Category : Channel Insights

By OppGen

Generative AI in Marketing: 6 Ways to Level Up Your Results

Generative AI is revolutionizing the marketing world. 

It’s also empowering businesses and agencies with tools for all types of content creation. Generative AI is helping us create content and connect with their audiences on a scale (and at a speed) that’s difficult to fathom.

And, it’s only getting better and smarter. 

According to a survey by Salesforce, 55% of marketers are already using generative AI in marketing, with another 22% planning on adopting it in the near future.

AI technology is evolving fast. 

Marketers can now use AI tools to: 

• Design and ideate market-changing strategies (in record time) 
• Create marketing assets at scale: headlines, topics, titles, subject lines, blogs, sales pages, email campaigns, sales copy, images, and even video
• Boost content creation and content-driven results at warp speed

In this article, we’ll explore how generative AI in marketing is changing the game for marketers and advertisers.

 

TL;DR: What We’ll Be Covering Today

• What is Generative AI?
• What’s The Role of Generative AI in Marketing?
• 6 AI Use Cases in Marketing and Advertising
• Transforming Marketing: Benefits of Generative AI
• Concerns Around Generative AI
• 4 Steps to Get Started With Generative AI in Marketing
• In Closing

 

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI refers to a subset of artificial intelligence that can generate new content, ideas, or solutions based on input data.

Traditional AI models follow a set of predefined rules.

Generative AI uses machine learning models to create original content, like text, images, video, and even music. 

This technology can mimic human creativity and produce outputs that—with the right guidance—are difficult to distinguish from 100% human-created content. 

 

What’s the Role of Generative AI in Marketing?

Generative AI in marketing enables brands to create personalized and engaging content at scale. 

It helps marketers automate repetitive tasks, optimize campaigns, and generate insights from massive amounts of data. 

Businesses using generative AI can triple their marketing efforts, increase efficiency, and improve customer experiences.

 

6 AI Use Cases in Marketing and Advertising

1. Generative AI in Marketing Sales

Generative AI can assist sales teams by: 

• Creating personalized email marketing campaigns
• Generating sales pitches
• Simulating customer interactions

This technology can analyze customer data to tailor messages that resonate with individual prospects, increasing the likelihood of conversions. 

For example, using a tool like Mailchimp with its AI-powered Content Optimizer, you can generate personalized email content tailored to individual recipient preferences. 

The AI analyzes past interactions and behaviors to suggest subject lines and body text that are more likely to engage each specific user.

 

2. AI in Digital Advertising Campaigns

In advertising, generative AI can create hyper-targeted ad campaigns by analyzing consumer behavior and preferences. It can generate

• Ad copy
• Design visuals
• Ad placements to reach the right audience at the right time

This leads to more effective and cost-efficient personalized marketing campaigns.

Using Facebook’s AI-driven ad platform, you can create campaigns that target users based on detailed behavioral and demographic data. AI can identify users most likely to be interested in a new product based on their past interactions with similar products.

 

3. AI in Content Marketing

Generative AI can produce a wide range of content, from blog posts and social media updates to video scripts and product descriptions. 

By using generative AI to create content, marketers can focus on strategic planning and creativity. This gives the power, tools, and resources to keep a consistent and engaging brand voice across all channels.

Jasper.ai can generate blogs, social media posts, product descriptions, and so much more. You can provide Jasper with a topic and some key points, and it will create a structured blog post that’s ready to publish.

 

4. AI Marketing Automation Tools

AI-powered marketing automation tools can

• Streamline workflows
• Manage campaigns
• Analyze performance data

Generative AI can enhance marketing tools by creating personalized content, predicting customer behavior, and providing actionable insights to improve marketing strategies.

Marketo Engage uses AI to analyze campaign performance and provide actionable insights. For instance, it can identify which segments of your audience are responding best to your campaigns and suggest adjustments to improve engagement.

 

5. AI-Powered Customer Insights 

AI can analyze vast amounts of customer data to uncover insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and trends. 

This information helps marketers segment their audience more effectively, personalize their messaging, and make data-driven decisions to enhance their marketing strategies.

