Tips and Tricks to maximize Ad Reach🚀

#HTE 327 -Strategies, examples, and much more!

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How to E-commerce by Almund
September 19, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes

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Google's recent expansion of First Position ads on YouTube opens up new top spots for your ads, but with increased competition. Combine this with effective AI-driven feedback loops to refine your strategies and make data-driven decisions. By using these tools wisely, you can maximize your ad visibility and ensure your budget is spent efficiently. Stay tuned for tips on how to leverage these opportunities for better results! 🚀

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-How to Optimize Your Video Ads and Avoid Wasting Budget 🔍

-Google Expands First Position Ad Inventory for YouTube

-Ways to Build Effective Feedback Loops in AI ✨

-Top Reads - Real-Time News Right For You. 📚

-HTE Job Board- Get Your Dream Job With A Click! 🌟

How to Maximize Your Video Ad Spend and Minimize Waste🔍

The Ad Skipping Dilemma

About two-thirds of consumers will skip video ads as soon as they have the chance, regardless of how relevant those ads might be. This high skip rate aligns closely with the 65% of ad spend that is wasted in the industry. The issue isn't necessarily that advertisers aren't targeting the right audience—it's more about how ads are presented and the context in which they appear.

Why Mobile Ads Often Fail

Mobile screens are already quite small, and advertisers often saturate these screens with content, particularly on social platforms like Facebook. This creates a crowded environment where ads compete fiercely for attention against other content that users find more engaging. Because of this, publishers make it easy for users to skip or ignore ads, leading to a lot of wasted advertising spend.

Shifting Focus to Outcomes

When Apple removed cookies from its Safari browser, advertisers faced a major shift. However, the ultimate impact wasn't as severe as initially feared. Many advertisers began to rely more on their own first-party data, which provided better insights into their audience and campaign performance. This change highlighted the need for a new approach to measuring ad success.

Embracing the Cooperative Model

To get the best return on ad spend, brands should seek out video ad placements that capture viewers' attention for more than just a few seconds. The cooperative model, where ads are integrated naturally into the content, is a great way to achieve this.

For example, network television offers a good model: ads play during natural breaks in programming, such as between shows or during commercial breaks. This setup is beneficial for everyone involved. Viewers are not interrupted unexpectedly, networks generate ad revenue, and advertisers can be confident that their ads are seen in full.

On mobile, finding similar environments can be more challenging. However, in-game ads provide a promising alternative. These ads appear at natural breaks in gameplay, like after completing a level. They are unskippable and occupy the full screen with sound, which results in higher engagement compared to social media ads.

Why Mobile Games Are a Great Opportunity

With approximately 1.67 billion people playing mobile games worldwide, advertisers have a vast audience to tap into. Mobile games cater to a wide range of demographics, including parents, food enthusiasts, and avid shoppers. Additionally, ad space in games can now be purchased using the same programmatic tools available for other media, ensuring that ads reach the right audience.

In summary, no matter what changes occur in privacy regulations or platform policies, the critical question for advertisers remains: Will their target audience engage with their ads, or will they simply scroll or skip past them? By focusing on effective ad placements and understanding the real impact of their ad spend, brands can significantly reduce waste and drive better results.

Google Expands First Position Ad Inventory for YouTube

Google has just announced a big change: First Position ads on YouTube are now available across all types of content, not just YouTube Select inventory. This expansion comes through Display & Video 360, providing more opportunities for advertisers to place their ads in a prominent position.

What Are First Position Ads?

First Position ads are designed to grab the viewer's attention when they’re most engaged. These ads appear in the top spot, making them highly visible.

Key Changes to First Position Ads:

1. Broader Availability: Previously limited to YouTube Select inventory, First Position ads can now be placed across all YouTube content.

2. New Pricing Model: Instead of a fixed-rate CPM (cost per thousand impressions), First Position ads will now use a dynamic pricing model through Display & Video 360. This means prices can vary based on demand and other factors.

3. Enhanced Targeting: Advertisers can now target audiences more broadly across different types of YouTube content.

Ad Formats & Placement

First Position ads are available for both in-stream ads (the ones that play before a video) and YouTube Shorts. This means you have more options for how your ads are shown.

However, it’s important to note that in-stream ads in the first position might not always appear in the top spot on YouTube TV. This could impact how connected TV advertising strategies are planned.

