We also work to reinforce your brand and position your business as a credible authority in your industry. We do so by leveraging creative, unique, and informative content to develop a community of engaged followers on social media. And this includes working with micro-influencers in the industries our clients service. Contact us today to learn more about influencer marketing and start enhancing your brand with the help of our expert team.

Hosting Virtual Events and the Future of Getting Together

It’s been just over a month since the Evans Communications team merged with ON Advertising to expand our crew, and we’ve enjoyed every minute of the process. We’re now capable of doing more than ever on our clients’ behalf and have enjoyed working as a new unit to get through these challenging times. Since our merger, one question we get a lot is: “What’s going on with your events division?” We were halfway through our spring season when COVID-19 hit and were only able to hold about half of our events for the season. Because of this, we are postponing most of the rest until fall 2020 or spring 2021; as a result, we began offering virtual events.

The Future of Virtual Networking

With such unique times to work through, we’ve been purposefully studious about the best ways to produce online events. Why? We wanted to identify true best practices and decipher which approaches and platforms work best. And while we’re not epidemiologists, we don’t believe that virtual events are the long-term answer to the question of how we’re all going to interact. This too shall pass!
Still, we do see the value in virtual events for some of the clients and organizations we work with. And we’ve noticed a few best practices we can share with you as remote working becomes more of a new normal.

Keep it small and simple for virtual events. Zoom or WebEx calls are hard enough to navigate for a work function; and for a social or networking event, they can become unruly unless you limit the attendance size and designate a host who can thoroughly manage the conversation.
Keep everything short. It’s one thing to sit in a hotel ballroom for four hours for a charity dinner. But, it’s quite another to keep people’s attention spans focused online. Especially when they may have a million other distractions around their homes. How can you be safe and avoid losing audience interest? Err on the side of caution that any virtual meeting over an hour is a stretch. And if it’s an hour, you should probably have a reason and make it clear about why it’s longer.
Market, market, market. Organizations can actually expand their reach far beyond what their in-person events might have attracted if they push hard through social media and other marketing channels. An event that might have drawn a few hundred people in-person can potentially draw thousands online. But, there must be a coordinated, strategic PR and marketing effort to make it work.
Find the right platform. “Live” events are still very possible, and we’re working with several companies that are providing the option of doing in-studio content, including fundraising platforms that can capture donations in real-time! But, we’re also seeing some organizations pre-create their content. Going instead with a more passive fundraising ask that can be done on the donor’s own schedule.
Make it professional. If you expected someone to pay to attend your in-person event, and you’re asking them for money now, they should expect to see a professional presentation in return. Think about fundraisers, for example. The in-person experience would ordinarily include a scripted program with themes and supporting visual elements. The online version of the event should be no different!
Most importantly, don’t do anything off the cuff. Everyone wants to do something right now. But if you don’t go into virtual events with a clearly defined goal, thoughtful content, and a significant marketing and social media push, you’re wasting your time and energy and that of any potential attendees.

How ON Advertising Can Help with Virtual Events

No matter the event, from theme conception to running of the show, the team at ON Advertising is ready to ensure your events are executed memorably and flawlessly. We know times are truly unpredictable and unprecedented, which is why we are here to help you with your specific needs, and to share even further insight with you about how you can make virtual events beneficial in these challenging times.
Contact us to learn more about our event planning services and to start working with our expert team.

How We Use Popular Social Media Platforms to Help Our Clients Grow

After working with clients to grow their businesses for over 25 years, we’ve learned a few things about putting together the puzzle of success. And along the way, we’ve come to understand that each piece of the strategy plays its own vital, pivotal role in how a company evolves. For our clients, we employ a mix of social media platforms to enhance their presence. Each one helps solidify brand recognition, improve upon search engine optimization, and adds to a well-rounded approach to growth.
But, no two social media platforms are equal. Each serves a different purpose, is constantly changing, and reaches a unique set of audiences. Meaning one platform may be suitable for one client, and not for another. What popular social media platforms do we use for our clients – and how do we capitalize on their differences? We’re breaking down different social media platforms and how to best use them.

Facebook

Founded in 2004, Facebook was first launched as an online networking for people across the world to connect with family, friends, and even strangers. Since then, it has shifted from its original purpose; now acting just as equally as a business site as it does a personal use one. And just as the social media platform’s use has evolved, so have its capabilities; now including an ad center for paid media, live streaming, story abilities, and more.
Facebook is useful to our clients in a variety of ways, both in marketing and in establishing a strong social media presence to show what you’re truly about. According to Facebook’s Investor Relations Q3 2019 results, there are 2.45 billion active users logging into the platform on a monthly basis as of September 2019; and that’s a lot of eyes to try to get in front of.
On the surface level of Facebook, sharing business updates, new product launches, company news, and photos and video is a strong strategy for keeping a client top of mind for their users. That’s because interaction, such as likes and follows, gets you organic attention. And this applies to capturing both returning customers and prospective ones. But beneath that, utilizing Facebook’s marketing integration, in tandem with organic social, is how we make the most of the site.
By working within the website’s robust advertising tools, we’re able to target the intended audience on a more granular scale. Some of the parameters available are gender and age, and you can also target zip codes and interests. This especially helpful to small, local businesses trying to keep their scope of advertising narrow and localized. And because Facebook is built with B2C marketing in mind, boosting posts and employing paid advertising is a great way to snag sales directly on the users’ feed.

