Highlights

• Without quality leads, your marketing efforts mean nothing
• Learn the best lead generation tips for this year
• Get content marketing ideas to build into your strategy
• Plus, is anyone still watching videos? The answer may surprise you

Every marketing and sales strategy begins with one common goal: to generate leads. Leads are the lifeblood of B2B brands because without good leads in the marketing funnel, you have no:

• Potential customers to nurture and convert into paying clients
• Data to analyze and optimize your marketing and sales strategies
• Revenue to sustain and grow your business
• Feedback to improve your products or services based on customer needs
• Brand awareness and reputation in your target market

Your business could be offering a game-changing product or service, but without any leads, you may as well have nothing. Without a steady stream of high-quality leads your overall business growth will stagnate.

Experimenting with the following lead generation strategies will help attract leads and get your B2B brand noticed in 2024.

Use LinkedIn for ads and thought leadership

LinkedIn isn’t just a marketplace for jobs. It is a robust social media platform that can be a powerful marketing tool to build brand awareness and foster connections with potential customers.

If it isn’t already part of your marketing strategy, you should be using LinkedIn in the following ways:

Lead generation ads:

With LinkedIn lead gen ads, you have the opportunity to reach potential customers directly with highly segmented targeting.

Filter by professional demographics like job title, company, industry, title, or more traditional demographics. Utilize lead gen forms that auto-populate with profile data and measure the ROI of your campaign. Not only is this a great tactic for building brand awareness, but LinkedIn ads convert 3x more than other ad platforms.

Salesforce uses a lead gen ad to promote their annual State of Marketing Report to marketing professionals who may be interested in the topic. A user who clicks the ‘Download’ CTA is taken to a Lead Gen Form where the fields are auto-populated based on that user’s profile data.

B2B thought leadership content:

As a B2B marketer, fostering a connection with your target audience begins with building trust and credibility. One way to do that is to focus on thought leadership content posted on LinkedIn.

The content gives you a chance to educate readers on industry topics you’re knowledgeable about. It’s also a way to attract readers who are interested in specific topics and a powerful way to rack up more organic leads. Thought leadership content can be delivered in the form of a post, a video, a link to a report, blogs, and more.

Network security company Cloudflare used their LinkedIn page to post a video about DDoS attacks and how they can hurt companies. They assert themselves as experts in this topic while simultaneously touting their ability to help potential customers keep their own networks secure.

Use Meta ads to attract the right leads

Meta (formerly Facebook) remains a powerful platform for B2B lead generation due to its vast user base and sophisticated targeting options. Here’s how to leverage Meta ads:

Targeted lead generation ads:

Similar to LinkedIn, Meta lead gen ads allow you to collect leads directly on the platform through forms that auto-fill with users’ information. You can target potential leads based on job title, company size, industry, and other specific demographics, ensuring your ads reach the right audience at the right time.

Hootsuite uses a Meta ad to entice potential customers with a free demo of their social media monitoring tool.

Use content marketing to your advantage

To build brand awareness, increase traffic to your website, and attract potential customers, you’ll want to use tactics that get your name above the competition in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Creating marketing campaigns using compelling content can help you attract outbound leads and rank favorably on SERPs.

leading landing page builder

What kind of content is good for B2B campaigns? Here are some ways to create compelling content marketing campaigns:

• Case Studies: Detailed case studies show how your product or service has solved specific problems for other businesses and demonstrate how and why you have a successful offering. This builds credibility and shows potential leads how they might use your product or service.
• Webinars: Hosting webinars on relevant industry topics allows you to engage directly with your audience, showcase your expertise, and collect lead information from attendees. Webinars allow you to educate your audience in an interactive way; including a live Q&A section allows potential leads to engage with you and get a glimpse of what it might be like to be your customer.
• Guest Posting: Writing guest posts for reputable industry blogs or websites helps you reach a broader audience and positions you as a thought leader in your field.
• Podcasts: Many marketers are embracing podcasts as a great medium for conveying thought leadership content and having personal, entertaining, and meaningful conversations with other industry professionals. This is another way to build credibility and position yourself as an expert in your field.
• Videos: A recent survey found that 88% of B2B buyers have watched a video to learn about a company’s products or services. 97% of those viewers felt more receptive to hearing from a company’s sales team.

Spotify uses listener information to create one of the most famous content marketing campaigns we’ve seen in recent years—Spotify Wrapped.

At the end of every year, Spotify listeners get a personalized round-up of their most-listened music of the year. Their data and playlists are made to be shareable and, year after year, it creates a viral moment that everyone wants to get in on.

At Instapage, we love to feature our customer’s success stories on our own website.

Offer product trials and demos

Free trials and demos are powerful tools for reducing conversion friction and attracting more leads. They give potential customers a risk-free way to experience the benefits of your product or service firsthand and a compelling reason to pay for your product or service once the trial is over.

• Free trials: Offering a limited-time free trial allows potential customers to explore your product’s features and functionalities without any financial commitment. This hands-on experience can significantly increase the likelihood of conversion, especially if they are able to tap into the full range of functionalities and are able to see tangible benefits during the trial period.
• Product demos: Personalized product demos tailored to a potential customer’s specific needs can address their unique pain points and showcase how your product can provide a solution. In addition, they give potential customers face time with your brand, which can lead to a sense of trust and a willingness to commit.

Headspace offers a free trial of their meditation app and they succeed in conveying their value proposition, remaining transparent (they clearly list their pricing options), and using a direct CTA to guide the lead to the next step.

Get customers to refer you

Word of mouth can work wonders for your lead generation. Encourage your existing customers to refer your product or service to their network.

Consider implementing a referral program that incentivizes customers to refer your business to others. Offer rewards such as discounts, free products, or other perks for successful referrals.

Dropbox famously grew its user base through a referral program that offered additional storage space to both the referrer and the referred. This not only attracted new leads but also encouraged existing users to engage more with the product.

Encourage customers to leave you reviews

People rarely buy something without vetting the service first. Think of how many times you’ve looked at reviews for a restaurant, product, or service before engaging with it further. Ask your customers to leave positive reviews on third-party review sites as a way to build trust and attract new leads.

Review platforms like G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot are commonly referenced throughout the buying process. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on these platforms. Positive reviews can significantly influence a leads’ decision-making process and make conversions more likely.

Below is an example of a user’s review of Instapage, left on review site Capterra.

Create more videos

Videos are getting increasingly popular in the B2B space for brand awareness and lead generation.
Leverage the power of video to humanize your brand and get more eyeballs on your content. Two popular types of videos are:

• Explainer Videos: Create short, engaging videos that explain how your product or service works and the benefits it offers. These videos can be shared on your website, social media channels, in email campaigns, and on dedicated YouTube pages.
• Customer Testimonials: Showcase customer success stories through video testimonials. Seeing real customers speak positively and authentically about your product can be a powerful motivator for potential leads. Leads may see themselves in your customer’s shoes and may want to replicate their experience by committing to your brand.

Zendesk uses a simple, straightforward YouTube video featuring an employee giving a quick overview of their workforce management tools. This approach humanizes the brand and helps them appear welcoming.

Incorporate landing pages into your lead generation strategy

Generating leads is essential for the growth and sustainability of any B2B business. As part of your strategy, you should be thinking about the post-click experience. In other words, what happens once a potential lead clicks your ad, watches your video, listens to your podcast, and so on?

Creating custom, dedicated landing pages that match the messaging in your ad can have a tremendous impact on your conversion rates.

Payment-processing company Paystone recently ran a campaign incentivizing users to switch over to them because of their better value and for a chance to win Amazon gift cards. The copy, colors, and image used in the ad were replicated in the landing page, offering a great example of how to tie landing pages to relevant ads.

Instapage is a leading landing page builder that makes it easy to create and optimize landing pages without needing to hire additional resources. Instapage users love these intuitive features:

• An easy to use drag-and-drop interface
• Built-in data analytics
• AI content generation to help with headlines, buttons, and more
• The ability to experiment and optimize via A/B testing
• Insights to match copy to visitor-level data like keywords, firmographics, and demographics, and more!

Best of all, no coding is necessary, so you won’t need to rely on a developer.

Ready to start incorporating dedicated, custom-branded landing pages into your marketing strategy? Get started with a free 14-day trial of Instapage today.

