Social media mobile app Snapchat has announced its partnership with global measurement and data analytics company Nielsen in a bid to broaden its audience targeting capabilities, while also expanding the relationship between the two companies.

According to Nielsen, the integration will allow advertisers to purchase audience data across more than 30,000 segments, such as age, gender and buying behaviours on different platforms, from the likes of Nielsen Catalina Solutions, Nielsen Marketing Cloud and Buyer Insights, which are normally based on offline credit card data.

So, if a Snapchat user purchases a specific item at a retail shop offline and the purchase is logged by Nielsen, advertisers can connect with personalised audience segments, and go on to produce relevant ads.

The news also strengthens Snapchat’s programmatic push, which accounts for the majority of ads (98%) now being bought automatically on the platform.

Discovering audiences that drive engagement and offline sales is crucial for marketers, and the new partnership would allow advertisers to deliver more relevant content to its users.

“This integration with Snapchat will allow partners to plan, activate and analyse marketing initiatives by accessing the highest quality audience data in the market underpinned by Nielsen,” said Jessica Hogue, senior vice president of digital solutions at Nielsen.

Snapchat already works with Nielsen, subscribing to its digital ad rating service to measure mobile video audiences, and lets advertisers measure the effectiveness of its ads through the company.

The post Snapchat Teams With Nielsen to Up its Audience Targeting appeared first on PerformanceIN.

When was the last time you received a marketing email but didn’t open it? Probably very recently because the average email open rate is 25%. In contrast, when was the last time you received a marketing text message (SMS) but didn’t open it? Chances are you can’t remember as text message marketing boasts a 98% open rate.

In addition, 90% of text messages received are read within three minutes of being delivered, and 95% of adults globally own a mobile phone (smartphone and traditional handsets). Put all these statistics together and they reveal that text messaging has the greatest reach of all communication channels.

Multiple arrows

There’s something about receiving a text message that creates a sense of urgency that drives people to read it straight away. This sense of urgency is not mirrored in any other inbound marketing channel, and certainly not in email, which is  arguably the closest relative to text messaging.

Text messages are short and sweet; the 160-character limitation means that marketing messages have to get straight to the point so consumers can quickly and easily consume the content.

There are a wide number of calls to action that can be used in text messaging, many of which can’t be used in email marketing as they rely on the consumers reading their email on a smartphone, not a desktop or tablet device. For example: click to call; text back (can be used to gather information instead of using an online form); click to find your local store; click to sign up and pay via PayPal (negating the need for the user to get their card out).

Out with the old in with the new

When it comes to lead generation and lead nurturing, text messaging plus email marketing is a perfect example of “the sum is greater than its parts”.  Integrated text message and email campaigns result in high email open rates, response rates, and action rates when used in a way that fulfills users’ expectations.

A simple “have you read our email” text message prompts consumers to check their inbox and allows brands to take advantage of the benefits of email marketing that are not possible with text messages, such as visual content or multiple options to click through to various web pages depending on what the consumer is most interested in.

Modern text message marketing software platforms can be integrated with existing systems, such as marketing automation tools and customer relationships management (CRM) platforms. This enables marketers to boost performance across all digital channels through customer-centric personalisation of content and adverts.

In the short term, a fully integrated, technology-driven strategy to text message marketing drives better open rates, engagement rates, brand awareness, and conversion rates. Long-term benefits include increased customer lifetime value and customer retention.

The biggest lost opportunity

Although text message marketing is widely used, there’s one strategy that’s commonly ignored.

Data providers know if a consumer has completed a form fill on a smartphone, tablet or desktop device, and can pass that data back to the client. The audience can then be segmented and different text messages sent to the consumers that are known smartphone users, such as “click to sign up to a free trial” or “click to find your local store”.

Consumers that provide a mobile number but have completed the data capture on a desktop or tablet device  – therefore are not known smartphone users – can then be sent a text message with more traditional calls to action, such as “reply to receive a call back” or “have you seen our email”.

If, further down the user journey, a user from that segment completes a trackable action on a mobile phone they can be moved into the smartphone audience segment.

