Facebook launch dynamic product ads for retailers.

In a blog post this morning, Facebook have announced they have launched a new type of ad format that will allow retailers to advertise multiple products at once. Called (somewhat unimaginatively) Product Ads, this new format allows retailers to promote multiple products, or even their entire product catalogue, across all devices. This new format is similar to Google’s Shopping Campaigns.

According to Facebook themselves:

“Product ads offer businesses a number of ways to highlight different products on Facebook. Marketers can upload their product catalog [sic] and create campaigns targeting certain products to specific audiences, or let Facebook automatically deliver the most relevant products to people.”

And these ads can help sell products at different stages in the customer journey. For example:

• Advertisers can automatically reach people who visited their website/app (via Custom Audiences), or reach people based on specific interests, locations, etc.
• Advertisers can curate ads as they see fit. For instance, they can highlight products that were viewed on their website/mobile app or showcase best selling products. Or they can create a multi-product ad that highlights the different benefits of a single product.

USA retailers, Target and Shutterfly, have been trialling the new placements with marked success. 

This new Ad Format follows a raft of new developments from Facebook in the last few weeks, including:

·      Brands can now use animated GIFs (Cinemagraphs) in their ads.

·      Users can now choose a Legacy Contact to manage their account after their death.

·      And Amber Alerts that will send missing children notifications out to people who are in the area the child went missing.

How to get 45,000 pieces of branded content in 2 weeks.

When you hear the term ‘user-generated content’ it probably conjures up images of poorly produced web-cam videos, or iPhone pictures of the family pet. But these days, almost everyone you know is producing content on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. From Instagram, to blog posts, to Snapchats, to tweets, to Facebook posts, to Vine videos – in 2015 we communicate in content. And with so many different apps and websites out there giving people a way to express themselves through content, it’s no wonder that brands are starting to take notice.  

If you haven’t heard of it, there is a fantastic TV show called The Americans. It’s a cold-war period drama that centres around two KGB agents, posing as a married couple, living (secretly) in the USA. In line with the secrecy theme of the show, TV network, FX, collaborated with the app/website, Whisper, to help launch the show’s third season. The result was over 45,000 pieces of user-generated, branded content. 

The way Whisper works is by allowing users to share a secret (or ask a question) anonymously. Using keywords from the secret, Whisper will automatically suggest images that may relate, and then superimpose the secret over the image the user selects. The resulting content is then shared publically.

In the partnership with FX, when Whisper detected predetermined keywords that related to the show’s themes – e.g. family, espionage, neighbours etc. – it would serve up branded screen shots from the show. The campaign ran for 16 days in early January this year, and resulted in over 45,000 users selecting images from The Americans as their Whisper backgrounds.

This isn’t the first time Whisper has run such a campaign. In March last year Whisper ran a similar campaign for the show Deadbeat, for the online-streaming site Hulu. And in August last year, Paramount Pictures used Whisper to promote it’s upcoming movie Men, Women, Children – even going as far as to include the Whisper logo and a hashtag on the end of the trailer. 

The key to the success of The Americans campaign was that FX weren’t asking users to generate content especially for the show, they simply tapped in to an existing habit; users were going to be creating the content anyway, they simply gave them the option to use a range of relevant, high-res imagery for the low-low cost of also including a logo.

Finding new ways to get consumers to engage with a brand can be tricky, and a lot of ‘user-generated content’ concepts usually end up collecting dust in the ‘too hard basket’. But with the rise content-centric apps, and the proliferation of smartphones, perhaps what we need to be thinking is how we can get users to brand the content they are already making instead.   

Beyond Facebook: Marketing to Millennials in 2015

It wasn’t so long ago that if you wanted to talk to “the kids”, your first port of call was Facebook and Twitter. But as advertising grew more prolific, and their parents starting friend requesting them, Millennials began migrating to more obscure Social Networking sites. Today, it’s not unusual for a media schedule to also include Instagram, Pinterest and even Snapchat. But what’s next? In 2015, where will the Millennials be heading?

The following is a list of some of the more obscure social networking sites around the world. It’s important to note that not all of these sites offer advertising placements yet, and not all of these sites see a lot of New Zealand traffic yet. But in both cases, ‘yet’ is the key word. And, if nothing else, if you do use these apps and sites in your campaign, at least you know you will be talking to a niche market.

·      Wanelo (Want, Need, Love) combines shopping, fashion blogging, and social networking all in one. It's very popular among teens, allowing them to discover, share, and buy products they like.

·      Kik Messenger is an app-based alternative to standard texting that kids use for social networking. It's free to use but has lots of ads.