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Highlights

• Learn what today’s biggest social media trends are
• Short form video content vs long form – what makes sense?
• Why every marketing team needs to prioritize authenticity
• Personalized, dedicated landing pages can extend the life of your social media campaigns – learn how

When it comes to social media marketing, the one thing you can count on is change. Social media algorithms and best practices are constantly and quickly evolving, with new social media trends emerging every year.

If you want your brand to stay relevant you need to get comfortable experimenting with social media trends.

In this article, we will explore the latest social media trends that will help you make an impact in 2024.

10 of the latest social media trends to finish strong in 2024

When thinking about your social media marketing strategy, it’s helpful to take a look at what others are doing.

What does the social media presence of the most memorable brands look like? What is working and resonating with audiences and what is falling flat and not getting engagement?

Let’s take a look at of-the-moment social media trends that will reach your target audience, increase engagement, and get people interacting with your content.

1. Influencers are using product placement

Influencer marketing, involving both macro and micro influencers, has become an essential social media strategy in the last decade. The influencer and social commerce economy is strong and is likely to remain that way for years to come.

Especially on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, influencers are able to create opportunities for consumers to connect and engage with the brands and products that they like.

Brands are leveraging influencers to promote products through strategic placements within their content in hopes of connecting with their target audience on a personal level. In fact, it has been reported that
25% of all marketers use influencer marketing as a strategy to promote their products or services on social media channels, turning to influencers more than webinars and virtual events.

For example, beauty brands frequently collaborate with popular beauty influencers who integrate product placements seamlessly into their makeup tutorials (or GRWM videos). This approach not only demonstrates the product in use but also leverages the influencer’s trust and authenticity with their online communities, resulting in higher user engagement and conversion rates.

2. AI integrations are popular

AI generated content is touching all aspects of our lives and marketing strategies, and social media is no exception. AI will play a significant role in social media, especially when it comes to content creation, customer service, and optimization.

Artificial Intelligence can analyze vast amounts of data to identify trends, preferences, and behaviors; it’s an important marketing tool that enables brands to create targeted, personalized, and high quality content.

One notable example is the use of AI-powered chatbots for customer service. Brands like Sephora and H&M utilize chatbots on their social media platforms (like messenger app Kik) to handle customer inquiries, recommend products, and even complete transactions. This not only improves customer satisfaction by providing immediate assistance but also frees up human resources for more complex tasks.

Additionally, AI tools can help optimize posting schedules, predict trending topics, and even suggest social media posts based on blogs or other content.

3. Non-linear storytelling is in

Non-linear storytelling techniques are becoming a go-to social media trend to engage audiences and create memorable content. Unlike traditional linear narratives, non-linear storytelling allows brands to present their stories in fragmented and interactive ways, encouraging users to piece together the narrative themselves.

Brands are creating multi-part stories (often presented as video content) on social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, giving users a “choose your own adventure” type of experience that can result in different paths or outcomes.

Brands like Nike have embraced non-linear storytelling by creating content that encourages user participation and sharing multiple different, but related assets on social media platforms.

During their “Dream Crazier” campaign, Nike showcased well-known figures who have taken risks and broken molds and invited Instagram users and others to share their own stories of overcoming challenges, which were then featured across Nike’s social media channels, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected personal narratives.

This type of content strategy helps reinforce brand identity while also acting as a social listening tool to understand consumer behavior and sentiments towards your brand.

4. Long-form videos are a hit

TikTok has been pushing longer videos—first with one-minute videos, then 10, and now even starting to test 30-minute uploads.

Short form videos used to dominate social media platforms. This shift towards longer form content indicates that there is a growing appetite for more in-depth and substantial content on social media.

Long-form videos provide an opportunity for more brands to dive deeper into storytelling, education, and entertainment.

For example, fitness influencers on Instagram and TikTok have started sharing full-length workout routines and nutrition guides, providing immense value to their followers and establishing themselves as authoritative figures in their niche.

This social media trend is also evident on platforms like YouTube, where educational channels like “CrashCourse” and “TED-Ed” thrive on long-form content that explains complex topics in an engaging manner. For brands, embracing long-form video content can mean more meaningful engagement and a stronger connection with their social media communities.

5. YouTube is still in the race

Don’t disregard your YouTube channel. While the short-form vertical video is still popular, the world’s second-most-visited website, YouTube, is nowhere near getting out of the fight and should continue to be part of your marketing efforts.

ÝouTube still has the highest average visit duration (00:20:09) and one of the lowest bounce rates (22%).

YouTube’s strength lies in its vast library of diverse content and its role as a search engine for videos. It makes sense for brands to leverage YouTube to host longer, evergreen content that continues to attract views long after it’s posted. Tutorials, product reviews, and behind-the-scenes videos are particularly effective on this social media platform.

For instance, tech brands often use YouTube to publish detailed product reviews and comparisons. Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), a prominent tech influencer, collaborates with brands to showcase the latest gadgets in comprehensive videos, driving substantial traffic and interest.

6. SEO is important in social media, too

SEO is not just for your website and landing pages. Optimizing your posts with keywords is more important than ever if you want your content to get discovered on search engines and social media explore options.

Social media users are looking for personal takes and experiences, which can be found with TikTok storytelling, honest reviews on Reddit, and other social strategies on multiple platforms.

To capitalize on this trend, brands should focus on incorporating relevant keywords and hashtags into their social media posts. Tools like Google Trends and social media analytics platforms can help identify popular keywords and topics that resonate with your target audience and can boost customer interactions.

For example, a travel brand can optimize their Instagram posts with hashtags like #TravelTips, #HiddenGems, and #TravelHacks, increasing the chances of their content being discovered by users searching for travel-related information.

Additionally, creating SEO-friendly descriptions for YouTube videos can enhance your visibility in search results, attracting a broader audience.

7. Behind-the-scenes content is all the rage

Social media communities search for authentic, unfiltered, and transparent content— behind-the-scenes content gives them just that. This trend allows brands to showcase the human side of their business, building trust and fostering a deeper connection with their target audience.

You can create behind-the-scenes content in multiple formats, forms, such as live streams, day-in-the-life videos, and sneak peeks of upcoming products. For example, fashion brands like Glossier often share behind-the-scenes footage of photo shoots, product development, and team activities, giving followers an insider look at the brand’s operations and culture.

This approach not only humanizes the brand but also creates a sense of exclusivity and anticipation among followers. By revealing the process and effort behind their products, brands can use social media to build stronger relationships with their audience and encourage loyalty.

8. Authentic content is the new hero

Authenticity on social media is crucial for defining brand identity and building trust and connections with audiences. Brands featuring authentic voices, from influencers to employees, shine against those that don’t.

In an era where consumers are increasingly skeptical of polished, overly-produced content and social media feeds, authenticity stands out.

Brands can achieve authenticity by sharing user generated content, showcasing real customer testimonials, and encouraging employees to create content that shows their experiences.

For example, Patagonia, known for its commitment to environmental sustainability, often features stories from employees and customers who are passionate about protecting the planet. This not only reinforces the brand’s values but also creates a genuine connection with like-minded consumers.

It’s important for brands to avoid overly scripted or staged content, as this screams “marketing” and discourages users from forming a true connection.

Instead, brands should focus on real, relatable moments that resonate with their audience’s everyday experiences and make for a more genuine social media feed. Authenticity in content helps build credibility and trust, which are essential for long-term brand loyalty.

9. Using playful content and pop-culture references gets you noticed

Experimenting with playful content on social media can make a brand more relatable and engaging. Brands that consistently find creative ways to tap into trending meme culture and pop-culture references often get noticed by many customers.

Brands should stay updated on the latest trends and cultural moments to effectively incorporate them into their social media content. Whether it’s participating in viral challenges, creating memes, or referencing popular TV shows and movies, playful content can capture attention and foster a sense of community among followers.

Wendy’s is famous for their playful and witty social media presence. The fast-food chain frequently engages with followers and other brands through humorous tweets, memes, and pop-culture references, creating a fun and approachable brand image.

This strategy not only entertains their audience but also encourages social sharing, increasing their reach, visibility, and engagement metrics.