Successful text messaging

Successful text message lead generation can mark the difference between a business that excels, and a business that struggles as consumers shift to mobile. Using text message  marketing, brands can reach wider audiences with easy to digest, easy to action content that cuts through noisy inboxes and instills a greater sense of conversation with consumers. Integration with existing marketing automation technology facilitates an integrated communications strategy, which today’s consumers want and expect.

The post The Missed Opportunity of Text Message Marketing appeared first on PerformanceIN.

In the early days of email, keeping your complaint and unknown user rates low was enough for a successful email marketing deployment strategy. Times have changed though, now you need to keep the positive metrics up as well. Major ISP’s are looking at reading rates and customer responses to determine where your email is placed long term, in the Inbox or the purgatory of the Spam folder.

Assuming you follow best email practices, your database consists of confirmed opt-in recipients so your rate of unknown users and spam traps are negligible. While that may be true, some of your campaigns occasionally wind up in the spam folder, decreasing open and engagement rates. Unfortunately, decreased positive engagement hurts your reputation and it becomes more difficult to climb out of the spam folder Hell you’ve gotten yourself into. A common solution to the problem of insufficient positive engagement is to wean out non-responders over a certain period or after a certain number of email sent, ensuring you keep on delivering to the Inbox.

Over time, however, you will find your non-responsive data pool has grown quite large, even surpassing your active user pool. Since we’re doing everything according to best practices, now is the time to develop a strategy for re-engagement.

1. Identify your inactive subscribers

Defining who your inactive subscribers can be different for all types of businesses, however, the general rule to find your inactive subscribers are those who have not opened an email or visited your blog within 3 to 6 months. After choosing your method, it is important to label the list as “inactive users”.  

2. Develop a re-engagement strategy

A successful re-engagement strategy should keep in mind some salient points. There is risk involved here of course. You’re mailing to folks that haven’t taken an interest in your brand for some time however at one point they did. Somehow, they have become disenfranchised. Of course, you’ve been keeping a close eye on your performance metrics, and (hopefully) have a nice ROI for your mailing efforts. In order to salvage some of these users, you’ll need to offer them something that will stimulate their interest.

Here are a few re-engagement strategies to help you attract your segment of inactive subscribers:

• Conduct contests, giveaways, or raffles to spark interest in your campaigns
• Provide an exclusive discount or coupon code
• For e-commerce companies, a free sample might do the trick
• Ask for product recommendations or survey

The key is to make the offer something that they cannot refuse!

3. Time to A/B test

Since there are several re-engagement strategies to choose from, testing your campaign is highly recommended. Testing your content in different variations can determine the most effective re-engagement strategy for your audience. For instance, you may want to see if your subscribers are more likely to engage with a promo code of 20% off their next order, or a coupon code for free shipping.  Once you evaluate the most successful win-back strategy, it’s time to launch your campaign and determine the results.

4. Establish your campaign

Once you have decided on the incentive to offer, you need to carefully design the re-engagement campaign so it is effective and eye-catching. Since there is a risk, you may want to consider launching this campaign from an alternative Email Service Provider (ESP) or at the very least, establish a re-engagement brand identity to separate your production streams from your re-engagement efforts. A possible method is to structure your re-engagement efforts with any upcoming Holidays, that way your re-engagement efforts become a part of your normal day to day activities and is used to keep your data engaged!

The post Win Back Your Inactive Subscribers: Email Re-Engagement Strategies appeared first on PerformanceIN.

To say the new EU legislation on privacy and data storage, better known as GDPR, has stirred up the online marketing industry would be the understatement of the year. Numerous articles have been written, legal consultants are having a field day and every morning you receive tons of emails urging you to consent to data storage by some company you can’t remember ever creating a profile for.

Behind all this, there is a fundamental uncertainty. Everybody agrees that after May 25th, things will fundamentally change. Yet just what this change will bring about exactly, is unclear. Yes, you need to ask your customers before you can save and use their email address. Yes, the happy days of pre-ticked boxes are over. And yes, you have to be transparent on any personal data you store.

