Have you thought about how to bring a new twist to your marketing strategies? We are in the middle of 2017 and everything has evolved, from buying ads on the internet to the media platforms on which they are displayed.
Think about social networks like Facebook or Twitter, do you think that you can comfortably master all the new features that have been introduced in the last few months?
You need to take a step back, take a look at your campaigns from last year and put several ideas on the table. Especially those that show your success stories and your failures. In doing so, you will be able to determine more easily what to replicate and what to change, and most importantly to focus on this second part.
2016 was a year full of advances, updates, new trends and new formats. It began with Snapchat and concluded with Instagram as one of the most powerful channels to purchase digital ads, also important were live videos and the power of content marketing.
All this means one thing: You have twice as many sources of inspiration for marketing strategies from now on, without losing your creative and personal touch.
There are different ways to define your ideal audience, new ways of buying ads on the Internet to reach your target, as well as many alternatives to understand each customer
Trends In Advertising And Digital Media Buying
Do you know how to shape your ideas so that they become more innovative?
1. The power of landing pages
There is no doubt that landing pages have become one of the most popular marketing lead generation tools in recent years, in fact Search Engine Journal data reinforces this idea.
According to their report on ‘the state of digital marketing,’ the content advertisers see as most successful are ebooks and whitepapers. And perhaps your media buying strategy should also include these kinds of tactics.
If you ask yourself what is the relationship between landing pages and digital advertising, you must first understand that the landing pages are the key to accessing any content. And, in fact, it is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to capturing leads.
Landing pages use highly persuasive elements, amongst them social influencers, customer testimonials, and copy oriented towards conversion. And, therefore, even with time, landing pages tend not to go out of fashion nor lose effectiveness in any of the stages of the conversion funnel.
2. Outstream video
Not all marketers or advertisers knew or used this advertising format a year ago. However, today, 77% of organizations say that buying outstream videos ads will be crucial to media buying strategies.
Its rapid rise to popularity has a lot to do with annoyed Internet users, competitive advertisers, and publishers looking to generate revenue. But, what exactly does this advertising format refer to?
Outstream video is an advertising format that allows publishers to display video ads outside of real video players. For example, in text line breaks or in the corners of a web page. Videos are either shown before the actual video content started or during the video content transmission, inside a player.
Issues resolved by outstream ads
Outsourcing ads are here to stay, basically because they solve problems like the following:
- Allowing publishers to monetize their ads.
- Reach increase. Brands can now reach audiences on websites beyond YouTube. They can also ensure that your videos are actually viewed, since outstream ads only play when they are in sight of the Internet user.
- They are not annoying since the user can ignore them. While these videos are intrusive in the sense that they can disrupt your reading experience, the user also has the ability to ignore them.
That is why the purchase of ads on the Internet using this format is booming.
3. Using Snapchat Advertising
Snapchat launched two major advertising innovations in 2016. Therefore, it is worth trying to buy Snapchat ads, to increase your visibility.
That said, Snapchat is not a suitable platform for all brands. But you probably already know that. It is geared more towards a younger target and towards more informal content. However, there are many opportunities to buy ads online for any brand that wants to gain ground here as well.
In fact, while 85% of Facebook videos are consumed without sound, 60% of video ads in Snapchat are viewed with audio enabled. And this is more of an advantage for your business:
- In Snapchat your ads will not have as much competition
Currently, most brands are buying ads on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Keep in mind that the more advertisers that focus there, the more inventory they leave for others on the other platforms.
You need to get the attention of your target audience and probably Snapchat is one of the best choices for a younger user. Therefore, advertising on Snapchat will probably double your likelihood of conversion.
2. You will gain visibility into new audiences
Millennials move through all networks, and although this may be advantageous in several cases, buying ads to reach them can sometimes be complicated.
However, advertising with Snapchat is a good choice for those who want to catch their attention, because they are one of the main targets of this social network.
3. Snapchat is not like other social networks
It is not just a chat, but it is also not just a visual platform either. Snapchat is the pioneer in introducing content that disappears which has become a growing trend. And even though Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp have also incorporated stories, the way users connect through Snapchat is still different.
