Category Archives: Marketing Tips
Reasons Why You Want an Ad Agency that Specializes in Financial Service
Creating powerful advertisement is one thing, making sure a campaign reaches audiences and has an impact is another. Ad agencies specializing in financial services are a double hitter: they can build a company an amazing branding campaign while simultaneously navigating the financial world with efficacy. Financial services can fall victim to their messages being drowned out by numbers and intimidating figures, but together with ad agencies, a company’s financial services can reach bigger and broader audiences.
The Perks of Working with a Financial Wizz
Ad agencies specializing in financial services will come not only prepared to build a brand and take it to the next level, but also equipped with financial world knowledge. Understanding restrictions on financial advertising and targeting and being savvy in financial marketing compliance, disclosures, regulations, and guidelines are some of the key areas of expertise an ad agency can bring to the table. Additionally, building customer relations and solidifying brand presence come with the territory. By working with an ad agency specializing in financial services, brands can feel confident their marketing costs are being optimized.
Inbound vs Outbound Marketing
Ad agencies specializing in financial services will tell you that there are two main streams of marketing: inbound and outbound. Inbound marketing is aimed at delivering an experience to customers with the goal of building trust. Once this trust is built through sharing information, customers are more likely to associate with the brand and develop a degree of brand loyalty. In comparison, outbound marketing refers to the promotion of a product through advertisement, promotions, public relations, and sales. Outbound marketing is often thought of as “traditional marketing” and in a less complimentary light, “interruption marketing”.
While the two types of marketing have their differences, they do share a commonality: both rely on diligent planning and understanding of marketing realities to result in overall success. For a company to get the most out of advertisement efforts, working with ad agencies specializing in financial services is a surefire way to guarantee effective messaging that draws audiences in, not pushes them away.
Understanding the Digital Marketing Divide
According to studies, internet advertising has seen tremendous growth, bringing in over $59.6 billion in revenue for companies utilizing the digital tool and coming in as the top revenue source amongst advertising platforms. Just as the digital world is constantly changing, advertisement is changing along with it. Companies investing in advertising need to be aware of what works and what doesn’t. Understanding modern advertising environments will ensure campaigns hit virtual grounds running and reach the desired audience in the most efficient way. If this sounds overwhelming, the good news is ad agencies specializing in financial services will have experience working within the changing digital-scape and have a working knowledge of navigating online algorithms, search engine optimization, pay-per-click ads, and a long list of vital digital marketing techniques.
Choosing the Right Ad Agency
Look for an ad agency with a robust track record and demonstrated passion for the projects crossing their desk. Collaboration is key to a great brand campaign. Without it, a company can become lost in a campaign too far removed from its core. Ad agencies specializing in financial services will have a working knowledge of financial environments, what customers are looking for, and what companies need to know about their own advertisement techniques.
Creativity goes a long way. In a world bombarded by constant messaging, ensuring a company’s brand is able to climb to the top and be seen by consumers relies on innovative, engaging, and memorable storytelling. Long gone are the days of flat advertising with one catchy slogan. Customers want a story; they want to be able to put themselves in the commercial and connect with the brand. At the heart of powerful advertisements is a strong story, and by working with ad agencies specializing in financial services that story can be brought to the surface while the company’s own personality is not left behind.
While some may think advertising is advertising is advertising, the truth is much more complex. Different audiences with different needs are going to be on the lookout for unique features and characteristics before choosing one company over another. Before deciding on an ad agency specializing in financial services, it is important to assess their portfolio, learn about their specializations, and determine how well they will work in collaboration with the hiring company.
Tips for a Successful Baidu Pay-Per-Click Campaign
With over195 million daily active users, Baidu is the most used search engine in China. So, if you are considering paid search marketing geared towards the Chinese market, you cannot afford to overlook Baidu. Its Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising system—which is also known as Baidu Tuiguang, Baidu Adwords, Baidu Phoenix, and Baidu SEM—allows you to bid on specific keywords that will make your clickable advertisements show up in the search engine results. It can help you to extend your reach and familiarize millions of potential customers with your products and services.
Here are some tips for a successful Baidu PPC campaign:
You must set up an official Baidu ad account
While an official Baidu ad account is essential for launching a PPC campaign, it can be tricky to set up. Baidu requires you to open an account through a reseller agency, and there are many of them, and they may have different rules and regulations for you to follow. Though, you must be able to furnish a business incorporation certificate or some other business documents. Another requirement is that your business website name should be the same as the business name on the incorporation certificate.
There will be a standard account setup fee, and Baidu will also charge you a specified sum for use as an account credit. You must make both payments in yuan.
Baidu doesn’t require you to have a .cn domain, a Chinese government ICP license, or a Chinese phone number, but if you can get these, it wouldn’t hurt your business either. Some companies report getting better visibility in search results.
You must localize your ad campaigns
Hopefully, before launching your business in China, you will have carried out sufficient basic research to ascertain that your brand suits the requirements and sensibilities of the targeted market. Even so, you may need to alter your business to some extent and readapt your products and services to align them better with the local demand. In the highly competitive Chinese market, the consumer’s reign supreme, and you have to deliver what they want.
