As we wave goodbye to 2021, we say hello to another year full of potential and success.

While the new year may mark the end of Q4 and the holiday seasons, it’s not the end of your digital marketing strategy. Going into the new year with a strong marketing plan is just as important as going into the holiday season with one. Q1 is the perfect time for reflection and growth and we’re here today to share with you 6 ways in which you can kick-start your digital marketing strategy in 2021!

 

Email Marketing

 

Email marketing is a great tool that allows you to retain a loyal customer base and discover new winning audiences. It’s a great way to keep customers up to date with your business, any offers you have, and new products you plan to launch. With email marketing, it’s important you remain strategic and effective, and to do this, you can set up email flows and campaigns. You can easily collect the email addresses of your visitors from your landing pages or previous sales.

 

 

Social Media 

 

What better time to up your social media game than the new year? Social media is definitely the one place you cannot neglect when it comes to your marketing strategy. You can use social media to excite customers about upcoming products, offers, services, etc. It’s estimated that 3.6 billion people currently use social media and by 2025, this is projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion. That’s a LOT of people you could be reaching.

 

Something that goes hand in hand with this is your content. Content is a big must when it comes to social media. Platforms like Instagram are huge for businesses nowadays, as younger generations tend to engage with content now more than they do words. Take some time to work on your content. Put together an effective plan – we promise, it’ll pay off.

 

New Year/Boxing Day Sale

 

Take advantage of the season! The new year calls for sales. People are always after a bargain and the new year is the perfect time to experiment with this. Sales bring in more customers and encourage people to buy when they might not have before. This is a great way to kick off sales and start the new year on a high with extra conversions!

Get to grips with SEO (Search engine optimisation)

 

Building an SEO strategy for your business is absolutely essential and requires hard work and a lot of technicalities that do pay off. SEO is what brings visitors to your site organically, and if you have a strong strategy in place, you rank higher in search results. If this is something you can do in-house, that’s great, but even outsourcing this work can provide many benefits to your business!

 

Facebook Ads

If you haven’t dabbled in Facebook ads before, now is a great time to start. Facebook is a great platform and has many features ANY business can utilise to their advantage. You can reach relevant audiences and visitors who are interested in your brand and fit the demographics of your customer profiles.  You can also examine your analytics across all platforms and determine which audiences you want to target, what key locations you want to look at, what age range, etc. You can use all this relevant information to refine your campaigns and heavily increase your conversions.

 

Most paid ad platforms offer retargeting services, allowing you to target website visitors, people who have engaged with your posts, and so on. This will allow you to retain those valuable customers who have expressed some interest in your product/service.

 

Revisit what worked well last year and what didn’t 

 

And last but not least, reflection. Looking back at this year and determining what worked and what didn’t is the most important step in building a successful marketing strategy for 2021. What content did you see perform? What audiences engaged the most? What products/services sold the most? Answering all of these questions will give you a better understanding of what works for your business and what doesn’t and will allow you to build an effective strategy for the new year.

 

 

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish our readers, clients, and employees a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. We hope this post had been helpful, and if you’re still feeling unsure about your marketing strategy for the new year, get in touch today. We can help you smash those 2022 business goals.

 

 

It’s Christmas! Well, not yet, but you can certainly see it’s getting closer. Whether it’s the invasion of Christmas songs on the radio, adornment of lights in the streets or the sudden presence of mince pies in every supermarket aisle, the festive season is steadily approaching. That also means that a new batch of Christmas campaigns is being wheeled out by the top brands.

 

We all know the drill by now; slow, acoustic covers of massive songs, tear-jerking stories and sometimes even a few laughs. However, there are always a few that stand out from the rest, so stick with us as we go through the best Christmas campaigns of 2021!

 

 

John Lewis

 

Of course, no Christmas marketing round-up would be complete without Joh Lewis. The department store has become famous for its festive ads. Over the years they’ve tugged at the nation’s heartstrings with short narratives filled with emotional twists and turns, ultimately guiding us towards buying a cuddly toy or woolly jumper.

 

This year, their ad is literally out of this world, with a short story focussing on an alien girl who crashes to earth during Christmas. It’s a pseudo-E.T set-up, one that lacks much of the charm of previous John Lewis. However, it’s still impressive to see the brand pump out stories that connect with customers year after year.