In fact, it can be said that it is more authentic, or so many of its users perceive it. And, even though Instagram has also included filters, Snapchat still has an advantage with its more varied and well-known ones.
4. Live broadcasts
One of the hits of 2016 has been live videos. Youtube was the real sensation in the video world since its inception. However, over time, some competitors have been gaining market share.
Why? Video streaming platforms have emerged in real time such as Periscope, Facebook Live and now Instagram – the new kryptonite for millennials.
In addition, Twitter has also invested in streaming and the advertisers have already tried it. Or have not you noticed how brands also broadcast events, meetings or live moments? The purchase of live ads on social networks has taken a turn in this trend.
In fact, as soon as some aspects like the quality and speed of videos are improved, people more people will connect. And it’s the users who claim they prefer live videos. They generate much more confidence and make everything more human. In a live broadcast there is no possibility of error: what you see is what you get, therefore it increases credibility.
Suitable content for live videos:
If you have just started with live broadcasts, you will first need to brainstorm what content to generate. Which are more related to your brand. These could include:
- How-to: Why not use this format for users to learn about certain products or services? Bare in mind that there is no better publicity than the one that is made live, where there is no room for error.
- Questions and answers. If you want to reinforce, even more, the engagement with your users, you can try interviews with experts or professionals from certain sectors.
- Events. Use this format to show events you have organized.
- Behind the scenes. It is one of the users’ preferred type of content.
The most important thing is that you do not forget to announce your live broadcast before launching it. If you want to make sure that users do not miss it, you have to announce it buying ads to promote your event, this way you will maximize your potential audience, and it will also be the perfect opportunity to make a first impression.
5. Retargeting
You hear a lot that nobody likes retargeting ads, they say it is annoying and ineffective. Well, it is not true. In fact, data from the Search Engine Journal study ensures us that 91% of experts use retargeting because of their high effectiveness rate.
With retargeting, you can target the purchase of your ads online depending on your audience tastes, since you will be tracking their online behaviors and preferences, the user will be shown 100% custom ads.
Digilant is part of ispDigital, a group of technology companies that offer marketing services and innovative solutions to help brands reach their marketing objectives. Digilant is a programmatic buying and services company that helps advertisers gain visibility and maximize results.
In 2017, programmatic digital display ad spending reached $32.56 billion and is projected to continue to grow rapidly throughout 2018 and hit $45 billion in spend by 2019. With this rise in programmatic ad spend, there also comes a shift in where advertisers are buying ad space. Another shift in programmatic ad buying is the rapid rise in mobile placements over desktop. The move to mobile is not surprising considering that on average, people in the United States are spending over 5 hours a day on their mobile devices. Media Buyers are set to capitalize on this shift, in 2018, programmatic investment on mobile will reach $30 billion, over 3x the amount spent on desktop. This is in large part due to the popularity of mobile video consumption and mobile-friendly sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat.
of consumers watching video online. It is projected that this year people will spend on average 36 minutes watching video on their phone or tablet compared to 18.5 minutes on non-mobile devices. Around the world, people will watch 25% more video on phone and tablets whereas computer and laptop video consumption is expected to decline. Smart TV streaming continues to rise, but not quickly enough to make up for the mass decline in non-mobile platform viewing. Mobile video ad spending alone is expected to reach $18 billion, a 49% growth. With more consumers watching videos on their phone, media plans are also being adjusted to include larger budgets for mobile video ads and creative.
Facebook video will watch for at least 10 seconds, and 45% will watch for 30 seconds (Facebook, 2016). These stats clearly explain why Google as well as Facebook have the largest share in mobile advertising. Advertising agencies put aside a portion of their media budget for Facebook ads and although these agencies don’t necessarily plan to use this money for mobile, it is where the audience is going, as most of Facebook’s audience is through mobile. Views for branded video content on Facebook has increased 258% in 2017 making it a great media buy for advertisers. With 10 million videos watched on Snapchat everyday, the company is estimated to experience the fastest mobile ad revenue growth between 2016-2019. As more companies make their websites mobile friendly, the shift to mobile advertising will continue to grow, leaving desktop ads behind. 
Read about the other nine trends that we are predicting will be the key to success for programmatic buying teams in 2018 here.
than Snapchat. Instagram started with a larger install base, at over