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Whether you’re just getting started with a SEM program or a long-time digital marketing DIYer, leveraging a digital marketing agency can rocket your returns and launch your product or service into the internet big-time. The problem, of course, is selecting the right digital marketing agency.
This is no small matter: the wrong choice can cost your organization a lot of time and money, not to mention add a lot of stress to your day. That’s why we think selecting the right digital marketing agency is so important.
A slight aside: though there are differences between a performance marketing agency and a digital marketing agency, selecting either is a similar process and follows identical considerations—for example, experience and track record.
Here are the top four guidelines we think you should consider when selecting a performance or digital marketing agency for SEM:
Wait a second...this one seems pretty simple and isn’t actually about the agency. Isn’t the goal to boost your SEM programs by hiring a digital marketing agency?
To get the results you want, you need to be able to measure your progress. This means having a clear view of where you are starting and where you want to end up right from the beginning, and a good agency will ask for this information during your initial conversations.
When gathering your data, beware of vanity metrics. You should report on KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) such as:
Your report should cover at least a year of data—two or more, if you can do it. That way, you have enough data to start to understand trends like seasonality. This information gives you a benchmark to compare your results before and after the agency launches your new, improved program and allows you to track your progress.
When considering agencies, it’s best to narrow your search to agencies who are open about who they are, where they are, and what they do. You want an established team to manage your SEM programs, not a fly-by-night provider who hides behind big claims.
Ask prospective digital agencies questions like:
They’re pretty basic questions, but they should give you enough details to rule out inexperienced providers or those that are less honest. Also, look at the digital marketing agency’s website for these key details—there should be lots of information available.
What adds up to credibility when it comes to a digital marketing agency? There are three main factors to building credibility:
Bonus points can be given for awards, but then you have to be wary of the legitimacy and clout of the awards themselves.
It’s completely reasonable to want to get the best value you can for your advertising budget. This is another case where the old adage about not going with the lowest bidder rings true: “The lowest bid does not always equal the lowest cost.”
You need to weigh the cost of the agency against the gains to your SEM program. Similar to calculating CPC, you need to achieve a balance between the lifetime income a client brings to you versus the acquisition expense of the client. Spending a little more for a highly-effective, quality team works out to your advantage when you measure your final ROI, due to efficiency and the growth you can expect in your advertising program.
How do you find out if a digital marketing agency has the value you’re looking for? Refer back to #3: credibility. Give a few of the testimonial-givers a call and ask them about their experiences.
Ideally, hiring a digital marketing agency is akin to starting a long-term relationship. Clear communication and statement of expectations both go a long way in ensuring there is understanding and harmony.
Perhaps after you do the analysis and groundwork, selecting the right digital marketing agency for your organization comes down to fit: many people refer to the “beer test”—is this team a group you’d sit down with for a drink?
Three months ago, a client asked for your help promoting their latest solution.
You began strategizing the perfect media plan and over the course of several weeks, you placed pixels, uploaded creatives, monitored your campaign regularly, turned off poor-performing inventory, and shifted budget towards channels that were generating the best outcomes.
At the end of the cycle, you succeeded—your hard work paid off and it’s time to share the results with your client!
And what do you get? A cluttered Excel sheet that requires another handful of hours of editing before you can share it with your audience.
Not anymore.
Grow your business with polished, client-facing presentations that visually illustrate your campaign’s performance. Through our new one-of-a-kind reporting option, Basis eliminates the time and cost associated with collecting, summarizing, and organizing data.
Navigate to the reporting menu and choose "Campaign Performance Presentation" to export a PowerPoint file that narrates your campaign’s triumph in a clear and visual way.
What’s included?
Each presentation contains a series of slides with charts and graphs for your Direct, DSP, Search, and Social executions. You can choose to include information on video completion, viewability, or conversion metrics as well as reporting by day of the week, weeks, and months.
Additionally, the presentations have been developed in a way that they can be easily formatted. Using the "Slide Master" function in PowerPoint, you can apply your organization’s branding—logo, fonts, and colors—to make the presentation your own!
Interested in a full walk-through of our campaign performance presentations? Contact us to set up a demo!
