Happy Tuesday!
In today’s This Week in Internet Marketing, we’re covering Google Responsive Search Ads and its September launch, and things to consider when outsourcing content. We also look at the expected surpassing of Facebook by YouTube as a top-visited website, how to provide customers with quality customer service, and Facebook challenging Google in local search.
Google Extends Added Character Benefits of Responsive Search Ads to Text Ads
Beginning this September, Google will roll out responsive search ads to advertisers in the following languages: English, French, German, and Spanish. These ads can display three headlines (from the current two) and two descriptions with up to 90 characters each (an increase from the 80-character limit). As this rollout extends to multiple languages, Google announced that later this month, advertisers will be able to add the extra heading and longer description to existing text ads.
Responsive search ads are different from standard ads because Google uses AI to determine which combos of headlines and descriptions perform best. Over time, these ads will deliver the best message to show to a user depending on their search query.
YouTube to Soon Overtake Facebook as Second-Most Visited Site, Analysis Finds
According to a study by SimilarWeb, YouTube is likely to outrank Facebook as the website with the second-most traffic, within the next three months. Given YouTube’s increased number of visits and growing viewership and Facebook’s loss of about 2.8 billion visits/month, it’s no wonder that YouTube is projected to take the #2 spot (Google being the first).
This shift in the top highest-visited websites really shows just how digital video is consumed and continues to grow. It’s been reported that more than half of adults view content on streaming platforms over TV, so it only makes sense that brands are investing more in digital video. While Facebook continues to struggle with the decline in users and backlash stemming from privacy issues, it’s worth noting that its app traffic is on the rise. Between Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, much of the world is using their apps to communicate.
Rounding up the Top 5 most-visited websites are Yahoo and Amazon.
Facebook Challenges Google in Local Search
Facebook’s recent changes are making it a serious challenger to Google Local. Many businesses rely on a Facebook Page to maintain an online presence and communicate with customers. With a string of updates to Facebook Pages announced last week, Facebook could become a serious challenger to Google Local. Here’s how these updates will help small businesses:
The redesign of mobile Pages makes it easier for a company to interact with customers. Users can book appointments and make reservations right through a Facebook page on their phone. Recommendations are now more prominent and make it easier for a customer to become an ambassador. With a click of a button, a user can easily recommend a business and have that appear on their timeline. For a small business, not only will the recommendation appear on your Page, but the user will help you reach new potential customers.
The Events feature is a great tool to create word of mouth. A user can express interest in an event, and friends and family will see this without further action on a user’s part. The platform has reported an increase in ticket sales for any business that sells tickets directly on Facebook, so this feature has been made easier.
Lastly, the addition of a Local section to the Facebook app will allow users to discover local businesses and events through the mobile app.
4 Strategies to Help Improve Your Customer Service Standards
Customers are the core of your business and as such need to be your top priority. According to a study by Walker, customers will value experiences more than prices and products, so it’s crucial to focus on creating positive customer service experiences. Want to keep your customers happy and returning? Here’s what you can do to help your customer service practices:
To provide excellent customer service, you need to understand your customer by gaining insights into their needs and pain points. Ask for their feedback, whether be it through a survey or feedback form. You’ll quickly learn what you’re doing right, and what needs improvement.
Your customer service team should be made up of people with the right skills. Look for candidates that exercise empathy and patience, have good communication skills and that they have a solid understanding of your products and services.
Streamline departments using CRM tools to ensure that everyone within your company is on the same page. Lastly, offer exceptional customer service through multiple channels, such as mobile, social media, and on your site’s FAQ page. Creating a consistent quality of service can help boost your reputation and credibility.
How to Outsource Content Marketing
A small or one-person marketing team is often the reason content marketing is outsourced. If you find yourself and considering outsourcing your content, here are some things to consider. First, determine which type of content you’ll outsource and which will stay within your organization. Content comes in many forms such as blog posts, articles, ebooks, newsletters, and white papers. Beyond the written word, content can be anything from podcasts to videos.
Set your targets and goals based on your company’s level of content marketing experience. Are you just starting out or are you a sophisticated marketer? Perform an audit and ask yourself if you have “share-worthy” content, if success can be measured, and what content you can create to provide value.
Decide how you’ll measure ROI based on KPIs such as social shares, brand awareness, traffic, leads generated, conversion rates, and sales (to name a few). Your level of experience with content marketing will influence your KPIs. The more experience you become, your priorities will change.
Next, you’ll need to determine whether a freelancer or agency is best suited for your content marketing strategy. Once you’ve weighed the pros and cons of each, it’s time to hire! If you’ve chosen to go with an agency, check for case studies and look for an agency that is already working with similar industries.