Salesforce Einstein segments your audience based on detailed behavioral and demographic data. It can create segments for high-value customers, frequent buyers, or customers at risk of churning, allowing you to tailor your marketing efforts accordingly.

 

6. AI in Video Marketing 

AI can automate video creation by:

• Generating scripts
• Editing footage
• Adding voice-overs

It can personalize video content based on viewer preferences and behaviors, making video marketing more effective and engaging. AI can also analyze video performance data to refine future content.

Magisto uses AI to edit and produce videos from raw footage. You upload your footage, select a theme and music, and the AI creates a polished video by picking the best clips and arranging them into a cohesive story.

 

Transforming Marketing: Benefits of Generative AI

Generative AI offers dozens of benefits for marketers:

• Increased efficiency and productivity by automating repetitive marketing tasks
• Enhanced personalization and customer engagement
• Improved data analysis and actionable insights
• Cost savings through optimized marketing strategies
• Greater scalability in content creation and campaign management

The greatest benefits of generative AI in digital marketing are increasing growth and scalability at breakneck speeds. And, it’s only getting faster and better. 

 

Concerns Around Generative AI

While generative AI offers many advantages, there are also concerns to consider, such as:

• Ethical issues around AI-generated content
• Biases in AI algorithms
• Privacy and data security concerns
• The need for human oversight to ensure quality and accuracy

It’s best for companies, agencies, and marketers using generative AI to stay informed with the latest innovations, as well as the response from state and local municipalities. 

 

4 Steps to Get Started With Generative AI in Marketing

Integrating generative AI into your marketing strategy can seem daunting, but with a structured approach and a little guidance, you can get so much more out of it. 

Here’s how you can implement generative AI for marketing:

 

Step 1: Identify Specific Use Cases Where AI Can Add Value

Start by pinpointing areas in your marketing operations where generative AI can make the most significant impact. Common use cases include:

• Content Generation: Automate the generation of blog posts, social media content, and product descriptions.
• Personalized Content and Experiences: Create tailored email campaigns and recommendations based on customer behavior.
• Ad Optimization: Design and place ads that resonate with targeted audiences.
• Customer Interaction: Use AI-powered chatbots to provide instant responses to customer inquiries.

 

Step 2: Choose the Right AI Tools and Platforms

Select AI tools and platforms that align with your identified use cases and business objectives. Some effective AI tools for marketing include:

• OpenAI’s GPT-4 (and 4o): For generating high-quality content, text, images, and more.
• Canva’s Magic Resize: For automated design adjustments.
• HubSpot’s AI for Marketing: For AI-driven marketing automation.
• Adobe’s Sensei: For enhancing creative processes and customer experiences.

Evaluate these tools based on their features, ease of integration, cost, and support services. 

Start with trial versions to test their effectiveness before committing to a purchase.

 

Step 3: Train Your Team to Use AI Effectively

Next, make sure your marketing team is well-equipped to use AI tools by providing comprehensive training. This can include:

• Training Calls, Workshops, and Webinars: Conduct sessions to introduce AI concepts and demonstrate tool functionalities.
• Online Courses: Enroll team members in AI and machine learning courses offered by platforms like Coursera or Udacity.
• Hands-on Practice: Encourage the team to experiment with AI tools on small projects to build confidence and expertise. 

After you implement AI tools, continuously monitor their performance to make sure they’re moving you toward your marketing goals.

Key metrics to track may include:

• Traffic, Impressions, or Visibility: Are your top-level metrics growing, dropping, or staying stagnant?
• Engagement Rates: Measure how well AI-generated content is resonating with your audience.
• Conversion Rates: Assess the effectiveness of AI-driven campaigns in converting leads into customers.
• ROI: Calculate the return on investment for AI initiatives to determine their financial impact. Use analytics tools to gather data and generate reports, enabling you to make informed decisions about adjustments and improvements.