So, you’re one of the millions of people out of work. It’s hard and you’re likely experiencing the stages of grief. It’s emotional, and you are not alone. Our jobs contribute to our personal identities, and when drastic changes happen due to external circumstances, it impacts us in many ways.
The current global situation reminds us that the only constant is change. When you are ready to get back in the game, know that new opportunities await! Everything happens for a reason, and with each door that closes, a new one opens.
How do you find that so-called “open door”–or should I say, the right open door–for you? Review potential questions you may have and answers/ideas to combat the hurdles and uncertainties that may enter your brain as you get back into the job hunt:
“I don’t see any jobs open right now that actually fall into my interests and expertise. What do I do?”
This time is a gift. Use it to boost your resume with online certifications, education, and e-learning. Is there something you’ve been itching to learn more about? Master some Google tools with Google’s Skillshop, or check out Centro’s Digital Media Essentials training here. Self-improvement, one of Centro’s core principles, is a lifelong endeavor. The more skills you showcase, the more appealing you’ll be to recruiters, and the more confident you’ll feel overall.
“I’m interviewing but nobody even wants me. I should just give up.”
Never give up! Keep practicing storytelling, pitching, and articulating your skill set—you can have all the accolades in the world and the most pristine experience on-paper, but you need to be able to weave and tell a compelling personal story! You may be in a tough spot, but do you still showcase a positive attitude? How are you persevering through adversity to leverage your unique skill set? Own YOUR story, make it special, and perfect the way you share it.
“I’ve been out of practice. The thought of interviewing after all this time scares me. How can I get some practice before the “real” thing?”
Interviewing can be scary. You are being evaluated and for lack of a better word, “judged,” based on a piece of paper and first impression. But remember, just as you are being evaluated—you are equally evaluating the employer. This must be a two-way street to ensure compatibility. In order to “dust off the rust” and feel prepped and confident, ask a trusted professional and/or friend to quiz you virtually with questions.
Practice telling your stories and answering questions on-the-fly. Since interviewing will be done virtually for the foreseeable future, this helps you articulate your accomplishments proficiently, via webcam. Don’t forget to also check out interview tips from the pros, such as LinkedIn’s recent article about the “6 Interview Skills that Will Get You Hired” or these remote interviewing tips.
“I’ve gotten an offer, but the pay is way lower than the standard I have set for myself. They said when crisis mode ends, things will change, but how can I trust that’s the case?”
The economy is currently in struggle. Trust that you have worth but remember to look at the opportunity as a whole and not just the salary. Ask questions about health plans and other benefits, work flexibility, mental health support, family programs, growth opportunities, office culture, etc. Take time to sit down and consider what’s most important in your life.
“I’m sending out resumes everywhere but I’m getting no responses.”
Reset your expectations. Don’t abandon career goals, hopes, and dreams. Instead, think about what other jobs fall within your wheelhouse of skills and interests. The job market may not be ideal, but an unlikely opportunity could turn into something you never knew you wanted or push you into learning something new.
“What good does networking do me if the people I’m talking to aren’t in the position to hire someone? Also, how do I network when I’m quarantined…?”
Networking is always your friend. Check out what Goldman Sach’s recruiters have to say about networking and events during uncertain times. Set up networking conversations and manage your time wisely. This is an opportunity to learn more about someone, what they do, the company they are at, etc.
If the conversation goes in a direction that potentially solidifies your desire to work at their company, or in their line of work, it never hurts to ask them to keep you in mind when their company begins hiring.
You can say something similar to, “I know you aren’t hiring currently and I’m fully aware of the challenges companies are facing at this time with COVID-19, but if you hear anything in the industry or at your company about a need to hire someone with my skill set, please do keep me in mind.” A shameless plug can lead to a world of opportunity. After your initial conversation, don’t forget to keep in touch to keep yourself top of mind! A thank you note for their time will go a long way.
Make a list of people in your network. If you’re a recent grad, think about your favorite professors, or any professionals you respect, are comfortable with and look up to. Think of old internship supervisors, old managers, coworkers, pals that are employed, family members, friends, friends of friends of friends, etc.—make a personal goal to reach out to a certain number of people per day.
