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09
Apr, 2020

By OppGen

Google Giving Small Businesses Hit by COVID–19 $340M in Ad Credits

Small businesses have been hit particularly hard by COVID–19. To alleviate some of their financial difficulty, Google announced that they are giving small- and medium-sized businesses across the globe $340 million in Google Ads credits. On top of these ad credits, Google has also set up a fund that will help support non-governmental organizations and financial institutions provide small businesses access to capital, as well as providing $20 million in ad grants to nonprofit organizations and community financial institutions.

OppGen is made up of proud supporters of small businesses. That’s why we’re providing extra assistance and information to help your small business navigate this particular Google Ads credit process.

Is My Small Business Eligible for Google Ads Credits?

If your small or medium business has been an active advertiser on Google since Jan. 1, 2019, and is in compliance with Google Ads’s terms and conditions, your business is eligible for these ad credits.

When Will My Business Receive Ad Credits?

Eligible businesses will be notified in the coming months through their Google Ads account. Google is in the process of creating these credits and depositing them into Google Ads accounts, so this may take some time.

How Can I Spend These Google Ads Credits?

These ad credits can be used on different Google Ads platforms, including Google Search, Google Display, and YouTube. They can be used anytime during the year and will expire on Dec. 31, 2020, and any unused credits will be removed from the account.

Have More Questions?

If you have more questions or need more information about these Google Ads credits, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

24
Feb, 2020

By OppGen

The Best Ad Channels for Your Marketing Campaign

Digital advertising has a lot to offer — and a lot of different advertising channels. It’s wise to put your business’s resources into a few different ad channels, but which ones?

Well, it depends on several factors: What’s your advertising budget? Who are you trying to target? What is the goal of your advertising campaign? Do you have a creative team in-house, or will you have to outsource writers, photographers, and video editors?

OppGen Marketing can help you determine which advertising channels are best for your campaign. Contact us to schedule a complimentary strategy session.

Google Search Network

One of two paid search advertising options beneath the Google Ads umbrella, the Google Search Network is the best-known form of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

PPC ads are geotargeted text-based advertisements that appear on search engines. They’re tied to keywords, so when a prospect searches “Columbus digital marketing agencies,” PPC ads will appear at the top and bottom of the search engine results page. The position of PPC ads is determined by how much a person paid for those keywords in Google Ads’ bidding system.

As the name suggests, PPC means that you pay each time someone clicks on your advertisement. This also may be referred to as cost per click (CPC).

Pros of Google Search Ads

Great for determining demand: If you’re thinking of starting up a business, marketing a current service or adding a service to the business you already own, start by typing a phrase into the keyword search bar. Do you see any listings with an ad icon next to them?

If so, congrats! You’ve found there’s a demand for your business or service because Google has allowed advertisers to show ads on that traffic. 

Targeting the bottom of the marketing funnel: Prospects on Google are more or less ready to convert. They already know what they’re seeking; they’re looking for something or someone who offers a certain product or service. It’s just a matter of choosing the option they think is best suited for them. With a highly effective PPC strategy, prospects will click on your PPC ad and (hopefully) fill out a form or call to schedule an appointment — essentially, they’ll do whatever your landing page’s call to action asks of them.

Cons of Google Search Ads

Increasing cost and competition: PPC ads are rising in cost as well as competition over keywords. Depending on the competitiveness of a keyword and other factors, PPC campaigns with smaller budgets may have their budget depleted in one or two clicks. Still, they’re cheaper than a TV commercial and can be made in-house easily.

Medium: Text doesn’t catch the eye to the degree images do, and when they’re poorly written, people won’t click. Many Google Search ads are written by AI, which makes them blend in with other AI-written ads. 

Targeting specific demographics: While the geotargeted nature of PPC ads makes it easy to target audiences based on location, it’s much more difficult to accurately target based on other demographics, such as age and sex.

Click here to learn more about Google Search Ads.