·      Ask.fm is a social site that lets kids ask questions and answer those posted by other users -- sometimes anonymously. 

·      Omegle is a chat site (and app) that puts two strangers together in their choice of a text chat or video chat room.

·      Yo. is a bare-bones social app that sends a short text message to friends and family, simply reading "Yo" (and speaking the word aloud). Users can also subscribe to receive a Yo when other events happen (like a sale?)

·      Whisper is a social "confessional" app that allows users to post whatever's on their minds, paired with an image.

·      Tagged is similar to Facebook in that it lets you set up profiles, message friends, play games and post photos. It has more than 300 million members and is the ninth most popular site in the US.

·      LiveJournal is a social blogging site that lets you share common interests with people from around the world. The site has more than 16 million journals and is the eighth most popular social site in the US.

·      Badoo is a site that helps you connect with new friends - or more commonly love interests - in your area. Currently supported cities and towns in New Zealand are Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Hastings, Tauranga and Invercargill.

•          Path is a mobile-only social journalling site (think intimate version of Facebook) that limits you to 150 friends.

•          Couple is even more intimate, created for sharing your thoughts, photos and videos with just one other person, usually your partner.

•          Highlight taps into your Facebook profile (when you sign in) to let you know when friends, or friends of friends, or other Highlight users with similar interests are nearby. Other similar options are: Circle, Banjo and Meetup.

•          CafeMom is an online coffee group for mums worldwide, CafeMom is 11th most popular social networking site in the US.

•          DeviantArt is where aspiring artists can share their creations with more than 25 million other members of DeviantArt. More than 160,000 art works including paintings, sculptures and digital art are uploaded to DeviantArt each day.

•          Dogster is a social site for dog owners to share pics and anecdotes and discuss all manner of topics related to their precious pooch. (Note, there is also Catster for cat lovers).

•          Flixster is for film buffs and has all the latest news from the movie world, actor profiles, video clips, forums and quizzes to test your cinematic knowledge.

Bonus!

Not quite Mellennials (although they maybe at heart!):

•          Grownups is a New Zealand-based social networking site for people aged 50-up. Members can message friends, read articles and blogs of interest, participate in forums and play online games with other users.

Has Facebook Video knocked YouTube off its perch?

Until very recently, Facebook was simply not a destination for video content – but as with all things in the digital world, change has come quickly. Today, instead of sharing YouTube videos, many brands are choosing to upload their content directly to Facebook – but is this the right move?

Since January last year, Social Media analytics company, Socialbakers, has been monitoring and measuring the differences in interactions brand content receives on different social media sites. As the graph below demonstrates, the trend is very clear; by December 2014 Facebook Video posts were receiving 80% of the total interactions a piece of brand content received.

It comes as no surprise then that Marketers are now turning to Facebook video first – and the trend seems to be picking up speed.

But is this the right move?

On January 13^th 2015 Marvel Entertainment ran an experiment of their own, posting the new trailer for their upcoming Avengers movie on both YouTube and Facebook at exactly the same time. Three days in (at the time of writing this post), the YouTube video has:

·      14,570,602 views

·      318,438 shares on Facebook

·      46,042 shares on Twitter

·      108,177 YouTube likes

·      16,134 comments.

In comparison, the Facebook video has:

·      6,391,150 views

·      120,776 shares on Facebook

·      40 shares on Twitter

·      170,830 Facebook likes

·      11,600 comments.

Where these numbers seem to suggest that YouTube is still dominating (at least when it comes to Marvel movie trailers) what this really highlights is that there are big audiences on both platforms. Combined the trailer has almost 21million views.

There are pros and cons to both networks. YouTube is a video sharing platform, and doesn’t require people to have an account to view the content. Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm, on the other hand, means that with one mouse click (like or share) the video can be shared to a much wider audience than is possible through YouTube alone.

When push comes to shove, the real question is what brands want to achieve with their video content. If views are all that matter, then YouTube is still by far the most dominate forum for viral success. But for those looking to drive conversation, and help spread their brand awareness far and wide, Facebook Video now offers a real alternative. However, as the Marvel example demonstrates, perhaps the best course of action for now is to use both platforms together.

6 Secret formulas bloggers use to write headlines

The ever-quotable adman, David Ogilvy, once said “On average, five times as many people read the headline as the body copy.” He of course was referring to print advertising at the time, but in the digital age the divide is no doubt far greater. So how do you get people to click through to your content? Is there a magic formula for writing the perfect headline?