But how are you going to decide what data is personal and what isn’t? Just how granular does consent have to be? Can you continue profiling potential customers? Companies are insecure about how consumers are going to respond to GDPR and how the authorities are going to interpret and administer the new legislation. And there is the question of what changes in jurisdiction GDPR-related court cases will bring about.

One of the topics which raises the biggest uncertainties is tracking. GDPR is not a regulation aimed at the online industry, let alone the online marketing industry. It has nothing to say about tracking specifically. However, that does not mean business as usual for tracking. Particularly the prohibition of storing data that can identify a person indirectly will have consequences for common tracking practices. Even the ID of a simple cookie used to track an ad impression or a click on a banner might be considered data that allows indirect identification.

As pointed out by MarTech, ‘legitimate interest’ is not the get-out-of-jail-free card to get any data you need for tracking. Your legitimate business interest has to be weighed against the interest of the person involved. Which interest will be heavier will probably be defined in court, but waiting for this moment is not something most online marketing companies will see as a fruitful strategy.

The good news is that there actually are things you can do. Publishers and advertisers can start to ask users to consent to tracking proactively, and companies providing tracking technology can implement solutions which support them in doing so. But there is an even simpler solution to avoid data privacy issues: start respecting the do-not-track header in the browser settings of consumers.

The do-not-track option was introduced by Microsoft for Internet Explorer in 2010 and was soon adopted by other browser services, including mobile ones. The idea behind the header is simple: it informs any website that the user of the browser does not want to be tracked, i.e. data on her or his behaviour should not be stored. Any tracking technology on the website could use this information to disable itself – could because very few tracking technology providers actually honour this.

Nevertheless, the do-not-track header is a very straightforward statement from the side of the consumer. GDPR may not mention it, but being all about consent, it goes against the grain of the regulation to ignore it. Naturally, respecting the do-not-track header will have an impact on business. Usage varies from browser to browser, but according to online privacy organisation Baycloud Systems, 10.5% of all browser users have activated the do-not-track header by default. Especially advertising companies with performance-based business models will suffer from this.

However, business models can be adjusted, while GDPR cannot. The online marketing industry has a clear choice to make. Either it tries to maintain its current practice and risk facing a lot of legal repercussions and controversies, or it takes GDPR as an opportunity to take people’s concern about data privacy seriously and adjust practices accordingly. The main job for technology companies is to enable these practices and develop tracking solutions that are consent-based. Respecting do-not-track headers is not the magic key, but it is a damn good start.

The post Is ‘Do-Not-Track’ the Right Option for Publishers Post-GDPR? appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Retargeted ads are often seen in a negative light by those looking for a scapegoat within the digital advertising industry. But do they really deserve such a bad reputation?

In truth, retargeting is one of the most effective advertising methods marketers can use, especially in the retail sector. After all, research has shown the majority (92%) of first-time site visitors don’t plan to purchase: with 45% searching for products or services and one quarter comparing prices. Therefore, tailored ads that allow retailers to recover potentially lost purchase opportunities, while also providing special offers on products that consumers are genuinely interested in should be seen as a positive.

The main issue here is that thoughtless retargeting — such as serving irrelevant and repetitive ads — has tarnished the concept in the eyes of consumers, and taken the shine off a powerful advertising tool. Clearly, retargeting is in urgent need of a rebrand.

So, is it possible to restore the reputation of retargeting? Let’s take a look at the top three benefits, and the best way to leverage them.

1. Overcoming buying hurdles   

Consumers typically visit e-commerce sites for the same reason; they have been intrigued enough by a certain product or service and want to find out more. But when it comes to buying, an average of 69% opt out — and they do so for varied reasons. The item they’re interested in might be out of stock, not available in the right size, too expensive after shipping costs are added or, the consumer may feel they could get a better deal on a different site.

Whatever the cause, retargeting can reignite interest and carry it through to purchase; as long as retailers utilise deep insight. More specifically, they must gain a closer view of individuals. The most efficient way to achieve this is deploying smart platforms that can collate, unify, and assess many data sources. In doing so, retailers can blend data about consumer activity on their site with other insight — such as social media interactions and store visits — and produce detailed consumer profiles.