Google Display Network

Google Display Network is Google Ads’ other advertising option. Unlike Google Search Network’s PPC ads, Google Display Network ads can be found beyond the search engine result pages. Display ads, which come in the form of banner or video ads, are priced at either cost per thousand impressions (CPM) or cost per acquisition (CPA).

Pros of Ad Channel

Keyword-level contextual targeting:  Compared to Google Search’s PPC advertisements, Google Display Network’s ads do a better job of targeting based on demographics. This may be due to the fact that it takes prospects’ search history into account and its ability to “place” ads on relevant pages.

Cost: Display ads are cheaper than PPC ads — and that’s not even taking the price system options into account.

Powerful remarketing tool: Display ads are one of the best remarketing options. Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is the strategy of getting a website visitor who “bounced” (that is, left the site without taking action) to return to the website and take action. Display ads serve as little reminders to return to the website.

Cons of Ad Channel

Low clickthrough rate: If you’ve been on the internet long enough, you may remember those spammy pop-up ads declaring you as a winner of a decent sum of cash or gift cards. Prospects may be wary of clicking on display ads for that reason. This helps explain the low clickthrough rate (CTR) display ads often have. However, a low CTR is not necessarily a bad thing. In the case of remarketing display ads, people who don’t click on the ads are still likely to return to the website.

YouTube

If Google Ads had a third advertising channel beneath its umbrella, it’d be YouTube. YouTube is owned by Google but isn’t exactly part of Google Ads. Nevertheless, advertising on YouTube shares a handful of the same benefits that the Google Display Network offers. The ad medium is video. The ads are priced at cost per view.

Pros of Ad Channel

Large targeted audience: A lot of people use YouTube for a lot of different reasons, making it a promising ad channel. Similar to display ads, YouTube ads are based on prospects’ search history.

Cost: Stick to the skippable advertisement option and you won’t be paying too much. Non-skippable ads, on the other hand? Those can get pricey and allow a limited length of time.

Cons of Ad Channel

Requires a good team with experience in filming and video production: If you don’t have a good creative team in-house or lack the resources to outsource, YouTube may not be the best option advertising-wise.

Learn more about advertising on YouTube here.

Facebook and Instagram

Facebook and Instagram aren’t just for sharing big life events and beautiful images — they’re also some of the best advertising channels to use.

Pros of Ad Channels

Highly targeted: Paid social ads for Facebook and Instagram are some of the best ad channels out there. When users register, they have to provide identifying information (their name, age, sex, location, relationship status, etc.). That data makes it much easier for advertisers to target ads to very specific audiences.

Creative freedom: Facebook and Instagram allow for a lot of creativity, particularly when it comes to an advertisement’s medium. On Facebook, you can use and combine text, images, and carousels to create an eye-catching ad. Instagram gives you fewer options ad-wise (carousels aren’t exactly an advertising option), but it’s one of the most powerful influencing platforms.

Low cost, high impressions: Of all of the options listed here, Facebook and Instagram are by far the least expensive advertising platforms. It also gives you more options in terms of price system: CPM, CPC, and CPA are all options on these sites.

Cons of Ad Channels

High competition: Facebook and Instagram are so well-known for their low cost, higher impressions, and creative flexibility — not to mention popular throughout the world — that advertisers are more frequently competing with one another.

May need a good creative team: Like YouTube, ads on Facebook and especially Instagram need a creative touch. Unlike YouTube, Facebook doesn’t require the highest quality videos for ads. Combining a professional image or two with well-written copy is usually enough to get by with on there. Instagram, on the other hand, may not need the best videos, but given its overall emphasis on stunning visuals, it’s wiser to have a creative team (or at least a photographer) in-house or for hire.

LinkedIn

Not only is LinkedIn a solid professional networking platform; it’s also one of the best places for B2B and B2C marketers to advertise. Ads can come in the forms of banner and video ads.

Pros of Ad Channel

A match made in B2B heaven: B2B marketing is one of the most difficult marketing segments to work in, but LinkedIn can make life much easier for any B2B-er.