As it turns out, there’s more than one. Here now are the Top 6 formulas for writing the ultimate headline: 

#1 – Numbers + Adjective + Keyword + Rationale + Promise 
Lists. It’s one of the most common techniques in modern-day content headline writing, but does it work? Lenka Istvanova of Koozai Marketing conducted an analysis of the most clicked headlines and concluded that our first formula should be considered best practise. Bu if you need more proof, just visit Cracked.com, HuffingtonPost.com or Buzzfeed.com and see how list-style headlines can drive millions of page impressions a day.   

E.g. 7 Irresistible desserts you can make at home for under $5

#2 ­– [Do something] like [world-class example] 
Invest your money like a banker; bake like Nigella; blog like an all-star! Associating your brand with a successful and popular equivalent is marketing 101, and any high school English teacher will tell you a simile is the simplest way to do that. This formula, then, is hardly rocket science. Although Joanna Wiebe from Copy Hackers does suggest one addition to this formula: [Do something] like [world-class example] without [something unexpected or undesirable] 

E.g. Make a coffee like a barista without the expensive machine 

#3 – Find out [what/how] [others] are [doing] to [solve a problem] 

Social proof is the concept that people will conform to the actions of others under the assumption that those actions are reflective of the correct behaviour. You can see this technique in play when nightclubs make you line up outside, or a TV uses canned laughter. So by implying in your headline that others are already on-board with your content, you are creating instant desirability. Note: This is only one way to structure the headline – there are plenty of other ways to engage social proof, e.g. “Who else wants…”, “Join others in…” etc 

E.g. Find out how thousands of others are saving hundreds on their shopping bill. 

#4 – The secret of _____ 

 “Little known ways to____”, “The insider’s guide to ____”… no matter how you frame it, the result it always the same: Intrigue. People love secrets; especially if it relates to something they are interested in, so building this into your headline creates instant clickability. 

E.g. Little known ways increase your web traffic 

#5 – Here’s a quick way to [solve a problem] 

The benefit of this headline is clear – a solution to a problem that is quick and easy. People are time-poor, and a nice easy bit of content that will make someone’s life easier is just the ticket to drive those clicks. 

E.g. Here’s a quick way to keep the kids busy these holidays 

#6 – [Number] [solutions] [I/we] learned from ____ 

This approach is not only attention grabbing, but it also offers reassurance; it gives people the comfort of knowing that whatever the content is, it has worked for someone else. More than this, it says “we’ve done the hard yards so you don’t need to. 

E.g. 10 Ways to avoid a parking ticket I learned from my years as a taxi driver. 

3 Bonus pointers

[Headline] + [Subhead] – Never underestimate the power of a well-places subhead. A good subhead can do all the heavy lifting, letting your headline shine with all its simplistic brilliance. E.g. “Blog like a Huffington: 10 invaluable tips for writing a good headline.”

Talking of shining, KISSmetrics recommend the SHINE five-part checklist for every good headline; S – Specificity, H – Helpfulness, I – Immediacy, N – Newsworthiness, E – Entertainment value.E.g. “The Best Five Minutes (immediacy) You’ll Spend Today (entertainment): The Latest Tips (newsworthy) From .99 (specificity) on writing better headlines (helpfulness)” 

[Headline] + [A hook] – Basically, this technique involves giving the reader something extra to hook them in; highlighting something in the content which the viewer will feel compelled to look at.   

E.g. “7 Ways to cook Snapper you didn’t know. #5 will blow your mind!” 

This is obvious not an exhaustive list. Every blogger will have his or her own top tips for getting clicks. The best advice is simply to test, test, and test again. See what works; see what doesn’t work; and then try something new!

Website Upworthy.com famously write 25 headlines for their posts, test them all, then choose the best one (although that does sound a little labour-intensive!)

At the end of the day, you are your own best friend. Simply ask yourself, ‘would I click that?’

Do you have a formula you use? Tell us in the comments:

More formulas can be found:

Blogger Peter Sandeen’s 101 headline formulas

The Daily Egg blog’s 15 headline formulas

Copyblogger’s 10 popular headline formula

The 35 headline formula of John Caples

9 Game-changing additions to the New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act you should know.

 

At the end of last year, in a rare display of bipartisan collaboration, the government pushed through major reforms to the Consumer Guarantees Act. Six months on these changes will take effect from June 17^th 2014.

Here is a quick summary of the changes that will ultimately effect retailers in New Zealand: 

1.   Online Retailing: All online purchases and trades are now subject to the Consumer Guarantees Act (including TradeMe Auctions & Facebook Shops). 

2.   Online Retailing: Professional online sellers will have to clearly identify themselves as "traders" 

3.   Online Retailing: There is also increased liability for traders whose goods do not arrive on time, or are damaged during delivery. 

4.   Online Retailing:  “Shill bidding", in which traders try to drive up prices on their own auctions, has been clarified to make it a specific offence.  