How does this look virtually? Seek out connections on LinkedIn or reach out via email. Be clear and specific with your ask—why are you reaching out, how are you, connected, and how much time are you asking for? Then, you can Zoom call, Facetime, or call them via phone. We are lucky to have a multitude of ways to connect with people even when it can’t be in-person at the nearest Starbucks. Make it happen!
Looking to explore more interviewing, networking, digital resources, and more? Centro’s here for you! Check out our blog or connect with us via our Centro Prep Facebook Community.
You are going to overcome this challenge, and we are all going to make it to the other side of this pandemic with an amazing story to tell! Take some deep breaths, hang in there, and stay well!
Of all the industries and specialties out there, marketing has become one of the most fluid over the past few decades. Once upon a time, a "marketer" went from door-to-door, selling vacuum cleaners and household products. He/she knew customers' names and understood how to appeal to their needs because his/her survival was founded on the principle of creating relationships that mattered. As the Internet evolved, spam mail and email blasts slowly became the way companies communicated their offerings with the public at large.
Today, however, consumers' expectations have changed. Now, we live in a society where technology has transformed how we interact and connect with one another—from social media to advertising. Consumers expect personalized messages, and if they don't get them, they're likely to move to the next company. What does this mean for your business? If you're not talking to your customers like they're individuals with unique interests and needs, chances are, they won't take the time to engage with your brand/company.
Personalized advertising attracts shoppers in languages that speak directly to their needs. Thanks to the onset of big data and amazing analytical tools, you can now leverage your customers' behaviors unlike ever before. When used correctly, this data will enable you to create a connection between your brand and customers that wouldn't have otherwise been possible.
For example, think about your Netflix dashboard—the algorithms display the titles you've watched recently and what kind of programs and movies will most likely interest you. Your dashboard is personalized to Y-O-U.
That's how programmatic advertising works in the business world.
It's all about getting to know your customer on personal levels. When humans are at the helm, they can't necessarily know you're looking for XYZ product at 3 a.m., and they can't efficiently understand that the reason person A found you is because he or she made B and C decisions.
Programmatic advertising can understand these attributes. In fact, it’s built for this. Programmatic advertising enables you to pick apart large databases, such that you're talking to people in target markets who dwell in particular places in your sales funnel. You create messages that are meant for a particular group of people, and the robots do the rest. Your customer is wowed by your attentiveness, and you're not paying overtime for people to oversee your marketing endeavors at odd hours. Everybody wins.
Marketers have relied on traditional methods of buying ad space and testing content for years, but programmatic advertising changes the game.
Here's a look at two predominant ways programmatic beats old-school methods of content creation and digital marketing:
Centro is your place for personalized programmatic advertising. We're using automation to revolutionize the way companies talk to consumers. Learn more about Programmatic Advertising with Centro.
We’ve already covered the basics of DSPs for marketers and publishers. Here’s what you should know about display ad buying within a DSP!
Ultimately, it comes down to supplementing what you’re already doing on a display network with real-time bidding on a DSP. Display networks only scratch the surface of what a DSP can do – in terms of scale/reach, variety of inventory, audience targeting, and real-time optimization. If you want to make the most of your digital media dollars, you should be utilizing a DSP as a complementary display buying solution.
Let’s start by defining scale and reach. Scale is the number of sites, and reach is the number of impressions available. You can’t target an audience if you can’t find or access them. DSPs like Basis’ DSP give you access to over 40 billion daily impressions across all devices and channels.
Think of DSPs and display networks as swimming pools. The pool boy at the DSP swimming pool lets you bring in a bunch of fun toys – things like pizza rafts and basketball and one of those floatation devices where you can stash your beer – but the display network pool boy only lets you use their floaties, and you can’t bring any toys in from the outside. It’s a bummer of a time and everyone at the DSP pool party is having more fun.
Display networks are built on their own inventory, while DSPs are more agnostic and offer more extension options.