Using these profiles, they can establish why individuals have abandoned purchases and how messages should be adapted to resolve their issues. For example, if data shows an individual left their cart because the item they wanted was sold out in a certain colour, the retailer could send messages highlighting availability in similar shades. Or, should analysis show they have shopped around for cheaper prices, a retailer could serve ads with exclusive discount codes and free shipping for a limited time period.

2. Finding the perfect moment

Understanding why a purchase doesn’t complete can go a long way towards reclaiming sales, but retailers must also time messages carefully. Studies have found 87% of consumers think online ad frequency has increased and 79% feel they are being tracked. So to avoid generating the sensation of overexposure and uncomfortably close monitoring, retailers need to ensure messages are only served when they are likely to be positively received.

Once more, this requires a data-based approach. By mining information contained within consumer profiles to map their journeys, retailers can achieve a strong understanding of their habits and current position in the sales cycle. Armed with this granular insight, they can then pinpoint the best time to deliver targeted ads. For example, a consumer might have browsed certain items but wishes to conduct further research before buying. By waiting to serve ads until they have read different product reviews, retailers can increase the likelihood messages will fuel conversions and minimise wastage on ineffective ads.

3. Continually enhancing results

Retail is a fast-moving industry, where emerging trends or situations can quickly alter consumer needs, and preferences. As a result, it’s vital for advertising mechanisms to be capable of rapidly adjusting messages for the best result, in real time. And this is precisely what retargeting can deliver when combined with dynamic creative optimisation (DCO).

In brief, DCO platforms allow retailers to instantly match appropriate ads with individuals by collating and evaluating behavioural data using machine learning. As insight builds over time, such platforms develop a clear picture of who consumers are, what might engage them, and which ad formats they favour; as well as detecting shifts in interest. Thus, in addition to targeting ads according to a consumer’s age, demographic or gender, messages can reflect their current location or recent activity — such as items they have liked on social media, or discounts at stores they are browsing. Plus, DCO can also enable retailers to update ads in line with supply fulfilment; substituting different yet relevant products, models or colours so consumers can receive orders faster.

In the last few years, retargeting has faced criticism, but there’s no reason why poor strategic application by a few should deny others the chance to reap its rewards. For retailers, in particular, the opportunity it offers to reconnect with those whose shopping journeys have been interrupted or abandoned is huge. All that’s needed for it to flourish is considered execution. With a firm basis of the right data, tailored ads, and well-timed delivery, retargeting can do significant good for both consumers and the bottom line.

The post Does Retargeting Need A Rebrand? appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Global retargeting specialist RTB House has bolstered its already large APAC presence with the opening of a new office in Japan.

The firm currently operates and runs campaigns for a number of different brands in almost 70 markets, including Europe, North America and of course Asia and Pacific (APAC); utilising deep learning algorithm technology for purchasing ads through real-time bidding where buyers participate in real-time advertising space auctions.

In the APAC region, RTB House has been working with leading marketing agencies such as Cyber Agent, Dentsu Digital and Medix as the company also looks to expand its workforce in the area.

The company’s revenue has seen significant growth in the region, claiming a six-fold increase (over 140%) since last year.

In addition, the business has provided its retargeting services to several countries in the region, and India and Australia were added to its market portfolio in 2017. Adding Japan to its operations, sees RTB establish itself within a country ranked fourth in worldwide e-commerce consumptions and nearly 94% of internet penetration from online consumers in the country alone.

“Establishing ourselves in the APAC region over the last couple years, the time has come to extend our retargeting services to Japan,” said Jakub Ratajczak, managing director APAC at RTB House.

Elaborating on its algorithms and plans in Japan, Ratajczak says that by offering a unique and flexible retargeting solution, the company would like to “help e-commerce players reach the most promising buyers, higher returns on their online marketing and advertising investments.”

RTB House is just one of several companies touting this technology which has been claimed to be the solution in marketing efficiency. However a few areas according to our recent feature on artificial intelligence and machine learning are having a divided opinion on its distinction and whether it is just ‘flavour of the month’ in the industry.

The post RTB House Expands Retargeting Operations in Japan appeared first on PerformanceIN.

The evolution of technology has brought us some incredible opportunities when it comes to engaging with consumers. Brands have an ever-growing number of channels to communicate with their customers as well as more data than ever before about their preferences.