5.   Extended warranties: A new amendment will force retailers to provide a comparison of what additional "guarantees" or benefits their extended warranty actually has. 

6.   Extended warranties: Customers will also now have five working days to cancel the warranty (get a refund). Or, if the retailer did not disclose the differences to you in the first place, they can get a refund at any time. 

7.   Advertising: An update to the Fair Trading Act (FTA) means businesses will not be able to make claims about a product or service if they do not have evidence or "reasonable grounds" to do so. Obviously exaggerated claims, and puffery, will still garner some leeway. But serious claims, which could be as simple as "all gumboots half-price", have to be accurate. 

8.   Door-to-door: Customers will now have five working days to cancel any uninvited direct sale made at home or work. And it does not matter whether the sale is over the phone or in person; if you did not initiate the transaction, you can back out.    

9.  Gas & Electricity: There is a new acceptable quality guarantee in the Consumer Guarantees Act that specifically applies to the supply of electricity or gas. From 17 June 2014, if you supply electricity or gas to consumers, you must ensure your supply is: safe, reliable (to that particular place); and of such a quality that it can be consistently used.

It should also be noted that there are now tougher penalties. Those who breach the rules will receive more than a slap on the wrist, with fines for misleading and deceptive conduct having been increased by at least 300 per cent under the reformed laws.   

Can't touch this: The one thing online shopping can't replace.

You’re in a shop, you’ve spotting something you want to buy, what’s the first thing you do? Whether it’s a plant pot, a new pair of shoes, or even a garden shed – the chances are the first you’re going to do is touch it. Is it heavy? Is it itchy? Does it feel solid or does it feel flimsy? We humans are tactile creatures, programmed to interact with our world by touching things. Quality is often hard to assess by simply looking at something; we need to “feel the quality”. So as the world of retail continues to head online, does the lack of a tactile sense influence our purchase behaviour? A recent study by Australian online retailer, Sneaking Duck, suggests that it does.

From the day we are born, we interact with the world around us through physical interaction; we touch things. To see this for yourself, try walking through a mall with a toddler; they simply have to touch everything they see. Why? It’s biological mechanism. Through the simple act of touch we can tell if something is hot or cold, solid or hollow, sharp or dull, food… in fact we can tell any number of qualities about an object. And as we get older that doesn’t change - we use touch as a way to gauge the qualities, and quality of products.

But when it comes to online shopping, we do lose this ability to touch.

It had been thought that by building the quality message into the brand itself, retailers could mitigate peoples’ concerns over not “seeing something in person.” However when one online retailer put this to the test, they found this hypothesis didn’t hold true.

Australian-based prescription eyewear retailer, Sneaking Duck, recently undertook a series of trials to test their customer’s attitudes towards their products. They surveyed customers who had simply purchased glasses online; customers who had chosen to try their free, no-obligation home trail first; and customers who has done neither.

The results showed that those who didn’t purchase, and those who purchased WITHOUT touching the product first had very practical concerns – the fit, the quality, and the size. On the other hand, for people who had touched the glasses (via home trial), these practical concerns evaporated. And it wasn’t just buyer’s confirmation; even those who had tried-on glasses at home and still decided not purchase did not cite the practical (physical) concerns as the reason.

So what does this mean for online retailing?

The story is not all doom and gloom. Around 47% of offline sales started online (Roy Morgan NZ & Gov Stats 2013), which goes to demonstrate that online and offline continue to work in tandem. And it’s this combination approach that will see retailers continue to succeed.

Reviews and ratings are one such method that many online retailers already use as a way to combat lack of trial. It’s long been known word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful sales tools, and research show that customers put a lot of stock in online reviews. This could be further amplified through a friend-get-friend approach. Not only do customers get the recommendation of a trusted friend, but in many cases can view the product first hand at the friend’s house.

Another approach retailers could consider is to allow customers to experience via home trial. It’s interesting to note that in recent times infomercials on TV have started offering customers a chance to try products for 30 days for $1. The idea being that once the customer has the product in their hands, they are more likely to follow through with the purchase. 

And, of course, nothing beats stores-with-door. Online retailers benefit from the lack of overheads that accompany bricks and mortar retail outlets. However there are low-cost temporary solutions, such as pop-up showrooms, where customers can experience their products first hand and share their experiences with others.

As technology gets more intuitive, we need to remember that at the heart of every purchase is a human being who operates under basic psychological principles. There is no doubt that online retailing will continue to grow, and technology will continue to offer new and exciting ways for retailers to get customers into the sales funnel. The key, however, is to ensure that as things move forward we still retain a grounding in reality.