 

Step 4: Stay Updated on AI Advancements and Best Practices 

The field of AI is rapidly evolving, with new developments and best practices emerging regularly. Stay informed by:

• Subscribing to Industry Newsletters: Follow AI-focused publications like MIT Technology Review or AI Weekly.
• Attending Conferences and Webinars: Participate in events like the World AI Summit to network with experts and learn about the latest trends.
• Joining Professional Networks: Engage with communities on platforms like LinkedIn to share knowledge and experiences with peers.

 

In Closing

By staying current with AI advancements, you can continually refine your strategies and maintain a competitive edge in the market. 

By leveraging generative AI, marketers can create more personalized, efficient, and impactful campaigns––at lightning-fast speeds.

Want to take your business’s marketing and advertising results to the next level?

Contact OppGen to expand your brand’s marketing campaigns and get your business the best possible results. 

Our team has over a decade of experience creating successful advertising and SEO campaigns. 

We stay up-to-date with the latest in AI marketing tools and techniques, stacking those on with our years of experience to produce the best possible results for our clients.

By OppGen

Best Practices for Digital Ad Specs in 2021

When a prospect looks at an ad, they expect to see something that represents your brand. So when a prospect comes across an ad with a distorted image, they are not likely to have a good impression of your company. They might think the advertisement was done too quickly; that it looks unprofessional; or maybe a scammer is trying to use your business for their own gain.

It can be difficult to keep track of the accepted digital ad sizes and file types because there are so many different places to advertise online and different ad types. But we’ve made it easy for you with the following guide where we cover the best practices for digital ad sizes in 2021.

If we’ve missed anything, don’t hesitate to contact us to let us know — or to ask about anything we didn’t address here.

Note: All ad sizes are measured in pixels (px) unless otherwise noted.

Google Display Image Ad Sizes

• Medium rectangle: 300 x 250
• Mobile banner: 320 x 50
• Small rectangle: 320 x 100
• Square: 250 x 250
• Small square: 200 x 200
• Large rectangle: 336 x 280
• Leaderboard: 728 x 90
• Half-page ad: 300 x 600
• Wide skyscraper: 160 x 600
• Banner: 468 x 60

Facebook Ad Sizes

• Facebook video size: 1280 x 720
• Maximum Facebook video length: 240 minutes
• Facebook ad size: 1200 x 628
• Facebook video ad size: 1280 x 720
• Facebook story ad size: 1080 x 1920
• Facebook messenger image ad size: 1200 x 628
• Supported image file types: JPG, GIF or PNG

lnstagram Ad Sizes

• lnstagram stories: 1080 x 1920, I maximum 4GB
• lnstagram video sizes: 600 x 600 (square), 600 x 315 (landscape), 600 x 750 (portrait), 600 x 700 (Carousel video dimensions)
• Maximum lnstagram video length: 60 seconds
• Minimum lnstagram image ad size: 500 px wide
• lnstagram ads size: 1080 x 566 (landscape), 1080 x 1080 (square)
• Supported image file types: PNG or JPG

Twitter Ad Sizes

• Twitter timeline/in-stream photo: 1024 x 512
• Twitter card image size: 1200 x 628
• Twitter video size: 720 x 720 (square), 1280 x 720 (landscape), 720 x 1280 (portrait)
• Twitter video length: 140 seconds maximum
• Twitter ad size (image): 800 x 418
• Twitter ad size (video): 720 x 720 (square), 1280 x 720 (landscape), 720 x 1280 (portrait)
• Supported image file types: JPG, WEBP, GIF, or PNG

Linkedln Image Ad Sizes

• Dynamic ads size: 100 x 100 (company logo)
• Sponsored content image size: 1200 x 627
• Supported image file types: PNG, JPG, or GIF

YouTube Video Ad Sizes

• YouTube display ads: 300 x 250
• YouTube overlay ads dimensions: 480 x 60
• YouTube companion banner ads dimensions:  300 x 250
• YouTube skippable video ads length: 6–20 seconds
• YouTube non-skippable video ads length: 12 seconds to 3 minutes (30 seconds recommended)
• YouTube image file types: PNG, JPG, GIF, or BMP