That includes localizing your marketing content. While an increasing number of Chinese internet users know English, they prefer interacting in their language. You will get more views if your Baidu Pay-Per-Click campaign is in Mandarin, Cantonese, or any other Chinese dialect. However, trying to get by with an online language translator won’t cut it. You will need a native language speaker to vet and translate your advertisements and other content so that there are no chances of making any faux pas.
And when it comes to researching keywords and competitors for your pay-per-click campaigns, you need to do so from the perspective of the Chinese consumers. What search terms are they likely to use the most? What is more likely to get their attention? It will also help to organize and structure the keywords as per the structure of your website.
You can integrate web analytics with your ad platform
Integrating Baidu’s analytics platform with its ad platform will make it easier for you to conduct consumer research. You can get reports on the activities of individual users and make use of a heat map tool as well. That will allow you to tailor your Baidu PPC campaigns to appeal to your target audience and schedule your campaigns to achieve maximum exposure and ROI.
However, since the Baidu analytics platform is only in Chinese, you will either need to be fluent in the language to use it or take the help of a China-focused marketing agency. When hiring an agency, make sure to find one that will focus on website analytics work for you. Reseller agencies that take a commission from Baidu perhaps won’t be as reliable or helpful.
It is possible to use Google Analytics or another third-party web analytics tool with Baidu. You will have to use URL tagging for that, however.
By carefully planning and implementing your Baidu PPC campaign, you can expect a reasonable ROI. You will gain new customers and find it easier to establish and expand your brand in China. Try to maximize your impact as soon as possible, so that you can devote more time to your business.
SEO Agency: Why You’d Need Them
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization is the process by which the visibility of your website is increased, skillfully, thereby increasing your site traffic. It is important to note that the traffic your site already receives is not included here.
Why is it important? Why Do You Need an SEO Agency?
While in the olden days, it used to be enough to have a handle on your backlink count, nowadays, linking building alone will get you nowhere, or worse yet, cause you to vanish off the Google Search grid altogether. The world is competitive and you need to be a step ahead of the game if you want to win. That is why it is important to hire the best in the business.
SEO Agency in Houston: Why You Need Them
As mentioned earlier, it is important to hire someone with the skills to take your company to the next level. When you’re going for them, you might as well aim for the best SEO agencies in Houston, Texas. If you are trying to build a career in and around Houston, it would be in your best interest to get to them before your competitors do. Once you see the profits pouring in, you will wonder why you waited so long.
How do SEO Agencies in Houston help your Company succeed?
Here are some of the key roles an SEO agency in Houston looks into in order to provide you with the highest possibility of success-
Refining your online presence with trigger keywords
Experts appointed to your case will research and analyze the keywords that can be used associated with your company and website, which when typed into google search can increase your visibility on the platform. In this way, you are now getting a larger viewership, so to speak.
This is something that is given a lot less credit than it deserves. For example, if your company was to launch a new product, how are you to know what type and percentage of people search for similar items and what words are used to do those searches?
Here is where carefully picked out keywords will help stream potential customers to your website!
1. On-Page SEO: by using an on-page SEO, you increase the visibility of your own website and keep it in the top searches.
2. Extensive research to spruce up your website: Website design experts take into account your web design and web traffic in order to analyze the changed necessary (if any) that can help increase your website visibility on all search engines, in turn helping your company grow. Google does a deep dive into your website and algorithms to check the number of times certain keywords were used on your website counts. Here, SEO experts will suggest changes in content so as to appear higher on search visibility.
3. Backlinks give your company website the power: while it is not the only thing that will get your website out there, it is still crucial, especially when it comes to Google searches. Thankfully, a professional Houston SEO agency would know what to do, while helping your company grow!
Social Media Marketing- Why it is a Powerful Weapon for Business Success
Social media is an important piece of the business marketing strategy. Social media platforms help increase brand awareness, boost leads and sales and connect businesses with their target customers. With more than 50% of the total population of China online, social media marketing in China offers tremendous opportunities for business success.
Here are a few reasons that show why social media marketing is a powerful weapon for business success.
Engagement is the Key
Ask any marketing or sales personnel and they will agree engagement is the key to marketing success. According to an OgilvyOne report, when the company launched a survey for a popular brand, more than 55% of Chinese Internet users participated in the online survey and the discussions on the social media platforms helped businesses.
Today customer conversations have gained significant importance, especially what they speak about your brand on social media platforms. Thus, it would be not wrong to say businesses can use the social media platform to attract and engage the audience which would help in brand awareness and brand popularity.
Social Media Marketing Can Make People Buy
The social media marketing trend in China suggests that social media platforms’ role is not limited to attracting customers only. In fact, the new trend suggests social media marketing plays an important role in lead generation in the form of trustful recommendations. Social media platforms help in creating a good brand reputation and encourage brand loyalty that provides more business opportunities.