10. Social media users love quality over quantity

In the ever-expanding world of social media, it’s tempting to be present on every platform all the time. However, spreading yourself too thin can dilute the quality of your content and diminish your brand’s impact. In 2024, social media marketers should focus on quality over quantity.

Be more selective with social media platforms. If you can’t create authentic content on all major platforms, pick the few that work for you and stick with them. For instance, if your brand thrives on visual content, focus on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. If you excel at creating video content, prioritize YouTube and TikTok.

Creating high-quality, engaging content tailored to the strengths of each platform will yield better results than trying to maintain a presence everywhere. For example, a fashion brand can focus on Instagram for visually appealing posts, TikTok for short, engaging videos, and YouTube for in-depth fashion tutorials and lookbooks.

Reinforce your social media strategy with conversion-optimized landing pages

Brands need to create impactful social media strategies that resonate with their audience and drive engagement in 2024 and beyond.

However, effective social media campaigns should only be one part of your marketing strategy. To reinforce your brand’s messaging and continue to nurture potential customers, personalized landing pages can go a long way.

Branded, dedicated landing pages are a powerful way to continue the conversation that was started on social media and build more connections between users and your brand. Instapage is a leading, intuitive landing page builder that comes with:

• An easy to use drag-and-drop interface
• Built-in data analytics
• AI content generation to help with headlines, buttons, and more
• The ability to experiment and optimize via A/B testing
• Insights to match copy to visitor-level data like keywords, firmographics, and demographics, and more!

Extend the life and effectiveness of your social media campaigns with dedicated landing pages that increase conversions and create loyal customers.
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Looking to get your ads seen by the right eyes at the right time? Programmatic advertising can optimize your ad targeting and timing to precision using detailed data and smart algorithms. But how exactly does programmatic advertising work? And how does it differ from traditional display advertising or programmatic media buying?

Read on to learn all you need to know about programmatic advertising.

What is programmatic advertising?

Programmatic advertising, also known as programmatic marketing or programmatic media buying, involves purchasing ad space via software and relying on complex algorithms to deliver advertisements contextually.

While the traditional media buying process relies on manual negotiations and purchasing ad space directly from publishers, programmatic advertising uses automation to help advertisers target specific audience segments, determine the optimal ad placement, and bid on ad impressions across various digital platforms.

By the end of 2028, Statista Research Department anticipates programmatic ad spending will reach $778.85 billion.

How programmatic advertising works

Here’s a quick rundown of how programmatic advertising works:

1. An advertiser sets up a campaign, defining the target audience and budget.
2. When a user visits a website or app with ad space, information about the page and user is sent to an ad exchange.
3. Advertisers’ algorithms analyze this information to decide if the user fits their target audience.
4. If there’s a match, advertisers bid for the ad space in real-time auctions.
5. The highest bidder’s ad is then instantly displayed to the user.

This process happens in milliseconds, ensuring that ads are shown to relevant audiences almost instantaneously as they surf the web.

What is programmatic media buying, and how is it different from programmatic advertising?

Programmatic media buying focuses specifically on purchasing, while programmatic advertising involves planning, buying, optimizing, and analyzing digital advertising campaigns using automated technology.

Let’s take a look at the differences between these concepts:

• Programmatic media buying is the automated process of purchasing ad space, utilizing data and algorithms to serve ads to the right user at the right price. It uses algorithms and software to streamline the buying process, replacing traditional manual negotiations and paperwork. Through programmatic buying, advertisers can target specific audiences with precision and efficiency across various digital platforms, including websites, social media, and mobile apps.
• Programmatic media advertising entails using automated technology for media buying, which differs from traditional manual digital advertising methods. While programmatic media buying is a subset of programmatic advertising, the latter encompasses a broader range of activities beyond purchasing ad space. Programmatic ad buying represents a comprehensive approach to digital advertising, leveraging automation and data-driven insights to optimize campaign performance and maximize ROI.

The table below provides an overview of programmatic media buying and programmatic advertising, highlighting their respective focuses and functionalities within the realm of digital marketing:

How is programmatic advertising different from display advertising?

Programmatic advertising uses automated technology and algorithmic tools for media buying, while display advertising refers to the format of the ad and where it appears—visual banner ads placed on a network of websites.

Both programmatic and display advertising serve specific purposes in your marketing funnel. Programmatic advertising is about the ‘how’: it directs the method by which marketers acquire or sell digital ad space. On the other hand, display advertising is about the ‘what’ and ‘where’ – the type of ad displayed and its placement.

• Programmatic advertising involves buying ad space based on data and algorithms and serving ads to the right user at the right time and price, while display advertising is about using particular ad formats. The ads are then published on display ad networks. Programmatic ads encompass various ad formats, including display, video, mobile, and social, while display advertising is confined to specific visual formats and locations within an ad network.
• Display advertising aims to deliver general advertisements and brand messages to site visitors. Thus, they are good for reminding about your brand’s existence, not so much for conversions or clicks due to their delivery. Display advertising operates within a specific ad network. You can choose the websites or platforms where you want their ads displayed, focusing on spaces where you believe your target audience is most likely to be found. While you can purchase display advertising programmatically, traditional methods also work for traditional ads like TV commercials and billboards.

The chart below compares programmatic advertising and display advertising, highlighting their respective focuses, functionalities, and roles in a digital marketing strategy:

Programmatic advertising platforms

You can choose from the following programmatic advertising platforms based on your campaign goals and your audience’s browsing habits:

Sell-side platforms

Sell-side platforms, or SSPs, are platforms for publishers looking to sell their ad inventory. SSPs let publishers efficiently manage their ad space and optimize their revenue potential.

These perform well in automating the selling process of digital ad space, which is good news for publishers. For instance, a news website with high traffic volumes might use platforms SmartyAds or Xandr to ensure their ad space is sold at the best possible price. For publishers, such platforms are perfect for streamlining ad space management and increasing revenues. For marketers, it is a sure and quick way to reach their crowd.

Demand-side platforms

Demand-side platforms like The Trade Desk, MediaMath, or Adform, automate the purchasing of ad inventory, making it easier and more efficient for advertisers to reach their target audience.

For example, an apparel e-commerce business might use The Trade Desk to bid for and secure ad space on popular fashion blogs, reaching potential customers who are likely interested in their products. The business can then execute targeted, data-driven campaigns across multiple channels and formats with the help of demand-side platforms.

Ad exchanges

Ad exchanges are a critical bridge in the programmatic advertising realm. They are a marketplace where advertisers and publishers connect. Google Ad Manager is the first platform of this kind—it allows advertisers to sell and purchase ad inventory across multiple websites. Plus, it gives marketers assurances that their content will reach their target audience at the right time and price.

Say, a small business looking to advertise its new kitchenware line. With a substantial understanding of how the audience behaves, they can use Google Ad Manager to bid on ad spaces on relevant websites and directly engage with potential customers. Ad exchanges are ideal for maximizing your reach and perfect for publishers looking to sell their ad space to relevant businesses.

The benefits of programmatic advertising

There are good reasons programmatic advertising is so popular and in demand among marketers, as it comes with a bundle of advantages both for team, budget, and performance.

Efficiency

Programmatic advertising saves a lot of time and reduces costs, as it makes tedious and repetitive tasks that previously required human involvement run by themselves.

Targeted Advertising

Programmatic advertising gives you all the tools to approach your audiences on a deeper level with advanced targeting. It ensures that advertisements reach the appropriate users based on age, location, gender, and purchase history. Such precise targeting helps you get more ad click-through rates, and when connected with dedicated landing pages, it translates into more conversions and ROAS.

Cost-effectiveness

Programmatic advertising offers flexible budget options, allowing businesses to create ads promoting their products, fostering market inclusivity and healthy competition.

Real-time measurement

Apart from giving you the tools to do well in your current campaign, it also gives you the insights and data to do even better in your next one. Programmatic advertising platforms provide real-time measurable results for campaigns. Keep an eye on these dynamics to continuously refine their ads and drive a higher return on investment. This advantage also includes the budget, as you can identify errors early on and save your advertising dollars on potentially unsuccessful campaigns.

Transparency and reach

Programmatic advertising offers total transparency in the ROAS of campaigns and a larger reach for publishers, making it particularly useful for companies focusing on premium placements and brand safety. Marketers can run background checks on the platform they’re considering to avoid negative associations.