TikTok Ad Image Sizes

• TopBuzz image size: 1280x 720
• BuzzVideo image size: 1280 x 628
• Helo image sizes: 1280 x 720, 1200 x 628, or 640 x 640
• Image file size: Greater than 500 KB
• Image file type: JPG or PNG

CTV Video Sizes

• Size ratio: 16:9, 1920 x 1080 px
• Length: 30 seconds max, 15- or 30-second slots
• Maximum file size: 200MB
• Frame rate: Must be constant; 23.98, 25, or 29.97 FPS
• Bit rate: Greater or equal to 2500 KBPS
• File format: mp4 or mov

Can’t Remember All of These Digital Ad Sizes? Contact OppGen for Help

If keeping up with all of the changes in digital ad sizes, such as the ever-changing recommended ad size and formats, it may be a good idea to contact a digital advertising agency to create ads for you. Not only does OppGen create ads for clients, but we also manage digital advertising accounts and spend. Our strategies have helped hundreds of companies generate more leads and revenue at an improved ROI.

Contact us to learn more about what we can do for your business.

By OppGen

What is a Holistic Digital Marketing Strategy and How Can It Help My Business?

Have you ever asked yourself  – What is a Holistic Digital Marketing Strategy? The word holistic is thrown around a lot these days. We’re used to seeing holistic referenced with medicine or wellness. And now, it’s become a buzzword in marketing. Depending on who you talk to, you may get a different definition of what holistic marketing is. This article aims to break down OppGen’s approach to holistic digital marketing, as well as our definition of it.

Schedule a complimentary strategy session to learn more about our holistic digital marketing strategy.

Let’s start with the most basic definition of the word. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, holistic is defined as “relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.”

So how does that definition apply to a holistic digital marketing strategy?

What is a Holistic Digital Marketing Strategy?

A holistic digital marketing strategy is a type of digital marketing strategy that focuses your marketing strategy as a whole. Digital marketing strategies, or at least the most effective ones, utilize multiple marketing channels at the same time. 

OppGen’s holistic digital marketing strategy primarily focuses on the goal of generating leads for our clients through several digital marketing channels. We then determine which channels are most effective and pay close attention to how they feed into one another and progressively bring leads in through the marketing funnel (we’ll go into more depth on the marketing funnel further down in this article).

When we bring all of these channels together and use them in the most effective and efficient ways, our clients benefit from the leads generated from these channels. Contact us to find out how OppGen uses a multi-channel approach to generate more leads.

Best Holistic Digital Marketing Channels

Using a holistic multichannel approach to digital marketing allows us to reach more people in places where clients may not be able to find them using just one marketing channel. That said, there are many marketing channels out there. OppGen excels at working with, including:

Search Ads

Search ads come in a couple of different forms:

• Search ads (or PPC): These are the ads you’ll see at the top and bottom on search engine results pages (SERPs) when you search for certain keywords. These ads incur a cost every time a prospect clicks on them, hence the term “pay per click” or PPC for short. These ads are great for finding prospects who are looking for a specific service in a certain area. What makes these prospects in particular so promising is that you don’t usually have to do much to persuade them to look into your service or product. They’re probably looking to buy or book an appointment and are trying to decide where to go.
• Display ads: These ads will appear on websites outside of the search engine itself. Search engines take users’ browsing history into account as well as the context of the site they are currently visiting and will push relevant image-based ads. Display ads are most effective for retargeting, a digital marketing strategy that is used to get prospects who “bounced” from a website (that is, the action of going to a page but not taking a desired action) to return to that website and do something, like buy a product they left in the shopping cart or book a consultation.

As you can see, these search ads work better in certain contexts and can help cover more ground and find more prospects.

Social Media Ads

Social media ads are excellent for targeting very specific or niche audiences. Facebook in particular is one of the best sites to use for marketing. Their advertising program features a wide array of powerful targeting tools. You can push ads to prospects based on demographic information (sex, age, job, location) and psychographic information (their interests, hobbies, things they care about or prioritize).

Facebook offers more types of advertisements than most search engines do. They have single image ads, carousel ads, video ads, and more. Facebook ads are arguably effective at every level of the marketing funnel, as the social media platform lets you create ad campaigns based on your business’s goals, from visibility to getting them to convert from prospect to lead to client or customer.