Incredible professional targeting options: LinkedIn lets marketers get so specific it’s (almost) scary. You can target ads at certain companies, people with specific titles or levels or seniority, and geographical locations.

Cons of Ad Channel

Cost: Paid advertisements on LinkedIn are expensive.

Business-focused audience: This isn’t necessarily a con for everyone, but if you’re not a B2B or B2C marketer, it’s probably best to spend your advertising resources elsewhere.

Click here to learn more about how you can improve your social media advertisements.

Choose Your Ad Channels Wisely

Hopefully this guide has helped you decide which ad channels are worth your time and investment and which ones aren’t. If you’re still not sure, contact us for more information or fill out our free digital audit.

13
Jun, 2019
oppgenetix-mobile-

By OppGen

6/13 – This Week In Digital Advertising

This Week In Digital Advertising

Consumers Spending More Time on Mobile than TV:

A big shift is happening in the world of marketing. For the first time consumers will spend more time using their mobile devices than watching TV. About 70% of that time will be spent on smartphones. This report is no surprise to those in the industry who have been watching the rise of mobile over the years.

People are increasingly spending time on apps instead of web browsers. Audio apps lead the way for time spent, followed my social. According to trends smartphone use will continue to increase. “We’ve expected that mobile would overtake TV for a while, but seeing it happen is still surprising,” said Yoram Wurmser, eMarketer principal analyst.

Although mobile continues to rise, many users have expressed concerns about screen time. Companies such as Apple and Google have released screen time tracking controls. This gives users visibility as to how much time they are spending on mobile devices.

As a digital marketing agency, we are constantly reviewing our processes to make sure we build campaigns that fit our clients needs. With the continued rise of mobile and usage of social media apps, our advertising efforts will continue evolving to make sure our clients messages are displayed appropriately.

Facebook Paid Ads Strategies

As social media advertising becomes more of a crowded space our team is figuring out ways to make your ads and campaigns stand out. Facebook has made several major updates so far this year that have changed the way ads are targeted and shown to end users.

In order to have a sustained campaign over time it’s important to make sure you have a solid paid strategy with clear KPIs and goals along with high quality creative. It’s also good to take a second look at your campaign’s call-to-action and make sure it remains relevant and aligns with your goals.

As the digital advertising world starts to see a shift it’s important to make sure new users know your brand through awareness campaigns. Having compelling assets such as video and high-quality imagery can help with user engagement. This will give our team the ability to re-target the ads to those who we know are interested in your brand.  This is a more long term approach to a campaign.

Our team also has the ability to add tracking codes to see where users are coming from, what keywords they clicked on, and even what devices they use. This way your team will have a better understanding of who is interacting with your ads and adjustments can be made to improve targeting.

We are a Columbus, Ohio digital marketing agency that can help your specialized business navigate any digital transformation. If you would like to talk strategy with our team please contact us.

06
Jun, 2019
firefox

By OppGen

6/6 – This Week In Digital Advertising

This Week In Digital Advertising

Privacy-First Browsing for Mozilla Firefox and Safari

Firefox made a big announcement this week in browser privacy. New users will receive a privacy-first browser with anti-tracking settings set by default. Users can switch the setting back on, but Firefox cautioned this as they continue testing.

Mozilla has stated that other tech companies are misleading users about their security. By making users opt-in to privacy settings usually leads to no security changes at all.  “The general argument from tech companies is that consumers can always decide to dive into their browser settings and modify the defaults. The reality is that most people will never do that.”

Apple will also be launching new anti-tracking settings for Safari in an effort to protect user privacy. Mobile users are using Safari 50% of the time to browse. Apple has become a leader in user privacy and believes it’s time to change the entire online advertising industry. They have spoken out in the past about Google and Facebook’s use of end user data. With the new Safari roll out this shows users that Apple wants to continue championing privacy.

The new tracking options in Safari will store ad clicks and then issue conversion reports, but will delay the release of the reports from anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. All advertisers will know is that within the past 24 to 48 hours, an online ad on a specific site had a conversion. Advertisers will not know who clicked it or be able to see any proprietary information about the user. This is Apple’s effort to keep some sort of middle ground where users privacy is protected and advertisers can report on how a campaign performed.