Speaking of inventory, with DSPs, it comes down to variety beyond just banner ads and in-stream video. You can buy across multiple devices – desktop, mobile devices, tablets. You can buy pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll, even native. You can find your audience and show them your ads anywhere on the web.
And, finally, if we’re talking about DSP targeting benefits, the number of optimization levers you can pull to target are exhaustive. With a DSP, you can test over 20 different tactics from keyword contextual targeting to site lists, to auto-optimized predictive targeting, to different forms of retargeting. Using a DSP also allows for using both first and third-party data to target.
DSPs offer comprehensive targeting, inventory, and ad formats, all centralized in one place.
Learn more about Programmatic Advertising with Centro.
Hello! Courtney Livingston here, Senior Product Designer at Centro. I hope you're finding fun and interesting ways to stay connected with friends, family, co-workers, and your communities in these strange times.
I'm here to share what I've learned about optimizing virtual meetings with your team when working remotely. Here are my top tips!
Before scheduling a meeting, add a high-level agenda and what you hope to get out of the meeting. This allows others to prepare ahead of time with questions, talking points, or artifacts that may be beneficial for the discussion. If you didn’t schedule the meeting, familiarize yourself with the agenda and goals so you can fully participate.
Without being in the same physical space, you miss out on running into people in the kitchen or grabbing an impromptu coffee. So plan for that time in your meetings and throughout the day.
I have this tattooed on my forearm as a general reminder, but it works for meetings too. If you are taking the time to be part of a meeting, really be there. I flip my phone over or put it in another room to keep myself from mindlessly opening and scrolling. Join on time or let your colleagues know if you are running late.
I’ve seen many people at Centro, and around the world, taking part in virtual lunches and happy hours. Try adding in one of those to your team’s schedule.
Sometimes the wifi is spotty or you are still connected to a Bluetooth headset in another room. No one wants to feel like they are the ones holding up a meeting, so have compassion for yourself and others when technical difficulties arise, because they will and probably already have.
“Have someone lead and direct the conversation as much as possible. If it's a 'stand' meeting, specifically ask someone to go next, so that everyone doesn't try to speak at the same time.” – Ben Smith
“Muting your phone or computer is your best friend. This shouldn't be any different than in the office. No one wants to hear your roommates/dogs/dishwasher.” – Christine Lundell
“Have fun! Take a moment to ask how everyone is doing. Share any difficulties you are having—your team is there to help.” – David Lempp
Interested in joining our team? Check out our careers page.
Native advertising is an integral component of display advertising. In fact, eMarketer estimates that by the end of 2020, advertisers will devote almost two-thirds of their display budgets to native ads.
Here’s why native advertising is important, and how to run it with Basis:
Native ads allow brands to fit into, rather than interrupt, the audience experience. According to Sharethrough, consumers look at native ads 52% more frequently than display ads.
Premium content drives engagement—click here to learn why content is still king when it comes to native ads.
By blending messaging with content, brands can drive higher levels of engagement as well as viewability.
How to Run Native Advertising with Basis
Basis offers an integrated native activation process as well as access to the major exchanges and native inventory sources.
Users can begin the process by creating a line item within Basis DSP and then opening the creative hub. After selecting “native” as the creative type, the native builder will appear.
All you need is a headline, body image, icon/logo, and a click-through URL to kick off. These images can be sourced from almost anywhere in a brand’s portfolio, including their website, product galleries, and social media. As you source creative, remember to lean on visuals rather than text within the image itself.
Users can also input image and script tracking URLs to ensure that performance for native is trackable, whether across the DSP itself or through a 3rd party ad server.
As necessary creative and tracking materials are finalized, Basis also offers a seamless solution to identify where to message your audience. Users have the option to explore both the open exchange & private marketplace deals to identify the best fit for scale and performance, as well as objective.
Using the private marketplace library, users can determine how best to activate their native messaging. Deals range from content vertical (sports, arts & entertainment) to demographic (gender, age) to provide as much opportunity as possible to reach an audience. Learn more about when to run native ads here.
Brands can also serve native messaging across the open exchange to supplement or complement a private marketplace activation. This inventory can be beneficial in testing out new exchanges or expanding reach in a limited geography. It can also address scaling sponsored content campaigns, one of the key challenges outlined by eMarketer in their 2019 report.