SEO

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a marketing strategy with the goal of getting your website to rank high on search engine results pages for certain keyword searches. Unlike search ads, there is no cost per click. It is an organic strategy, which means it doesn’t require you to pay Google or Bing or any other search engine for advertising. But it does require a bit more time and effort than search ads do. It’s well worth investing the time and effort, though, as it can bring more traffic to your site and more foot traffic into your business.

An effective SEO strategy needs to cover the following four items:

• Technical SEO: Your website needs to be fast on all devices. If your website is slow and isn’t coded for mobile phones or tablets, you will be penalized by a lower search engine results pages ranking. OppGen creates websites and landing pages that are not only fast and mobile-first but are also optimized for high conversion rates.
• Local SEO: Assuming your business is not a national brand or franchise, you’ll need to rank high in local search results. Search engines use prospects’ locations so they can give them the best options nearby. Setting up a Google My Business listing with a correct business name, address, and phone number is a must.
• On-page SEO: You’ve probably heard marketers say “content is king” time and time again by now, but it is true. Crafting detailed content that’s relevant and valuable to your audience can help build trust in your brand and bring more people through the door. You can’t get away with repeating keywords hundreds of times on a page anymore, though — search engine bots can “read” closer to how we do, and keyword stuffing can work against you. Create content that is readable and easy to understand.
• Off-page SEO: Spreading the word about your business is important, too. This means sharing content to your business’s social media pages, encouraging clients to leave reviews, and slowly building up your reputation through link building (that is, when other websites link to your site). Search engines will take notice that your content is being shared with others because it’s valuable, and that can certainly help give you a boost in the SERPs.

How Our Holistic Digital Marketing Strategy Works in the Marketing Funnel

Certain marketing channels are more effective at different points in the marketing funnel. Those points and their most effective digital marketing channels are as follows:

Top of the Funnel: Education

Education starts with attracting the ideal audience. You want to be able to make sure prospects know about your business’s existence. Though they may not know what you do or what you offer, making sure they know your business exists is the first step.

This is where creating Facebook ads and search ads can really come in handy. You’re putting your business in front of prospects who are either interested in a service or product you offer or are actively searching for that product or service.

SEO can also be useful here, particularly from the local SEO standpoint. Setting up a Google My Business page can make it easier for businesses to show up when a prospect searches for something relevant to its offerings. As long as you show up on the first or second SERPs page, you’re more likely to be seen by prospects. And that’s an important first step!

We can help you set up a Google My Business page and keep the listing up to date by sharing any news or blog posts written by our content writer. Contact us to request more information about our SEO program.

Middle of the Funnel: Intent and Evaluation

Once prospects are aware of your business, we can start to get them more interested in what you do. They may start to research your company by checking your reviews and ratings from other clients or customers to get an idea of what they can expect.

From there, prospects will go to your business’s website, and this is where having rich content can come in handy. Once prospects visit your website, they need to be impressed by what they experience. Your website (or landing page, depending on the route they took to find your business) should look clean and professional. Your content needs to be in-depth, informative, and relevant to their needs.

Once a prospect has visited your site, you can begin to utilize display ads to keep nudging them back to your business’s website or certain landing pages on your site.

OppGen builds beautiful websites and landing pages that have been tested continuously for optimum conversion rates, and we continue to test and make sure your website is truly at its peak performance. We also have plenty of experience with display ad campaigns, so we can keep prospects interested and returning to your site as they determine whether or not you’re the best fit for them. Contact us to learn more.

Bottom of the Funnel: Consideration

At the bottom of the marketing funnel is where the prospect’s journey ends, with them converting to your newest client or customer. A conversion is that desired action mentioned earlier — it could be anything from making a purchase or scheduling an appointment or consultation or even getting them to sign up for your business’s email newsletter.

Whatever your goal is, OppGen will nurture leads through a holistic digital marketing strategy to take that action and keep more coming through the marketing funnel.