Google Chrome still remains the top browser for users world wide. However, these privacy changes give users more options on what data they are sharing with these companies. 

How will this change disrupt the online advertising industry?

Cookies and tracking pixels follow your every move in the world of online advertising. All clients want to know the effectiveness of the digital campaign as well as the customer journey that lead to a conversion. Cookies and tracking are important to advertisers because they can help tell the story of a customers journey.

This current method of online advertising can provide information to companies that could potentially impact the privacy of users. As we’ve seen in recent years with third party information sharing. Which is why security needs to remain top of mind.

If the industry continues to shift, expect data gathering to become more difficult. Digital advertisers will see an effect on how users will be tracked and reported on in real time. Our team has been working on reporting data this week and is looking into future adjustments. What have your digital marketing teams been doing as these changes roll out?  

30
May, 2019

By OppGen

Medical Practice Marketing Multi-Channel Investment

There are so many different ways to market your medical practice. Digital marketing has grown immensely over the past several years. Splitting budgets between traditional marketing tactics and digital marketing, ppc, and other online marketing efforts can seem daunting. So the question becomes “How does my business achieve the max ROI for our marketing efforts?” We’ve worked with a number of medical practices who have taken the multi-channel approach investment.  By diversifying your marketing budget across multiple channels, your practice will have the opportunity to increase its web presence, drive brand awareness in your local market, and generate a healthy pipeline of prospective patients. When using this marketing approach it’s important to keep your logo, name, and general branding consistent across all channels. If you know your audience, it will be much easier to select channels people are more comfortable with and more likely to interact with your brand. 

Paid Search

If users want to learn more about your medical practice, chances are they will Google you before doing anything else. Targeted advertising can help your team generate a higher quality lead volume. Results and tracking can be implemented to help you measure an ROI for these efforts. This type of digital marketing works for all budget types and can be paused and restarted at anytime. Our team has worked with a number of local medical practices and has helped drive qualified traffic to medical practice websites.

Paid Social

Social advertising also has targeting features to make sure your ads are being shown to the correct audience. Social media advertising can help build relationships with prospective patients and encourage engagement from those who could be interested in your practice. There are a number of different solutions for advertising on social media. You can create successful campaigns that drive results on any type of budget that’s available. 

Search Engine Optimization

Content is king. Having lots of content revolving around your practice and services can be a huge factor in organic search results and improving search engine optimization (SEO). If you’re strained for time hiring a free-lance content writer can be a great addition to your blog or other web pages. The more information you can provide around your medical practice, the better informed your potential patients will be. 

Direct Mail

Although digital marketing has taken part of the direct mail market share its still an important aspect for any marketing campaign. One of the first things you should do is select an audience you are trying to target and make sure there is a clear call to action on the mailing piece. Adding a promo code for a free consultation or visit can help support your multi-channel efforts.  

TV/Radio

If you know your target audience consumes television and radio this could be a great way to reach them. By using a hashtag on a television ads or calling out a website in radio ad copy could help support the other multi channel functions of your marketing campaign.

Email

To round out the multi channel approach marketing strategy email marketing can help drive engagement. Grab the attention of readers with compelling call to action, images, videos, and  GIFS. You can send special offers and program details to help promote your business. Feature a section of your website for active users to subscribe to your newsletter or other email communications to continue communications with patients.

Multi-channel marketing is not a one size fits all approach for your business. Some channels might not fit your target audience. It’s figuring out which tactics will work for your medical practice marketing strategy for max ROI. This approach can grow your brand recognition, bring higher conversion rates, and untimely bring in more patients. 

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Google Giving Small Businesses Hit by COVID–19 $340M in Ad Credits
The Best Ad Channels for Your Marketing Campaign
oppgenetix-mobile-
6/13 – This Week In Digital Advertising
firefox
6/6 – This Week In Digital Advertising
Medical Practice Marketing Multi-Channel Investment