However, this increasing availability of platforms and devices has also created a breed of ‘distracted consumers’ whose attention and time is more in demand than ever. Consumers use multiple devices to research and buy – often browsing on one device, perhaps a mobile, and then considering buying later on another.

The phenomenon of the distracted consumer is far-reaching. Smartphone usage is recognised as one of the key factors in the poor productivity levels of the UK and how it is affecting consumer behaviour. The impact of this distraction on consumers is a failure to complete on purchases and multiple channels and activities vying for consumers’ attention. The net result being that retail businesses typically convert just 2.8% of online shoppers, and on average 69% of online shopping carts are abandoned – the need to optimise the buyer journey has become the priority.

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) can help brands to best engage with their audiences and turn the distracted browser into a converted consumer, resulting in long-term brand loyalty. Here are five tips if you’re looking to improve your conversion rate strategy.

1. Cater for the double screener

‘Double screening’ – using a phone and tablet or laptop and TV simultaneously – is now the norm. The result of this is that consumers who aren’t logged in to a brands website on both devices have become impossible to track, data-wise, due to the inconsistency of their buyer journey. And if you can’t track consumer data, how are you going to accurately communicate your offering in an informed manner?

The good news is that technology can now predict if multiple devices are being used by the same person, with behaviour similarities reviewed across touchpoints including location, device and time zone. Conversion platforms will recognise when a customer shops across different devices, so you can remarket to customers abandoning a basket on one device and provide the same basket on another device when they return, recovering the lost sale.

2. Make the consumer central to the online shopping experience

We’ve all been there – we’ve purchased a product online, say a rucksack, but banner ads for that exact rucksack follow us around for weeks and weeks after we’ve already purchased it. For consumers, this is a frustrating experience that will likely impact on brand loyalty and for brands, budget is being unnecessarily wasted. Make sure you understand when a consumer has completed a sale and their preferences are accordingly updated.

3. Use what you’ve got to ‘individualise’ the customer journey

Despite the vast amounts of customer data available, many brands are failing to individualise the customer journey. Not only should brands ensure that the buyer journey is frictionless and optimised but also catered to each individual customer. For years, brands have been talking about the importance of personalised marketing, yet this mission can stall at segmenting by one single criterion such as gender, age or location. Today’s data-based technology makes it possible to take data and provide an experience that hones in on the individual and provides them with an individual experience to suit their preferences, demographics, location and what device they are using.

4. Consider deeper analysis with artificial intelligence (AI)

Businesses are dealing with vast amounts of data that physically cannot be processed by humans, and so machine learning and artificial intelligence must be used to analyse this behavioural data. The rewards for this process are great. It becomes possible to convert abandoned transactions by gearing opportunities to be most relevant to the consumer, whether that be upselling or cross-selling.

5. Make it easy: Eliminate the card

Contactless and digital payment methods are the new norms. The distracted consumer is time-poor and removing any step of the payment journey increases the likelihood of a conversion. Particularly when many e-commerce transactions are happening on the go and in public places where getting your card out is both a hassle and a cybersecurity risk.

The ways in which we reach and convert the distracted consumer will continue to evolve as new platforms and feature become available. To enjoy a consistent and engaging relationship with key demographics, brands must optimise through multiple channels in a way that is individualised according to modern-day life’s demands. By putting the customer first it’s possible to increase conversion rates and create a seamless experience for both brands and consumers alike.

The post Five Tips for Improving Conversion Rate Optimisation in the Age of Digital Distraction appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Nano Interactive, the ad tech business founded by two former ValueClick executives, has received a £3.5 million growth capital investment from leading independent infrastructure and private equity investment manager Foresight.

Founded in 2014 by two former executives of ValueClick (now Conversant), Christian Geyer and Carl White, Nano Interactive came to market to capitalise on the emerging growth of the search and intent-based targeting sector, where online advertisements are served to users based on recent search history.

With the search targeting display market now estimated to be worth over half a billion dollars, Nano has since developed a network comprising 500 million unique profiles and captures more than five billion searches per month working with over 500 clients including T-Mobile, Volkswagen and MediaMarkt across multiple European offices.