Fraud protection

Real-time analytics and programmatic advertising monitoring also offer fraud protection features. With the transparency it provides, you can check if the ads are served to genuine users, thus preventing ad fraud and, again, wasting budgets. This layer of security alleviates risks and gives marketers peace of mind when collaborating with advertisers.

How to run programmatic ads?

Set campaign goals

The first step in running programmatic ads is to set clear and specific campaign goals. You can aim at increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales. With no clear goals, your campaign does not have a direction to move or ways to measure its success.

Once set, your campaign goals will guide the rest of your programmatic advertising process.It is the starting point for choosing the right platform, creating relevant content, and measuring success.

Choose a programmatic advertising platform

Assess your capabilities and accessibility to choose from Sell-Side platforms (SSPs), Ad Exchanges, and Demand-Side platforms (DSPs). Evaluate each platform’s strengths and consider your budget, target audience, and ad formats to make an informed decision.

Create ad content

When you have picked the platform, you understand what content you need to publish. Thus, this is the step for marketers to be creative. Ensure your content resonates with your target audience and aligns with your campaign goals. Use engaging visuals and compelling copy, and articulate a clear call to action. Your ad content is the primary vehicle through which you communicate with potential customers, so make it count.

Set up the campaign

Define your target audience, set your budget, and schedule your ads. Each platform has its setup process, so carefully following the guidelines is crucial. When all the configurations are finished, you can now launch your campaign.

Launch and monitor the campaign

Track key metrics such as impressions, click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on ad spend, and watch for recurring patterns that impact your campaign performance.

Optimize the campaign

Finally, use your gathered data to tweak your ad content, adjust your targeting, or reallocate your budget. Remember, programmatic advertising is a dynamic process that requires constant testing and optimization to get the best results.

How to measure programmatic advertising results?

Impressions, clicks, and user actions provide the basic framework for assessing your programmatic advertising campaign. However, these are only the initial metrics. To truly assess the effectiveness of your programmatic advertising campaign, measure the key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with your company’s goals. Use the chart below as a guide for matching your goals and KPIs:

Impressions

An impression is counted each time your ad is displayed to a user, regardless of whether they interact with it. This KPI provides insight into the reach of your campaign and can indicate if your targeting strategy works.

Clicks

Clicks measure the number of times users were interested enough to click on your ads. The KPI shows how engaging your ad content is and gives you an insight into the creative choices in your campaign. A higher number of clicks typically indicates that your ad is compelling and successfully captures user attention.

Click-through rate (CTR)

Click-through rate is the ratio of users who click on your ad to the number of total users who view your ad (impressions). A high CTR indicates that your ad is relevant and appeals to your target audience.

Click-through conversions (CTC)

Click-through conversions measure the number of conversions that occur directly from users clicking on your ads. Track this KPI to understand if your ads are really driving the desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

Video completion rate (VCR)

Video completion rate, or VCR, measures the percentage of video ads played through their entire duration. A high VCR usually means that your video content is engaging enough to hold the viewers’ attention. Plus, it is another KPI to check your creative choices for the campaign.

Conversions

Conversions are the actions that you want users to take after seeing or clicking your ad. Making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a resource are examples of conversions. Tracking conversions is vital to understanding how effectively your ads drive desired customer actions and what creative or targeting choices are actually effective.

Cost per completed view (CPCV)

Cost per completed view measures how much you pay for each video view that plays through to completion. This metric helps you understand the cost-effectiveness of your video ads.

Cost per acquisition (CPA)

Cost per acquisition (CPA) measures the price you must pay to acquire every new customer through a specific campaign. Monitor your CPA to see your programmatic advertising performance and make data-driven decisions for future campaigns.

Programmatic advertising examples

The Economist: Tickling audience’s curiosity bone

The Economist analyzed subscriber interactions on its website and mobile app to discern attractive content and optimal timing. The publication created audience segments in finance, politics, economics, and technology, among others, and built lookalike audiences from these segments.

The ads reflected the preferences of each segment. The campaign generated over 6 million unique actions, attracted 1 million unique website viewers, and added 9500 new subscribers, and a Channon Prize for Best New Learning on top of that, making it a textbook case study in analytics combined with creativity.

Amanda Foundation: Gamifying pet adoption

Acknowledging differing preferences for cats, dogs, and specific breeds, the foundation used extensive audience targeting to match potential adopters with suitable pets.

In this campaign, an older individual fond of park visits could be paired with a Golden Retriever, while an outdoor enthusiast might be shown an ad featuring a Labrador Retriever. Although the campaign’s results were not disclosed, its inclusion in many programmatic ad compilations attests to its effectiveness. This is a case study on researching your audience to align products or services with user preferences in ad campaigns.

Spotify: Nobody knows you as your playlist does

By analyzing user behavior, listening habits, and musical preferences, Spotify crafted ads that resonated with all its audiences. For instance, indie music listeners received ads for relevant festivals and events. This strategic use of data led to an engagement rate 2.5 times higher than the industry average and a 25% increase in ad recall.

The relevance of these targeted ads reduced the cost per acquisition by 20%, enhancing Spotify’s profitability. This campaign stresses the power of personalization in advertising.

Start running programmatic ads to get more conversions

A lot of brands have seen success using programmatic advertising, and you can be one of them. To better navigate the world of programmatic advertising, you need to learn everything you can about an ad exchange before you invest in it, look out for newer buying methods like post-trade programmatic, and consistently review KPI reports to determine whether your ad dollars are being spent the way they should be.

To start capitalizing on the power of personalized advertising, sign up for a 14-day free trial on Instapage today.

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Demand-side platforms (DSP) and supply-side platforms (SSP) make the process of publishing an ad efficient and near-instantaneous. Gone are the days when ad buying and selling included manual insertion orders, sit-down meetings, and contracts.

So, what is a DSP, and how does it work? Let’s dive in.

What is a DSP?

Demand-side platforms are used by advertisers to buy mobile, search, and video ads from a marketplace on which publishers list advertising inventory. With DSP advertising, it’s simpler to manage accounts across real-time bidding networks – like Google Ads and Facebook Ads Manager – instead of logging into each one individually.

What is the difference between DSP and SSP?

Supply-side platforms, or SSPs, serve a different purpose than demand-side platforms but both play an important role in the programmatic advertising space.

An SSP allows publishers to include their inventory to ad exchanges, and they communicate with DSPs about the details of an impression.

In other words, DSPs don’t own or purchase media directly from publishers, but instead communicate with an SSP through the ad exchange.

Together, DSPs and SSPs enhance the digital advertising landscape and make the process of bidding on ads and managing ad inventories easier than ever before.

DSP marketing is a modern example of how automation is being used to streamline processes and boost productivity.

The world of digital display advertising moves quickly and marketers need to be able to make snap decisions and adjustments in order to optimize performance of their ads.

Programmatic advertising using DSPs and SSPs makes it easy to adjust campaigns in real time by automatically increasing budget for well-performing ads, pulling campaigns that are not performing well, or scaling for mobile optimization.

What are the main components of a demand side platform?

There are several capabilities and components that can be found in a DSP, including:

• Real-time bidding (RTB): A real-time bidder is a crucial component of a DSP. A DSP will automatically bid for ad impressions that are most valuable based on the advertiser’s goals.

An advertiser will specify who they want to reach with ads and how much they are willing to spend. From there, the platform will automatically facilitate bids on the advertiser’s behalf against other advertisers trying to reach the same target audience.

How is that done? When a prospect lands on a page, such as a Google search for a type of product, algorithms determine which ad to display in real-time, using data like browsing history, time of day, and IP address. The business that bid the highest for the impression based on this data wins the placement.

• Ad server: A server, in this sense, is the actual mechanism that serves the ad elements to the publisher’s website; DSPs either work with external servers or have a proprietary, built-in one. Aside from serving ad elements, the DSP ad server will also track impressions and conversion data and use that information to optimize an ad campaign.

• Campaign tracker: One of the clearest benefits of using a demand-side platform is that it automatically pulls in data that will be used to make decisions about the campaign itself, so naturally, the ability to track campaigns is an important component of a DSP.