Instagram

What started out as a place for users to share photos of their day-to-day life, Instagram officially launched as the social media app we know today in 2010. Over the course of the past 10 years, it’s become the place to be for companies trying to tell their brand’s story in a more visual way. Interestingly enough, the social media platform is now owned by Facebook after being acquired by them in 2012. And while the sites still seem to operate independently in certain aspects, the similar capabilities aren’t lost on us when it comes to using them for our clients.
According to Statista, the social media platform now has 1 billion monthly active users as of April 2020. Because the entire purpose of the platform is essentially to curate a visually appealing, eye-catching feed – it’s all about putting forth the highest-quality images you can. For our clients, especially our B2B ones, this is where your products, goods, and story of your business can shine. With the ability to add shopping directly on a page and within posts, to the swipe-up feature in stories accessed after 10,000 followers, there’s plenty of ways that companies can sell directly to users without requiring them to ever leave the app.
Because Facebook purchased Instagram, their ad center is capable of creating, publishing, and monitoring ads for both platforms. And while only a few of our clients advertise on Instagram, we’ve learned that engagement is what we’re looking for. Sponsored or boosted posts, as well as actual paid ads, are used on Instagram mainly for brand-awareness rather than tangible conversions. It helps keep our clients top of mind for users and truly targets users’ interests through ad targeting and hashtags, Instagram’s main topic browsing method. In our strategies, creating branded hashtags and using them as often as possible helps create the conversation around our client and encourage it to grow.

Unlike a majority of the other social media platforms we work with, LinkedIn has a stronger focus on B2B marketing. Launched in 2003, the social media site has always placed an emphasis on being a place where users can cultivate professional relationships and strengthen their career. According to LinkedIn’s statistics, the platform has 675 million monthly users of professionals across the globe – a number that has steadily increased in recent years.
With LinkedIn concentrating heavily on professional connections, we often tweak content for our clients and tailor it specifically to the platform. Because of that, this is where content curation comes more into play on an internal level. To retain a strong level of professionalism, this is where our clients share industry articles, partake in conversations concerning their line of work, and make B2B connections with like-minded, complementary companies.
Like the other social media platforms, LinkedIn’s ad center is extremely helpful in growing our clients’ businesses. However, targeting parameters look a lot different, with only options to target companies and titles of individuals who work at those companies. In our planning, we don’t just research our clients’ competitors and peers. But, we also keep in mind what entities may be looking for their services, essentially using LinkedIn as a digital resume for our client.

Twitter

Initially envisioned to be a place where users could send an SMS text that was broadcast to all of their friends, Twitter, launched in 2007, and now has an average of 330 million monthly active users as of the Q1 2019. Now, the social media platform is the hub for up-to-the-second news, business networking, and of course – personal use so users can update their followers about what they’re up to. And with only 280 characters available per tweet, messaging has to be clear and concise.
For our clients, this is where we can keep them relevant, keep their content timely, and get users to engage in a more direct conversation. And with such a limiting amount of room for information, it’s critical that we nail down exactly what our client wants their reputation to be. To create variety in content, Twitter has introduced features like polls, and most recently “Fleets”, which is their version of Instagram Stories, or the original ephemeral social media content king: Snapchat.
Similarly to Instagram, Twitter relies heavily on hashtags to help users partake in conversations and track topics. For all clients, and all platforms, we take an in-depth look at data to determine best posting times, relevant hashtags to use, and what branded ones to inc; and for Twitter this is especially important. Why? In order for users to remember you, Twitter, unlike Facebook or Instagram, is built for increased posting. And this could mean sometimes posting multiple times a day. Tweeting, and tweeting often, with these hashtags included generates the momentum our clients are looking for.

Google My Business

Did you know that there’s a free business profile you can create and manage directly on Google? Google My Business is a place to engage with customers directly and keep them informed. We also update profiles with current photos, events information, announcements, and relevant news. Not only that, but it’s where we control exactly how our clients’ businesses appear within Google’s search engine and what information populates in maps. This is done by updating hours and open locations when things are changed. And during the COVID-19 outbreak for example, this has been an especially poignant step.