OppGen’s Holistic Digital Marketing Strategy Can Help Your Business Meet Its Goals

As you can see, our holistic digital marketing strategy is built to strengthen your business’s marketing plan by using multiple types of digital marketing channels. When we utilize multiple channels for a client, our client tends to see an overall improvement in conversion rates and their return on investment.

To learn more about our holistic digital marketing strategy, contact OppGen today, or fill out our free digital audit so we can determine which channels would be most effective for your holistic digital marketing strategy.

By OppGen

The Best 2021 Super Bowl LV Commercials, According to OppGen

Last year, we did a round-up of what OppGen thought were the best Super Bowl commercials. We’ve decided to continue that tradition, as it is only natural for a marketing agency to discuss which commercials we thought were the best. Talking about the Super Bowl commercials is like breathing air for marketers — we can’t live without doing it.

Alonzo Foreman, Partner, and Vice President

Alexa’s Body (Amazon)

I feel the Amazon Alexa ad was a home run. It featured modern star power in Michael B. Jordan, audience aligned humor, and actual product messaging. It was enjoyable and funny without leaving the brand or product behind.

Maria Gallegos Vallejo, Front-End Developer

ScissorHandsFree (Cadillac)

My favorite Super Bowl commercial was the Cadillac all-electric car with Edward Scissorhands played by Timothee Chalamet! I get excited seeing how car companies are working toward making all-electric vehicles. I think Timothee Chalamet is an amazing actor and seeing him dressed up as Edward Scissorhands alongside Winona Ryder, who I also respect a lot, was really cool to see! 

Ken Hogan, Director of Sales

Last Year’s Lemons (Bud Light)

Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade was my favorite. It was the only one that made me laugh. Representation was way over the top and properly represented some of the silly puns and sayings we used to get through a terrible 2020.

Britny Sanders, Senior Digital Analyst

Sweet Victory (Paramount Plus)

I only turned it on to watch the halftime show so I didn’t see many commercials, unfortunately. I did see the Paramount commercial that had Patrick Stewart in it and thought it was funny.

Molly Hegner, SEO Manager

Sweet Victory (Paramount Plus)

It’s definitely the Paramount Plus commercial. It had some of my favorites, like celebrities such as Shemar Moore, James Gordon, Snooki, and the best part being that they included the Spongebob “Sweet Victory” song.

Sydney Schulte, Content Writer

Come Together (M&M’S)

Seeing the scenarios in which people gave M&Ms as an apology was really amusing, from a guy kicking the seat of the person sitting in front of him on an airplane to mansplaining, to calling a woman “Karen” (and handing her a second bag because her name is Karen). We’ve all had moments where we’ve been the person whose seat got kicked or the seat-kicker, or the Karen or person calling someone else a Karen, and I find that relatable. They were also smart to bring in some celebrity power with Dan Levi. As a Schitt’s Creek fan, seeing him pop in for a cameo at the end was fun!

Alex Sheets, Senior Digital Analyst

No Way, Norway (General Motors)

I enjoyed the General Motors EV commercial because of the familiar faces, humor, and competitiveness surrounding it. I think it successfully got the point across that GM is driven to compete with Norway in EVs sold, which benefits everyone.

Zain Khan, Operations

Workout (E*TRADE)

They were able to take a common concept of “not working out” or being “physically inactive” and showcased a young boy who is inspired and just starts. The inspiration for everyone who hasn’t been investing (net new user) has been there. With the cryptocurrency conversations becoming mainstream to the type of press r/WallStreetBets on Reddit got. Investing has been on everyone’s minds and showing a young boy taking the first step towards it is powerful. I’m sure E trade’s biggest user segment has children and are middle-aged, so it’s relatable in that capacity. Everyone’s had FOMO from all the people making money post-pandemic and they are more or less “mad” about it, so they use that powerful hook at the end. “Don’t get mad.”

Bringing it all together

Though we weren’t able to debate which commercial was the best commercial for this year’s Super Bowl in person, we look forward to the day we’ll be able to do just that. As 2021 continues on, we’ll keep doing what we know and do best: running marketing campaigns for our clients.

Featured image: Screenshot via YouTube © Amazon