The campaign tracker monitors and records ad data like impressions, views, clicks, click-through rates (CTRs), conversion rates, ad spend, and more. This information will determine how effectively an ad is performing and whether more money should be spent on it or if it should be stopped altogether.

• User profiles: When a user views an ad served by a DSP, that user’s data is captured and stored. Over time, the DSP will continue to build that user’s profile, collecting insights about the types of ads they are viewing, where they’re viewing them, and where/when they are clicking.

These profiles are used to segment people into different audiences, with those segments determining which profiles will be used in remarketing or optimization campaigns.

• Budget management: Another benefit of using automation to optimize ad campaigns is that a predetermined budget will be spent in the most efficient way possible. With a DSP, this is accomplished through a component known as a banker or cashier, which is essentially what manages an advertiser’s budget.

Through the banker, an advertiser can specify parameters about their campaign, such as the maximum amount of money they are willing to spend and how they are willing to spend that money.

• Integrations: These days, any decisions about adopting new technologies depend on how well or not those technologies integrate with other tools. This is the case with DSPs as well. Demand-side platforms integrate with ad exchanges and supply-side platforms, as well as tools that facilitate data management, analytics, payment processing, and security.

When it comes to SSPs specifically, a DSP will most likely integrate with several supply sources, which would allow an advertiser to broaden their reach.

Top demand-side platform (DSP) examples

Let’s explore five different demand-side platform examples:

1. Amazon DSP

Best for: Amazon-owned sites and brands that want to advertise on Amazon

This is one of the better-known DSPs. Anyone can use Amazon DSP, whether they sell their products on Amazon or not. The Amazon DSP site says that self-service and managed-service options are available. Self-service customers are in full control of their campaigns. The managed-service option is designed for companies that want access to Amazon DSP inventory with consultative service or for those with limited programmatic advertising experience. The managed-service option typically requires a minimum spend of $50,000 USD (minimum may vary per country).

2. Google Display & Video 360

Best for: Small business and enterprise

Perhaps the biggest advantage of Google DV360 is that Google is a trusted brand. DV360 is an end-to-end campaign management tool that delivers robust insights, helps advertisers optimize campaigns, and integrates with other solutions that allow you to connect data and workflows across products.

3. StackAdapt

Best for: Advertising agencies looking to grow their business

StackAdapt markets itself as an open, flexible DSP designed to help advertisers and agencies plan, execute, and analyze campaigns for their clients. Machine learning and AI are at the core of their technology, which means campaigns are optimized for performance. They also offer comprehensive customer success guidance so that agencies feel supported along the way.

4. Equativ

Best for: Both advertisers and publishers who want to connect

Equativ operates as a marketplace for customers, with both DSP and SSP products. They have spent two decades building ad servers and working directly with advertisers, publishers, broadcasters, and rights owners to fully understand the whole scope of modern programmatic advertising. They offer an advertising marketplace, monetization solutions for publishers, and business scaling services.

5. Jampp

Best for: Mobile companies who want to grow their business

Jampp is tailor-made for mobile companies like gamers, anyone promoting in-app activations, those targeting ecommerce shoppers, and more. Jampp uses contextual and behavioral signals to forecast in-app conversions. They build and rotate creatives to exceed goals and provide deep insights via their campaign performance dashboards.

Why do you need a demand-side platform?

Using a DSP has advantages and disadvantages—and each platform is a little different. It’s important to understand your options before investing in this type of software.

Pros of using a DSP

• Efficiency: If you’re managing campaigns across many networks, a DSP allows you to view and adjust all of your advertising from one dashboard. This allows advertisers to reach and activate customers at scale.

• Data: Many DSPs partner with third-party data providers to offer advertisers as much information as possible. Often, it’s more than a single network can provide. Additionally, there are many demand side platforms that allow advertisers to import their own data from a CRM or a DMP (data management platform).

• Targeting: More data gives advertisers pinpoint targeting capabilities. Better targeting means more personalized ads and landing pages, which means a higher likelihood of conversion.

• Support: Often, DSPs provide support beyond the traditional help desk-style customer support of a single network.

• High-quality inventory: DSPs will have access to the major networks and then some. If you’re after more premium inventory, a demand-side platform may be what you’re looking for. Some have more access than others, though, so it’s important to compare offerings before you pick one.

Cons of using a DSP

• Cost: DSPs can require significant investment, so it’s important to understand the minimum monthly or campaign spend required before selecting an option. A managed DSP, such as The Amazon Managed Services DSP, may require $35,000 ad spend or more. A self-serve option may only require $3,000 – $12,000 for a campaign but needs a greater investment of time to manage the process.

• Complexity: Whenever you aggregate data, you run the risk of overcomplicating things. Some advertisers may find demand-side platforms too complex to learn. In this case, sticking with individual online advertising channels makes sense.

• Time: You need to be prepared to invest time up-front to learn and incorporate new software into your tech stack. Alexa Wieczorek, Growth Marketing Manager at Electronic Arts, says that “DSPs can take 1-2 months or more to ramp up, especially if it’s in-house where you develop your own bidding algorithm.”

The basics of programmatic advertising

Let’s say a marketing manager visits your demo landing page. She didn’t request a demo, but she’s expressed interest in your product by visiting your page. This makes her more valuable to you than somebody who’s never visited your website or interacted with your brand.

In that case, your DSP will likely bid higher for her impression. Whether you win the bid will depend on how valuable this impression is to other businesses. Maybe this same person abandoned her cart on an ecommerce website. If that’s the case, the ecommerce website may bid more to serve an ad that gets her to the checkout page. It all depends on the budget of the bidder and the value of the impression.

This process is facilitated automatically by the SSP, DSP, and the ad exchange between advertisers and publishers.

Get the most out of your tech stack

For some businesses, a demand-side platform can increase efficiency and their broader reach to prospects across multiple ad exchanges, including more premium digital ad inventory. For advertisers or media buyers who don’t have a large advertising budget, the cost and complexity of a DSP may outweigh the benefits. In this case, using a small number of individual platforms, such as Google and Facebook, will likely be sufficient.

No matter how you manage your digital advertising, getting the most out of your ad spend requires connecting all of your ads to relevant, optimized landing pages. Find out how easy it can be to create landing pages for all your advertising campaigns and audiences by signing up for the Instapage 14-day trial today.

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Email marketing is a powerful tool for brands to connect with their audience, it also serves as a great tool for community building and helps you accomplish some serious financial gains. According to a report by ConstantContact, brands make $36 for every dollar they spend on email marketing. But, in order to ensure success your email marketing effort hinges on a crucial factor: a robust, engaged, and ever-growing email list.

In today’s blog, we will explore the relationship between email marketing and landing pages. Keep reading to uncover the strategies and tactics that can supercharge your email list-building efforts.

How email marketing and landing pages work together

Before diving into effective tactics, it’s important to understand why landing pages are so pivotal to a robust email list. Think about it like this: landing pages serve as the gateway to your email list.

The pages are strategically designed with a single purpose: to capture valuable information from your visitors, most notably their email addresses. These pages are typically linked to a specific campaign, promotion, or offer, and they play a pivotal role in channeling your audience toward the goal of becoming subscribers.

A focused email landing page can set the scene, introduce your brand and your offer, and build up to the climactic moment when the visitor becomes a subscriber. Without a dedicated landing page, campaigns to drive subscribers may fall flat—and don’t even get us started on a list-building strategy that only focuses on including sign-up opportunities in your website’s footer.

What makes landing pages so effective at building your email list?

As we mentioned above, landing pages possess a unique set of qualities that make them the perfect catalysts for email list growth. We’ll break down these characteristics, focusing on how they can capture the attention of your audience, increase brand exposure, and entice potential subscribers with special offers.

• Focused attention: Unlike sending someone to your homepage, the path to subscribe is clear and you can clearly outline the benefits of subscribing to your newsletter content. It’s important to keep the visitor’s attention on a single, compelling call-to-action (CTA).This focused approach significantly increases the chances of converting a casual website visitor into a committed email subscriber.
• Brand exposure: Landing pages also provide an opportunity to create a consistent and immersive brand experience. They align seamlessly with your email campaign’s messaging and design, reinforcing brand recognition and trust. You can highlight social proof, and your brand pillars, and even share exclusive content that a visitor could only receive by subscribing.
• Special offers: Finally you can leverage tailored offers and incentives, such as exclusive discounts, downloadable resources, or early access to content. These incentives serve as the currency for gaining entry into your email list. You can also create landing pages to reach specific audience segments. For example, if your ad campaign is targeting marketing executives you may share a discount for a popular industry event to sign up. Alternatively, if you’re targeting someone newer in their career your offer may be a beginner’s guide to creating a marketing campaign.