YouTube

Throughout our years operating as an agency, we’ve provided a variety of video production services to our clients. And beyond sharing them within content on platforms, integrating them into websites, and more, we also run them as ads on YouTube. Just as we do on any of the other social media platforms we use. Originally introduced in 2005 as a free video-sharing platform, YouTube was purchased by Google soon after in 2006, meaning the two are now integrated seamlessly.
By setting up a Google Ads profile, we can begin to target users based upon age, gender, interests, and location. This allows us to create paid ads to drive traffic to our clients’ websites; and run them directly on the platform with ease. This, along with all of our other efforts, work in unison to better support our clients’ needs.

Plan your Platforms with ON Advertising

The world of social media platforms is evolving by the minute…but so are we. At ON Advertising, we offer lots of different services, but we take great care to match them with your specific vision. And this same idea is applied to the unique, custom strategy we create for both you and your business – because we are committed to your success.
When you partner with us we’ll take a deep dive into your company’s needs. And we’ll determine exactly what platforms are necessary for what you do. Whether that includes a full-blown Facebook campaign paired with a tiny Twitter schedule or just targeted ads that get straight to the point – we’re here to help unlock the potential of your brand.
Contact us to get started on your social media strategy today.

Person uses map application on their smart phone

The Rise of “Near Me” Searches

Gone are the days of pulling out a map, hoping it’s updated, and meticulously searching for a location. Since then, we’ve seen technology offer us various ways to find the businesses and services we’re looking for. With the introduction of Search Engines, starting with Archie Query Form in 1990, we’ve watched the way people search evolve over time.
But even when it comes to the modern-day search engine platforms we know so well, you have to have some semblance of an idea of where you’re going – or who or what you’re looking for. That’s where the trend of “near me” searches can help you narrow down your parameters. And in a time of the COVID-19 pandemic, where consumer behavior has pivoted drastically, “near me” inquiries are taking on a whole new meaning.
It’s worth noting that not only can “near me” searches help audiences and consumers, but it can shape the way that businesses, like B2B and B2C companies, formulate their strategies. How exactly? We took a brief look at the rise of “near” me searches and their role in marketing today.

Near Me Searches and B2B/B2C Companies

How do you search for a business or service near you? Do you type it into Google? Your Apple Maps app? And what about your Alexa or Google Home? Fortunately for us, there are countless ways for us to look for the local businesses we need. That means companies can capitalize on these capabilities, just like you would a blog post – even optimizing their place in result rankings. And it’s a lot simpler to do than you might think.
According to HubSpot, as of 2019 there was a 150% growth for phrases such as “near me now”. And as we see people increasingly looking for these local services, it’s important to know how this data is critical to business marketing. To provide this information to users, Google typically requests you to enable GPS. This is both in your general settings and through various apps, to provide the most accurate results about a consumer’s current location. This usually always runs in the background, even when your phone is locked. It can track things like where you parked and where you’ve moved even when you aren’t aware of it.

Capitalizing on Near Me Searches

But how exactly do you optimize for something that has everything to do with your location and the behavior of your audience? You can start by listing your company on Google My Business; and make sure your business information, like hours of operation or contact information, is as detailed and thorough as possible. This also includes acquiring detailed backlinks for your website and having separate optimized web pages for each business location. Plus, you must set up your website to be friendly on an array of devices.
Surprisingly, you can even optimize how you appear to users who search through voice command. For example, according to the 2019 Smart Audio Report, 24% of adults in the United States own at least one smart speaker device. That’s 60 million people who are asking questions like “Alexa, what sushi places are near me?” or “Okay Google, find a gas station near me.” And to optimize your results to populate among the top when these questions are asked, you have to anticipate what they’ll be. By doing so, you can fully optimize each of your pages to best answer them.

How COVID-19 Has Affected Near Me Searches

Unlike the typical consumer patterns we’re used to seeing, the behavior of shoppers during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed immensely. The landscape of typical “near me” searches have shifted from inquiries about the best local club nearby to where one can find cleaning wipes in their community. According to Search Engine Journal, eCommerce sites that sell essential goods, such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer, are seeing a surge in traffic. And as companies made the switch to work from home, searches for things like office chairs and desks also saw a spike.
But as virtual lines for stores are filling up, searches for local services, beyond that of grocery stores and other essential businesses, are seemingly slowing down. For example, health sites and recipe pages are seeing slight increases in their traffic; and this may only increase in the coming months depending upon new updates concerning social distancing regulations and mandatory closures of all non-essential businesses changes throughout the country.
If you haven’t already, update your business hours as they change. By regularly updating information about any services, like contactless delivery, you can ensure you keep showing up where you should. Optimization is the most important step and adaptability in changing times follows closely behind.

How ON Advertising Can Help

At ON Advertising, our team of experts can help you control the conversation around your business. Our strength is turning general prospects into highly-qualified sales leads and measuring the return on your investment. From a digital strategy and email marketing to conversion rate optimization and SEO/PPC solutions, our digital services can help you unlock your full potential. And in these times, we’re here to do everything we can to help your business. Contact us to speak with our team today.