Instant Reserve & Implementation

Instant Reserve: You can use the Instant Reserve feature in Display & Video 360 to quickly get a quote and reserve ad space on YouTube. This eliminates the need for lengthy negotiations and aligns with the new dynamic pricing model, making it easier to manage your ad spend.

Video Visibility: To use First Position ads, your YouTube videos must be set to “Public” or “Unlisted.” Private videos cannot be used in these campaigns.

Reporting & Measurement

With these changes, here’s what you need to consider:

- Flexible Budgeting: The dynamic pricing model allows you to adjust your budget based on real-time data and demand.

- Expanded Reach: You now have access to First Position ads across all YouTube content, which means a broader audience.

- Increased Competition: More availability could lead to higher costs for these premium ad placements.

- Strategic Planning: You might need to be more strategic about when and how you use First Position ads to get the best results.

For more details on how to implement these changes and make the most of First Position ads, check out Google’s Help Center for information on Instant Reserve in Display & Video 360 and Reservations in Google Ads. This will help you understand the process and best practices for using this new ad feature effectively.

Ways to Build Effective Feedback Loops in AI✨

Enhancing Customer Feedback with AI: A Simplified Approach 🤖

According to research from Qualtrics, a significant 63% of customers  believe that companies need to improve how they listen to their feedback. This finding resonates with my experiences both as a customer and a marketer.

The Customer Perspective

As a customer, I frequently receive requests to rate my experience or share my feedback. However, from a marketer’s point of view, it’s clear that this feedback often doesn’t get used effectively. With the advancement of marketing AI, we now have the capability to gather and analyze large amounts of customer feedback through various means like surveys, social media monitoring, and chatbots. Despite this, many companies struggle to utilize this feedback efficiently because of outdated systems and fragmented processes.

The Growing Role of AI in Feedback

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how we collect and analyze customer feedback. For example, AI can make surveys more effective by adjusting questions in real-time based on how customers respond. This personalization helps gather more detailed and useful feedback. AI-powered tools like Brandwatch and Hootsuite Insights are excellent at monitoring social media conversations to understand public opinion. Additionally, chatbots and virtual assistants generate a lot of data that can offer valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors.

Addressing Key Gaps

To make the most of AI-driven feedback, companies need to address several critical gaps:

1. Technology Gaps: Many organizations face challenges with outdated technologies that create data silos. To bridge these gaps, companies should invest in advanced AI tools such as analytics platforms and sentiment analysis tools. These tools can help integrate and analyze data more effectively.

2. People Gaps: Marketers need to develop more technical skills to handle AI tools and data analysis. This involves training staff to understand and use new technologies, such as low-code or no-code tools. It’s essential for marketers to learn how to analyze data, use integration tools, and bridge communication gaps between departments.

3. Process Gaps: Companies must establish clear processes to ensure that customer feedback is effectively integrated into decision-making. This includes mapping out how feedback is collected, analyzed, and used to make improvements. Without these processes, feedback might not reach the right teams or result in actionable changes.

Starbucks’ AI Success Story

Starbucks offers an excellent example of how AI can enhance customer feedback and experience. Since 2019, Starbucks has been using its AI system called Deep Brew to manage millions of customer interactions across various markets. Deep Brew helps personalize customer experiences by suggesting coffee based on factors like the time of day, weather, and previous orders.

The system also automates routine tasks, such as taking orders through the “My Starbucks Barista” chatbot. This allows baristas to focus more on personal interactions with customers, making the overall experience more enjoyable and engaging. By efficiently managing data and automating processes, Starbucks creates a more seamless and memorable experience for its customers.

Getting Started with AI-Driven Feedback

Even if your company is not as large as Starbucks, you can still use AI to improve your customer feedback process. Here’s a step-by-step approach to get started:

1. Choose a Specific Use Case: Start by identifying one area where AI can be applied effectively. For example, consider using AI to enhance product recommendations based on customer feedback.

2. Improve Data Flow: Ensure that the data you collect is organized and easily accessible. Work on integrating data from different sources to provide a clear view of customer feedback.

3. Optimize Processes: Set up processes to ensure that the feedback data is used effectively to make decisions. This might involve creating workflows for how feedback is analyzed and acted upon.

4. Train Your Team: Invest in training your team to handle new AI tools and technologies. This will help them develop the necessary skills to analyze data and use it effectively.

Top Reads📚

Google Ads ad copy: what works and what doesn’t in 2024 ~ 17  September 2024, Search Engine Land 

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