3 steps to building your email lists with landing pages

Now that we’ve explored the connection between building your email list and landing pages, let’s dive into three actionable steps that will propel your email list growth.

Building an effective landing page strategy begins with these three critical steps, each designed to create a seamless path for visitors to become loyal subscribers.

Step #1 Define your goal and audience:

Before you start designing your landing page, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your objectives and who you’re targeting.

• The goal: What specific action do you want visitors to take on this landing page? In this case, it’s signing up for your email list, but perhaps it’s more specific as well such as a specific conversion rate or subscriber goal. Be specific about your goal, as it will guide the entire design and content creation process.
• The audience: Who is your target audience for this landing page? What are their demographics, interests, and pain points? Understanding your audience allows you to tailor your message and offer to resonate with them.

Once you answer these questions, you can begin crafting the design and copy on your page, which will directly speak to your audience and allow you to achieve your goal.

Bonus Tip: Don’t forget, that you can create multiple landing pages with multiple offers that can entice multiple sections of your audience.

Step #2 Establish your offer

The first step in building your landing page is to define and craft your offer. This offer is the catalyst that will entice visitors to take the leap and join your email list. Here are a few compelling offer strategies:

• Free Tool or Resource: Knowledge is power, and providing your audience with valuable tools or resources can be an excellent way to gain their trust and commitment. Whether it’s an e-book, a template, a checklist, or access to premium content, these offerings establish you as an authority in your niche.
• Early Access to Content: Whether it’s granting subscribers a sneak peek of your upcoming article, video, or product launch, landing pages act as the platform for this exclusive invitation. The allure of being among the first to experience something new can be a powerful motivator to opt in.
• Coupon or Discount Code: Special promotions that make subscribing a no-brainer for price-conscious consumers. Your landing page becomes the gateway to exclusive savings, and in return, you gain a valuable email address for your list.

Step #3 Design and optimize your landing page

A well-thought-out design and layout can make the difference between a high-converting landing page and one that fails to engage your audience. Here are some design and optimization tips to ensure your landing page shines and helps you reach your campaign goals:

• Form optimization: If your email sign-up involves a form, make it user-friendly by asking for only essential information. A shorter form often leads to higher conversion rates. Try just collecting their email address!
• Loading speed: Ensure your landing page loads quickly. Slow loading times can lead to high bounce rates.
• Mobile responsiveness: Ensure that your landing page is mobile-responsive, as many visitors may access it from smartphones and tablets.
• A/B testing: Continuously optimize your landing page by conducting A/B tests. Experiment with different headlines, CTA button colors, form fields, and layouts to determine what resonates best with your audience.
• Thank-you page: After visitors sign up, redirect them to a thank-you page where you can provide additional information or guide them to take another action, such as following your social media accounts.

By following these three essential steps—defining your goal and audience, crafting a compelling offer, and designing and optimizing your landing page—you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful landing page that effectively drives email sign-ups and helps you grow your subscriber list.

Promote your landing page

But, it isn’t enough to have the perfect landing page. You need to ensure you have effective promotion tactics, both organic and paid, that push your campaign to as many potential subscribers as possible! Here are some tactics to get your promotion plan off the ground:

Organic

Promote on social media: Leverage the power of your social platforms to share your campaign landing page. Craft engaging posts that highlight the benefits of subscribing to your newsletter and include a link to the landing page.

Promote on your website: Ensure that an option to subscribe is prominently featured on your website. Consider placing a call-to-action (CTA) or a banner on your homepage or relevant pages that direct visitors to the landing page. Make it easily accessible in your website’s navigation menu or in the footer.

Share in groups: Identify online communities, forums, or social media groups related to your niche or industry. Participate actively in these communities and, when appropriate, share your landing page link in a helpful and non-spammy manner. Ensure that your offer aligns with the group’s interests.

Paid

Retargeting: Implement retargeting campaigns to re-engage visitors who have previously interacted with the landing page but didn’t convert into subscribers. Display ads to these individuals across various online platforms, reminding them of the value of your newsletter and encouraging them to sign up.

Email signature: Don’t forget to include a link to your subscription landing page in your email signature. Every email you send becomes an opportunity to promote your newsletter and encourage sign-ups, especially when communicating with potential subscribers.

Cross-promotion: Explore partnerships with complementary brands or newsletters to cross-promote each other’s landing pages or newsletters. This mutually beneficial strategy can help both parties grow their email lists.

As you venture forth into the realm of email list growth, armed with insights, tactics, and the passion to connect, remember that each email address you acquire represents a potential advocate, a loyal customer, and a vital piece of your brand’s success puzzle.

If you’re ready to create optimized landing pages that will build, nurture, and grow your email list, sign up for an Instapage 14-day free trial.

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In today’s digital age, encountering mid-roll ads while watching videos on platforms like YouTube or Facebook is common. You may be watching a video about summer adventures and encounter an advertisement for a nearby water park. Alternatively, while exploring industry-related content, you may see an ad for software promising to streamline your workflow.

Effective placement of ads within videos is an art that, when done right, engages viewers rather than repelling them. This article offers insights into modern mid-roll advertising practices and includes examples from industry leaders.

What are Mid-Roll Ads?

Mid-roll ads are videos inserted within the middle of content rather than preceding or following the main video content. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook have embraced mid-roll ads as part of their advertising ecosystem, offering advertisers a unique way to engage audiences.

Initially met with skepticism and slow adoption, mid-roll ads experienced a popularity surge. This innovative format has even surpassed pre-roll ads in terms of completion rates, with an impressive 90% of viewers watching these ads through to the end. The allure of mid-roll ads lies in their potential to blend into the viewer experience, enhancing overall engagement seamlessly.

Automated Placements: A Growing Trend

Automatic placements involve the algorithmic positioning of ads at points where viewers are more likely to engage. As machine learning algorithms improve, creators increasingly rely on these automated placements. However, many creators still opt for manual placements, allowing them to integrate ads into content breaks they’ve planned strategically.

For advertisers, meticulous consideration of ad placement throughout the creation process is paramount. If selectivity is your approach, identify channels that offer mid-roll placements and their specifics. Like any ad, maintaining engagement and conciseness is crucial, especially considering that mid-roll ads play in the middle of other content.

Ad Specifications

Mid-roll YouTube ads are optimized for mobile and desktop, negating the need for specific device considerations. Complying with video best practices is essential, including using appropriate audio and video quality and adhering to platform guidelines. Contextual relevance is also critical for mid-roll ads, and choices such as skippable or unskippable formats depend on factors like video placements, target audience, and objectives.

For instance, on YouTube:

• Minimum video length: 12 seconds (15 to 20 seconds for non-skippable mid-roll ads, depending on region).
• Maximum video length: 3 minutes for skippable ads.
• Format: MP4 recommended or any YouTube-compliant format.
• Resolution: 640×360 or 480×360.
• Video length: Must be over 10 minutes, hosted on YouTube.
• Must have manually placed or automatically generated ad breaks.

On Facebook (In-Stream Ads):

• Aspect ratio: 16:9 to 9:16; 16:9 recommended.
• Resolution: Highest possible.
• Video file size: Up to 4GB.
• Video length: 5 to 15 seconds.
• Video captions: Optional.
• Video sound: Recommended.
• Format: Most accepted.

Crafting Effective Mid-Roll Ads

A successful mid-roll ad retains its audience’s attention. Poorly executed ads can alienate viewers with untimely interruptions. However, understanding the difference between successful and unsuccessful ads is crucial. Offensive or disruptive advertising practices have always been detrimental, especially in the mid-roll format.

Mid-Roll Ad Best Practices:

1. Place your content appropriately: Google’s algorithm is becoming adept at automatic mid-roll placements. Creators can trust Google to insert relevant or inoffensive ads in viewer-friendly spots. Manual ad breaks can provide even more control over placement.