With those simple parameters completed, brands can easily begin messaging their audience with native ads. From start to finish, Basis makes native advertising easy.
Learn more about Native Advertising with Centro.
Covid-19 has changed our world, and the economy is experiencing unprecedented change across all industries. In our Industries in Flux miniseries, we'll address how specific verticals are pivoting in real-time to adapt. Each week, we’ll focus on a different industry, and share strategies based on consumer trends and changes in media consumption.
Our final episode of of Industries in Flux features Centro's EVP of Media Services and Operations, April Weeks, and VP of Client and Media Services, Laura Perritte.
E-learning and online coursework strategies have become the new norm. Whether this is a temporary phenomenon or not, we know that the need for online coursework isn’t going away anytime soon. This webinar explores how educational institutions are adjusting to meet the changing needs of their students.
Launching your first programmatic ad campaign may seem like a tall mountain to climb. But with the right tools and processes in place, you’ll find yourself at the top in no time!
When starting to plan a programmatic campaign, break it up into the 3 Ps: Planning, Preparation, and Performance.
Planning is the most important step when it comes to programmatic. If you ventured to climb a mountain, but didn’t plan with a map or purchase the right equipment, you’d likely find yourself struggling to get anywhere.
This is also true when putting together a programmatic campaign—by taking some vital steps prior to setting up and launching a campaign, you’ll set yourself up to hit your campaign goals.
As with any digital campaign, first ask yourself what your objective is and what constitutes success. Do you have a target audience? Take notes on the available budget, creative assets, and geo-targeting to help guide what targeting tactics you’ll run.
Use historical performance as a benchmark when deciphering KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). If you haven’t run the campaign in the past, use this campaign to set a baseline benchmark for ongoing campaigns. Once you understand those primary goals, you can begin to decide on the best tactics that align with your campaign’s KPI.
When deciding on tactics, use a full funnel approach. Different tactics within the funnel generate varying results, but should work in cohesion to address all parts of the consumer purchase cycle—from awareness, to consideration, to purchase.
Targeting tactics like prospecting and hyperlocal sit in the upper funnel, or within brand awareness, whereas retargeting or look-alike modeling fit much lower in the funnel, between consideration and conversion.
If you’re running a direct response campaign, you may want to heavy-up your targeting to tactics that fit more lower funnel. But on a video completion campaign, you may focus more upper or mid-funnel on your tactic selections. Be sure to align your campaign’s dCPM with the types of targeting tactics you’ve selected.
Did you make a checklist to ensure you packed all the necessary equipment for your climb? Even with strategic planning, you need to prepare for success in your programmatic campaign.
Ensure that pixels are placed and firing properly prior to launch. Placing pixels early will not only give extra time for troubleshooting any issues on tracking, but it will also help to build retargeting audiences. This prevents running into spending issues upon launch.
Are you using an ad server? If so, make sure settings in the DSP mirror the attribution settings in the ad server to closely align conversion data.
Consider capturing converters so you can suppress this audience if the conversion is likely to not occur again. Converter audiences can also be used on future campaigns to serve different messaging to previous customers.
Planning and preparation have led you to the launch of your programmatic campaign—let’s call it your first ascent up the mountainside.
Programmatic advertising is a true data-driven approach—you’ll quickly find that it’s both an art and a science. Testing and learning are critical.
Once you launch your programmatic campaign, give it time to accrue data. This will allow the campaign to ramp up on spend and collect data points to help aid in optimizations.
Once enough data is collected, you can begin making minor and mid-tier optimizations—like adjusting daily budgets between targeting tactics—as well as top-performing or domain-level optimizations—like turning off low-performing sites or apps. Other optimizations, like deciphering a dayparting strategy or frequency capping, can also be made at this point.
Major optimizations like testing new tactics or data segments can begin with time. Even with auto optimizers, always keep an eye on performance and make manual tweaks to ensure campaign success.
Once you reach that mountaintop, make sure to celebrate your victory! Keep track of the journey you took to get there so you can apply that knowledge to future climbs.