‘An important stage’

Off the back of the investment by Foresight, Nano looks to speed up its plans to expand internationally, while making further investments in sales, marketing and product development.

Geyer, the group’s co-founder and CEO, called the Series A investment “an important stage in our development” and equipped the business for further growth.

For Foresight, the investment in the ad tech business represents the first of 2018 for the private equity team. Following 12 investments completed in 2017, Nano’s funding represents the investor’s first foray back into the tech sector since achieving a 3x return on the exit of Simulity to ARM.

Commenting on the group’s decision, Foresight Group’s senior investment manager, Rodney Appiah, said; “In a relatively short period of time, Nano has delivered exceptional growth, built fantastic client relationships and developed market leading proprietary technology in the area of search and intent-based targeting.”

The post Former ValueClick Execs Seal £3.5 Million Investment for Nano Interactive appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Europe’s leading search based targeting provider, Nano Interactive has launched its instant search-intent targeting solution, Nano INSIST in a bid to help advertisers target their ads based on live searches.

Nano INSIST has been developed to enable advertisers to deliver ads within the current search surroundings. According to the targeting provider, this is done in real-time, with zero latency meaning advertisers are able to “win” at the moment that counts.

“In today’s confusing landscape, it has never been more important to deliver simple and effective online ad campaigns,” said Carl White, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Nano Interactive.

Full transparency

Advertisers have long seen the value in search as a key indicator of consumer intent. However, many solutions in the market still work as a blind managed network service using old data and giving advertisers very limited visibility and control.

When using Nano INSIST, advertisers have full control of their campaigns and are able to pre-agree search keywords and then deliver against a fully transparent publisher list. By delivering intent targeting based on pre-agreed keyword searches in a contextually relevant environment, advertisers have 100% transparency and can operate in a brand safe and cookie-less environment.

“With GDPR just around the corner, we are seeing the evolution of cookie-less targeting, where advertisers are moving from retrospective analysis to intent,” added White.

“We want to lead the market in brand safe, transparent, intent targeting.”

The post Nano Interactive Launches Solution for Next Generation Intent Targeting appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Mobile data platform Ogury has launched its new machine learning algorithm, Lituus in a bid to enhance its targeting capabilities for brands and marketers.

The new solution employs machine learning in the planning and implementation of mobile advertising campaigns, delivering audience targeting of unparalleled accuracy at scale.

“Ogury’s new targeting solution offers higher performance at a bigger scale and with increased transparency,” said Christophe Thibault, chief algorithm officer at Ogury.

‘Unparalleled accuracy’

According to Lituus, the algorithm works in three parts – learning, optimising and sharing.

The first part starts by learning criteria at the start of an advertising campaign – such as the brand website data – to gain insights from users’ qualified traffic.

Lituus comes into play by learning from the qualified traffic of the chosen websites and identifying both the discriminant and similar attributes amongst users. It then builds a targeting matrix composed of hundreds of different criteria.

Optimising involves the algorithm inputting and learning throughout the duration of the campaign to constantly exclude the lower performing criteria and upweight impressions from the higher performing criteria.

It also takes into account conditions such as optimal time of day, publishers, device models, connectivity, and localisation. This is all achieved using Ogury’s device level first-party behavioural data, which provides insight into users’ apps installed, apps usage and mobile web browsing.

At the end of the campaign, a ‘targeting performance’ section is included within the campaign report, offering a comprehensive view of the best and worst performing combinations of targeting criteria, websites visited, apps owned and apps used by the audience of the campaigns. This provides the customer with a transparent data set that is based on actual learnings from the campaign, as opposed to the ‘black box’ data collection approach that is currently widely used in the industry. These learnings can then be applied to the next campaign and for strategic audience planning.

“In the first applications of this new machine learning approach we have observed up to 50% drops in user bounce rate in cost per click campaigns, and up to 16% increases in video completion rates in cost per view campaigns over human targeting alone.” added Thibault.

The post Machine Learning Algorithm Lituus to Offer “Unparalleled Accuracy” for Advertisers appeared first on PerformanceIN.