In some cases, when the author of the content elects to use automatic ad breaks, YouTube will elect to show a mid-roll video ad or another ad during this time, depending on user engagement. So if you want more control over your mid-roll ad placement, use manual ad breaks.

2. Make the ad match the content, the audience, or both: Advanced targeting tools ensure ads align with viewers’ preferences. However, carefully consider the context of the content where your ads are displayed. Match your ad with the audience’s interests or content themes by answering the following questions:

• What channels are more likely to find a larger portion of my target audience?
• Does this channel have a user base I’m NOT trying to target?
• Would a user watching this video be interested in seeing my ad during the video?
• How should I cater to an audience that is already viewing other content?

3. Consider your goals: While non-skippable ads can maximize exposure, advertisers should be aware of the context their ads are shown to ensure that brand awareness is introduced positively. Think about how you want someone to be introduced to your brand. Would you want them to be interrupted, mid-engagement with other content, and unable to skip the message? That would leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth. Above all, you don’t want to turn away prospects who may convert for you later. Non-skippable ads have their place, just give them careful thought before implementing.

Getting Ready for Mid-Roll Advertising

Prioritizing non-intrusiveness and utility in digital ads is crucial. Consider the placement, timing, and content when crafting messages that resonate with your target audience. By aligning these elements effectively, your ad campaign has the best chance of success. Remember, a well-executed mid-roll ad can seamlessly enrich the viewer’s experience while delivering your brand message.

For that experience to be persistent throughout the user’s journey, your mid-roll ads must employ ad-to-page relevance. In other words, the content that engaged your user should be carried forward from the ad to the landing page. If you’re in need of the best landing page solution the world has to offer, look no further than Instapage! Start your 14-day free trial today and create world-class landing pages that do your mid-roll ads justice.

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As we approach the halfway mark of 2023, marketers must stay ahead of the curve and adapt their strategies to the ever-evolving landscape of the industry. Q3 is just around the corner, and it presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities that your marketing strategy should be adapting to. To help you navigate this dynamic environment successfully, we will be sharing the latest trends that are shaping today’s marketing landscape.

In this trend blog, we will explore three key areas that demand the attention of marketers before the next quarter kicks into high gear. From the rising importance of community marketing to the transformative power of in-person and virtual events, and the integration of AI into organic and paid media, we will delve into the details of each trend, how you can add them to your marketing strategy, and discuss their potential impact on your brand’s success.

Trend #1: Community Marketing

Communities have the power to extend your brand’s reach far beyond your immediate customer base. Engaged community members are more likely to share content, engage in discussions, and refer others to join the community. This organic word-of-mouth marketing can result in a significant increase in brand visibility and attract new customers who align with your brand values and offerings. By leveraging community marketing, you’ll tap into the potential of a wider audience.

Now, let’s dive into a few different kinds of communities that you may want to think about adopting into your strategy…

3 Kinds of Communities You Can Incorporate into Your Marketing Strategy

• Community of Practice: A community of practice, in the context of marketing communities, refers to a group of professionals within the marketing field who come together based on a shared interest and expertise. These communities provide a platform for collaboration, learning, and knowledge sharing among marketers. The unique aspect of a community of practice is that it transcends factors such as customer status, location, or industry. What matters is that members share a common interest and trade, fostering an environment that encourages an exceptional experience and promotes knowledge exchange. The core business outcome that communities of practice can facilitate is supporting new sales or expanding sales in specific areas of a business. By actively engaging with and leveraging the expertise of a marketing community of practice, brands can drive new sales initiatives and foster growth opportunities in their target markets.
• Community of Customers: A community of customers refers to a dedicated space where customers of a brand come together to connect, advocate for the brand, celebrate their love for the company’s products or services, and engage in peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. The primary focus is on fostering a sense of community among customers and helping them succeed in their roles and organizations. Brands that should invest in communities of customers are those looking to strengthen their customer relationships, drive advocacy, and promote product education. Investing in such communities allows brands to tap into the collective knowledge and experiences of their customers, providing a platform for customers to share best practices, tips, and tricks related to using the brand’s products or services. By nurturing a community of customers, brands can enhance customer loyalty and advocacy. Satisfied customers are more likely to renew their subscriptions or make repeat purchases, driving revenue growth. Additionally, advocates within the community can generate referrals and attract new customers, further contributing to business growth.
• Community of Product: The focus is on resolving product-specific questions and fostering peer-to-peer support through conversational platforms like Slack, forums, or other community spaces. Brands that should invest in communities of product are those that want to enhance customer education, increase product adoption, gather valuable product insights from users, and deflect support tickets. These communities are particularly relevant for companies offering complex or specialized products where customers can benefit from shared knowledge and experiences. Investing in a community of product allows brands to leverage the collective knowledge and experiences of their customers, driving customer success, product improvements, and ultimately, positively impacting the bottom line.

Trend #2: In-Person & Virtual Events

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, marketers must embrace a dynamic approach to event strategies by adopting both in-person and digital formats to drive success. In-person events enable face-to-face interactions, fostering authentic connections, and leaving a lasting impression on attendees. In-person events offer the opportunity to showcase products, provide immersive experiences, and establish a strong brand presence. On the other hand, digital events break geographical barriers, reaching a global audience and offering convenience and accessibility. They leverage technology to deliver engaging content, facilitate interactive discussions, and provide valuable data and insights. 

By combining the power of in-person experiences with the reach and scalability of digital platforms, marketers can expand their audience, enhance brand visibility, foster meaningful engagement, and achieve remarkable outcomes. The synergistic effect of these strategies creates a powerful marketing ecosystem that propels brands to new heights in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

3 Ways to Incorporate This Trend into Your Marketing Strategy

• Try out a roadshow series: Incorporating a roadshow event series into your marketing strategy can be a key driver of success. By bringing the event to your audience, it becomes more convenient for them, eliminating the need for extensive travel or time commitments. The smaller scale of roadshow events makes them budget-friendly, allowing you to allocate resources effectively. Moreover, the intimate environment of roadshows fosters meaningful networking and connections, which is a top reason why people value in-person events. This focused atmosphere provides a unique opportunity to engage with attendees on a personal level, building relationships and leaving a lasting impression. By leveraging the benefits of a roadshow event series, you can create a powerful marketing experience that maximizes convenience, fosters connections, and drives success for your brand.
• Invest in pop-up events instead of traditional sponsorships: By bringing the event to your audience’s doorstep, you offer convenience and eliminate the need for extensive travel. Pop-up events require a smaller commitment from attendees, making it easier for them to participate and engage with your brand. The smaller scale of these events also translates to a budget-friendly approach, allowing you to allocate resources efficiently. Moreover, the intimate environment of pop-up events creates a perfect setting for networking and building connections, which is a key factor that draws people to in-person events. By leveraging the benefits of pop-up events, you can provide a unique and memorable experience for your audience, fostering meaningful connections and driving success for your brand.
• Keep digital events on your roster: Incorporating digital-only events into your marketing strategy can be a game-changer for success. With a digital format, a single event can generate a wealth of additional content that can be repurposed and leveraged across various channels. This multiplies the impact of your efforts and provides valuable resources for ongoing marketing campaigns. Digital events also offer the advantage of easier tracking and measurement, allowing you to connect the digital dots and assess their impact on important metrics such as pipeline, revenue, and return on investment (ROI). By consolidating your efforts into digital-only events, you can achieve a greater overall impact compared to siloed marketing initiatives, amplifying your brand’s reach and driving success in the digital realm.

Trend #3: AI for Organic & Paid Strategies

AI provides invaluable capabilities that can significantly enhance your marketing efforts. Embracing AI empowers marketers to leverage data-driven insights, automate time-consuming tasks, and make data-informed decisions, leading to more effective and efficient marketing campaigns with higher returns on investment.

