Shifting Your Digital Ad Budget —> Match Ad Dollar Spend With Content Curation Investment
The role of B2B digital communications has challenged me in so many ways, every day as a storyteller. I am attracted to the projects that brings audiences new places to explore, learn, feel, connect, and share. I have struggled to think through the marketing lens, actually…it is quite hard for me.
Over the last year, we have been working with groups ranging from large national clients to smaller business/organizations…and many things are ringing with the same tune. Digital marketing is a lot of damn work because people just do not like digital ads. We have to tell stories and put digital ad dollars being content for more effecting impact.
The Next Web just released a story reporting close to 200 million people are using adblockers, up 41 percent from 2014. It is estimated this will cost publishers roughly $21.8 billion in lost revenue.
From The Next Web: “That’s just six percent of the global internet population, but it’s worth noting that their adblocking habits account for 14 percent of the global ad spend. The report adds that in 2016, it will cost publishers over $41 billion.”
Just last year, I was working on a project with an extremely large monthly Google budget. The trends were indicating that they had bought up too many adwords, over saturating the market loosing ground against the competition. Bottomline, their competition is getting smart, buying up more market share, shifting the tide showing diminishing returns on SEM and SEO investments.
Imagine, taking those half of those millions and investing in people, stories, groups, and sharable content. Imagine leading the charge in content curation and less in just digital ad placement and reach. Reach is good, but imagine if that reach does not allow you to attract the right audience.
BHPhotoVideo.com Example
As I was browsing my favorite website, I found something interesting. BHPhotoVideo.com is one of my favorite sites and I know they like to use the same digital advertising tactics. But, when I search for a gadget, I do not go to Google first to search for that particular item…I just go to BHPhotoVideo.com.
As I scrolled down…I noticed some interesting, a trending section at the bottom. Lots of social updates from consumers, bloggers, trending products, consumer images…content showcasing products in their context. I expected when I click a trending item that I would go to read more about why it was trending, but actually I was taken to a product page. This allowed me to see the consumer conversations along side actual products, then allowed me to click to see the product.
Manfrotto Facebook Example
Another company I follow is Manfrotto’s Facebook page. I am a huge fan of Manfrotto bags and tripods, especially after they bought my favorite bag company Kata.
I started following their Facebook page where they share images from their consumers, specifically how they are using their bags and tripods in their everyday life.
Each day, you see these products as they are being used in real life, not just a product with a “For Sale” sign. The hardest thing about buying a bag or tripod is size, does it fit my situation, and is it affordable. These social media posts/updates allow me to see these products being used everyday by people like me.
Canon #BringIt Example
Finally, I love Canon’s #BringIt initiative on Instagram. People are sharing pictures taken with their Canon cameras and including the #BringIt hashtag. Canon selects images daily that they feel live up to the #BringIt mantra and post these images on their BringIt website: https://bringit.usa.canon.com/. If you go to the website, you might see lots of pictures of Rosebud!
This allows you to see others and how they are using the cameras and the types of images captured everyday using all types of Canon cameras, from people just like me.