Social Media Platform Allow Accurate Targeting
Popular social media platforms in China provide various marketing tools that can attract and convert potential customers and make your social media marketing in China successful. For example, WeChat, a popular social media platform offers three different types of ads to attract and convert potential customers. They are:
· Moment Ads
· Mini Program Ads
· Official account Ads
After you have determined your marketing goals you can select your target audience through category selection. For example, you can showcase your ads in certain regions, show your ads to people with a specific interest, show ads on mobile devices of the target audience, and use other categories to reach a select audience. The combination of interactive ads and selective targeting allows businesses to reach the right audience while keeping marketing costs low.
Social Media Marketing Involves the Use of KOLs
The digital revolution has changed consumer behavior and today they are less influenced by traditional public media. The new social trend has shifted the trust factor to individual brand leaders on social media platforms also known as KOLs.
KOLs are popular brand ambassadors with more than 10,000 followers. They have a huge influence on their social media followers. Businesses can recruit KOLs for their brand promotion and build a good brand image.
Social Media Platforms Allow Opening of Direct Online Store
With so many online distractions, it can be a difficult task to push social media followers towards your ecommerce store or website for purchases. Chinese social media platforms like WeChat allow brands to open a direct online store on the platform. Building an online store on WeChat is more convenient and also costs less.
WeChat provides useful tools to showcase your products in the online store. In fact, you can also link the words or pictures to relevant products in your online store. WeChat also offers a Chinese online payment method that can be used by the customers to complete purchases without leaving the platform.
Advanced Marketing Tools
The social media platforms in China have gone beyond customer interaction, sharing, and engagement. Social media platforms like WeChat offer innovation technical tools like WeChat Mini Programs that offer advanced features like task management, bus time checkers, mobile bike locking and unlocking, and eCommerce.
The WeChat Mini Programs also has a feature known as Mini Programs Nearby that allows users to explore Mini Programs based on their location.
The rising popularity of social media platforms and technological advancements has made it a powerful marketing tool for business success and social media marketing in China seamless.
Do you’ve any questions about social media marketing in China? Please feel free to leave your comments below.
Why Your Business Needs Social Media Marketing?
In today’s technology-driven world, social media platforms have become avenues for businesses to extend their marketing campaigns to a wide range of customers. Though Chinese Internet censorship is extensive and advanced, social media platforms are still popular with the Chinese audience.
Social networks like Weibo, WeChat contain large marketing potential for companies that want to do social media marketing in China (adstochina.westwin.com/social-media-marketing-in-china). Here are a few reasons that show why your business needs to go for social media marketing.
Chinese Consumers Are Heavily Influenced by Social Media
China has a rich and diverse online landscape with several social media platforms offering a mix of services. After all, more than 800 million Chinese users are looking for a place to ask for product recommendations, share opinions, and connect with others. China has some innovative social platforms like Douyin, a video sharing platform, and shopping communities like Xiaohongshu.
According to a Chinese government study, around 802 million Chinese people are active Internet users. This means you can reach 57.7% of China’s population through social media platforms. One more interesting fact is 98% of the Chinese users access the internet through their mobile devices. This makes Chinese social media platforms more immediate and dynamic.
Chinese mobile users use social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat for tips, testimonials, and recommendations. If you want to build a strong presence in the Chinese market, you need to partner with a leading agency offering social media marketing in China to achieve success.
Helps in Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is the first step to capture any market, including China. It defines how the brand is recognized by customers and at what level. Weibo is a leading micro-blog in China which is a mix of Facebook and Twitter. It is a more open and public platform that has great potential for exposure and outreach.
Weibo is a popular social media platform that is particularly used by Chinese people for entertainment and trend-spotting. The microblogging platform offers a great tool for increasing brand awareness by using KOLs or celebrities. Weibo can be a great tool to collect information about Chinese consumers and know about popular trends.
WeChat is another popular social media platform, with more than 170 million daily users. The platform offers a comment section for social interaction. A social media marketing strategy involving both Weibo and WeChat can help you interact with Chinese consumers and keep discussing the brand. Social media marketing can be a perfect tool to reach all types of audiences and give them a 360° view of your brand.
Lead Generation
Inbound marketing is the most effective way to generate leads. The social media accounts on Weibo and WeChat platforms can act as service referrals to your business. Social media platforms can play a big role in sales for companies in China.
The B2B sales cycles are particularly long in China, and social media marketing can be used to build strong relationships, awareness, and visibility. In the long run, these efforts might pay in the conversion of leads into recurring sales for the core business.
Social media marketing can be a great tool to gain viral spread for the content by urging followers and fans to share the company’s content across social media. A successful social media marketing strategy can be a major traffic generator bringing a high volume of traffic to the corporate webpage.
Competitor and Marker Monitoring
There is one famous quote- “Keep your friends close and enemies closer”. To cut through the competition, you should learn about competitor’s activities, which would also give an insight into what works and what does not. Social media platforms offer a lot of information about your competitors which is public. Not only their strategy is public, but the consumer reaction to their strategy is also public.
A good social media marketing strategy would monitor a variety of activities and campaigns competitors are undertaking and give you a clear picture of competitors in China marketplace. This would help your business to navigate much easier and reach a targeted Chinese audience.
Long story short, the importance of social media marketing in China cannot be underestimated. Do you’ve any questions? Please feel free to leave your comments below.