Here’s a thought exercise. How many times have recommendations from other people driven your purchase decisions? And how many times have you bought something online without checking the reviews first? As for me, I have done that a sum total of zero times. That’s right. I never buy anything without reading the reviews first. And I’m not alone in this. 9 out of 10 customers read reviews before they buy something online. This is the power of social proof....
Download, start now, get started. You see calls to action (CTA) like these all the time, but do you ever stop to think about their impact on your ad campaigns? Oftentimes, CTAs are an afterthought hastily tacked onto the bottom of an ad. Leads know you want them to click the button so it doesn’t matter what it says, right? Well, not quite. CTAs are just as important as the ad copy and need just as much attention. CTAs...
There I was, reading about the Westworld finale on Variety (don’t worry, no spoilers), when I’m offered six more articles to read. They all look pretty interesting, but only two actually have to do with TV, while the others are about fashion and celebrity. So, how did an ad for a Macy’s sale end up in my article about an HBO show about robots? The power of native advertising. Evidently, native ads are doing something right. According to eMarketer,...
Back in the Stone Age before the internet, it was much harder to reach customers. Google AdWords didn’t exist, Native Ads only existed in print newspapers and magazines, and people actually had to (*gasp*) speak to others on the phone or take a money order in the mail. Luckily, someone (maybe Al Gore?) invented the internet. The internet has made lead generation and customer communication easier than ever, at least from a technical standpoint. This has been both a...
In October 2000, Google launched a month-long beta with about 350 advertisers for its new Google AdWords advertising platform. The tiny test would go on to become the biggest online advertising platform and lead to over $100 million in revenue per day. While it started simple, Google came out with new add-ons to the original product. One of the biggest was the 2003 release of Google AdSense. This allowed publishers to monetize their traffic with ads served through the...
Imagine that you’re a personal trainer and you want to make the most money possible. You’re given the choice between: a) a photo of you training Britney Spears, or b) a degree in nutrition/training from the top university in the United States Which would you choose? Me? I’m taking the picture of Britney Spears any day of the week. Why? Because it’s going to lead to more clients! Most people would rather be trained by the guru trainer to...