3 Ways to Incorporate This Trend into Your Marketing Strategy

• Leverage AI for content repurposing: Using AI in your content repurposing efforts can greatly support your overall marketing strategy and drive success. By utilizing AI tools, you can transform a pillar asset like a webinar into multiple satellite assets, catering to different audience preferences. With AI transcription, the webinar can be transformed into a blog post, making the content accessible to those who prefer reading. Creating mini-video clips using tools like Canva allows for engaging social media content and appeals to audiences who prefer shorter-form videos. Synthesizing the webinar transcript with AI enables the creation of an infographic, highlighting key takeaways and delivering information visually. AI can even assist in determining the optimal timing to promote the webinar and its satellite assets on social media. By leveraging AI in content repurposing, you ensure that the research, thought leadership, time, and effort invested in the webinar can be enjoyed by your audience in their preferred formats and at their convenience. This comprehensive approach enhances your marketing strategy, maximizes reach, and drives success in engaging your target audience wherever they are.
• Use AI to support your programmatic advertising efforts: Incorporating AI into programmatic advertising can be a game-changer–especially considering the wealth of data involved in this advertising approach. AI can revolutionize keyword generation by producing keywords and search terms beyond your historical usage. By thinking outside the box and using different prompts, AI can help you discover new and impactful keywords to enhance your advertising campaigns. With AI-powered keyword suggestions, you can expand your targeting and reach a wider audience. The ability to continuously test and optimize these AI-generated keywords further enhances the effectiveness of your programmatic advertising efforts. By leveraging AI in programmatic advertising, you can tap into its vast potential to uncover fresh insights and optimize your advertising strategy for optimal results.
• Implement AI to find the best place for your ads: Adding AI into paid advertising placement efforts can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns. With AI algorithms analyzing real-time data, you can optimize the placement of advertisements effortlessly. These algorithms consider various factors, including website context, user behavior, and ad performance, to make instantaneous decisions on the best placement for each impression. By leveraging AI’s dynamic optimization capabilities, your ads are shown in the most relevant and impactful positions, maximizing the chances of capturing users’ attention and ultimately driving conversions. With AI’s ability to adapt and optimize in real-time, you can ensure that your paid advertisements are consistently displayed in the most strategic locations, resulting in improved campaign performance and overall marketing success.

In this blog, we have explored three pivotal areas that demand your attention before Q3 takes off. From the growing significance of community marketing to the transformative potential of in-person and virtual events, and the integration of AI into both organic and paid media, we have delved deep into each trend, equipping you with actionable insights to enrich your H2 2023 marketing strategy. By embracing these trends, you will open up new avenues for success and establish your brand as a frontrunner in the ever-evolving marketing sphere.

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AI, influencer marketing, short-form videos—these are just a few of the digital advertising trends marketers are excited about in 2023. We’ve compiled the top five trends you need to reach new heights with your return on ad spend this year.

Digital advertising trend #1: Artificial intelligence (AI)

Advancements in machine learning have extended the capabilities of advertisers. Once-skeptical marketers are now using AI to enhance a multitude of campaign components.

According to Statista, the global AI software market revenue will reach $126 billion by 2025:

AI automation empowers humans with superhuman capabilities. It’s not about replacing sentient work, it’s about embracing collaborative intelligence. You can find artificial intelligence at play in the following digital advertising areas:

1. Personalization: AI-powered algorithms can analyze consumer data and personalize ad experiences for individual users.
2. Targeting: AI can help identify the right target audience for an ad and place it in front of the most relevant users.
3. Marketing automation: AI adds layers to your marketing automation and helps measure and analyze campaign success with less manual work.
4. Optimization: AI optimizes ad campaigns based on performance metrics like click-through and conversion rates.
5. Predictive analytics: AI can use data and algorithms to predict consumer behavior and inform ad strategies.
6. Fraud detection: AI can help detect and prevent ad fraud, such as fake clicks and impressions.

One major company using AI to optimize its digital advertising is Procter & Gamble. The company’s AI system analyzes data and behavior to identify effective ad placement. It also optimizes campaigns and can assist with programmatic ad buying and audience targeting.

Digital marketing is all about reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time. Artificial intelligence is helping advertisers do this in fewer steps with more impact.

Digital advertising trend #2: Short-form videos

Short-form video is sticking around as consumers continue to demand engaging, visually-rich content. Advertisers can create impactful and memorable experiences that connect with viewers in just seconds.

Ad platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are more popular than ever as they provide marketers with new opportunities to reach younger audiences and create highly engaging content.

General Electric uses short-form vertical videos to engage prospects:

The main short-form video formats advertisers like GE are using this year include:

1. Vertical videos: With smartphones firmly here to stay, vertical videos give an optimal view on mobile devices. They are also the expected format for platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
2. Interactive videos: Gamified ads, quizzes, and polls allow users to engage with digital advertising—and are nearly impossible to resist.
3. Live videos: Marketers can connect with audiences in real-time via live videos that foster immediate engagement.
4. Ephemeral content: Disappearing videos and photos create a sense of exclusivity and urgency that connects with viewers on an emotional level.

Digital advertising trend #3: Realist influencer marketing

Influencer marketing continues to evolve as brands seek more authentic and impactful campaigns to connect with consumers. Expect to see micro-influencers, transparency, and integrated campaigns shape influencer marketing trends in 2023.

There will also be a decrease in costly celebrity endorsements and a growth in popularity for micro-influencers on TikTok. Brands have realized that even users with small followings can have a powerful impact. As long as the content is in line with the brand’s values, its followers will have faith in it and take action.

For instance, Toyota partnered with a travel micro-influencer to promote their 4Runner:

Here are some of the realist influencer marketing trends expected to take over this year:

1. Micro-influencers: Individuals with smaller, but super engaged followings are micro-influencers. Brands partner with them because they offer a more personalized connection for audiences.
2. Authenticity and transparency: Consumers are more discerning and demand more authenticity and transparency in influencer marketing. Savvy brands are partnering with influencers who align with their values and are transparent about sponsored content.
3. Influencer-generated content: User-generated content (UGC), like posts and reviews from micro-influencers, builds trust with audiences. Brands can leverage this type of UGC in social ad campaigns.
4. Integrated campaigns: Influencer marketing is becoming more integrated into overall marketing strategies. Influencer campaigns now go beyond social media, reaching email, and even traditional media.
5. Long-term partnerships: Brands want ongoing relationships that create a consistent presence for their audience. Long-term influencer relationships are now more desirable than one-off collaborations.

Digital advertising trend #4: Audio marketing

As consumers listen to more audio content on a variety of platforms and devices, brands look to reach consumers through these channels.

Advertisers are using audio marketing to offer users a more personal and engaging experience through:

1. Podcast advertising: The popularity of podcasts is now established. Brands advertising on these platforms reach a captive and engaged audience.
2. Voice-activated assistants: Voice-activated assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant, are more widespread. They offer a new way for brands to reach consumers through audio content.
3. Interactive audio experiences: Choose-your-own-adventure style podcasts create an engaging and immersive experience for consumers. Brands are experimenting with these interactive audio experiences to capture new audiences.
4. Increased production value: Brands are investing in high-quality audio production to create polished and engaging experiences. Professional voice actors and sound effects are common elements of audio marketing.

Even publications like The Washington Post have moved to audio-first digital marketing to grab audiences’ attention:



Digital advertising trend #5: AV product marketing

With consumers demanding immersive and interactive experiences, expect audio-visual (AV) product marketing to grow.

Here are some of the ways brands are using AV in their advertising:

1. Virtual and augmented reality: Brands are immersing consumers in their world by leveraging virtual and augmented reality.
2. 360-degree product videos: Consumers get a comprehensive product overview with 360-video that fully showcases features.
3. Interactive product demonstrations: Virtual try-ons and 360-degree product tours allow consumers to interact with products and see how they work up close.
4. Product-focused podcasts and audio experiences: Consumers get an in-depth look at products and how they work through branded podcasts and audio experiences.

Panasonic Connect’s AV experience is an excellent example of AV product marketing. It provides users with an immersive experience that’s both engaging and educational.

With these five trends in your arsenal, you’ll be well-prepared for a successful year of digital advertising in 2023. Refresh your strategy and put these ideas into action to secure increased sales, brand loyalty, and a higher ROAS.

If you’re ready to start your digital marketing campaign right in 2023, start with creating optimized landing pages. Sign up for an Instapage 14-day free trial to see how our platform can significantly improve your ROAS and streamline your landing page creation process.

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Demo includes AdMap™, Personalization, AMP,

Global Blocks, heatmaps & more.

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