 

Sports Direct

 

It wouldn’t be Christmas without the various sporting goods brands pulling out world-class line-ups for their campaigns. While there have been a few good ones, we think Sports Direct’s effort takes first place this year.

 

To start, there are a plethora of sports stars on display here, including the likes of Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Emma Raducanu. The premise involves these athletes competing in the most star-studded snowball fight in history. There are plenty of great moments, such as Raducanu serving a snowball straight into Grealish’s back. It’s a nice bit of festive fun perfect for this time of year.

 

Aldi

 

Kevin the Carrot has become an unlikely mascot over the years, with the sentient vegetable capturing hearts up and down the country. This ad parodies Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol and features a host of characters based on fruit and veg. This includes Ebanana Scrooge and Marcus Radishford, played by Marcus Rashford himself.

 

While it’s humorous and more than a little bit silly, there is a good message behind all the laughs. Aldi partnered with children’s charity Bernardo’s for this campaign and Rashford’s presence drives the point home: Christmas isn’t just about the getting, it’s the giving that really counts.

 

M&S

 

After taking a break from saving civilians and swinging through the streets of New York City, Tom Holland has landed another iconic role; Percy Pig! He’s not the only famous face in the ad either, with the Vicar of Dibley herself Dawn French getting involved.

 

They do a great job of bringing the story to life, but the true stars of the show are the various dishes taken from M&S’ festive range. They are shown in delicious detail and, with the spotlight firmly on them, make a great case for taking centre stage on your Christmas dinner!

 

Disney

 

It should be no surprise that the master of family-friendly animation has delivered a wonderful festive ad. This is one of the few stories to be part of a wider narrative as well, as it continues the story told in their 2020 campaign. It sees a new stepdad adjust to family life with his wife, who incidentally was the little girl from last year’s ad, and her children.

 

There are numerous emotional beats, with a lot of references to Disney franchises like Frozen, Mickey Mouse and more. However, the standout here is the gorgeous animation, which could easily be used in any full-feature length film from the brand. It doesn’t do too much to push a product as such, but it is a wonderful display of the storytelling they are capable of.

 

Build a Better Voice with Social Nucleus

 

You may not have the resources to make a small motion picture, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create your own effective campaigns. One of the most effective ways to draw customers to your brand during Christmas and beyond is through Facebook marketing. However, to make the best of this, you need expert knowledge.

 

At Social Nucleus, we have a dedicated creative team, account managers and digital specialists who can help take your brand’s marketing to the next level. From bespoke copy and content to audience targeting and more, we can help. If you want to know more, get in touch now!

 

Today, most Facebook users access the app via mobile. This means, in order to maximise success, your Facebook ads need to be optimised for mobile use.

Today’s post is going to cover everything you need to know about creating content for a mobile world, through using high-quality creatives in your campaigns.

• Videos

Movement can make your ads significantly more eye-catching and by utilising videos where you can, you can connect with audiences across all platforms. You don’t need to spend loads to produce a show-stopping video. Simple bits of content such as animations and GIFs can work very well, depending on your brand.

• Aspect Ratios

When optimising your Facebook ads for mobile, ensure your videos and images aspect ratios are adjusted accordingly. You want to cover as much of the screen as possible to grab users’ attention.

• Ad placements

In order to get the very most out of your Facebook ads, you should use automatic placements. Automatic placements allow Facebook to use machine learning tools to determine where your ads will be the most effective across all channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, and Messenger. This ensures you make the most out of your budget and viewability on the platform.

• Branding

When it comes to optimising your Facebook ads for mobile, it’s important to remember that the first few seconds of your ad matter the most. The most effective mobile video ads include branding in the first few seconds. You must remember to convey your brand’s key message in the first 3-5 seconds in order to grab attention and make your ads easy to understand.

In order to increase brand awareness and ad recall lift, you should aim to show your brand or product at the start AND end of your video. We recommend using colours and themes that communicate your brand throughout the video.

• Sound

Surprisingly, many people choose to watch videos with the sound off – likely in public places. Mobile ads that work best when designed for sound on and off. To do this, you can include text overlay/captions where possible. This makes your ads more visually appealing and ensures they have a clear focal point and message.

• Attention

It’s well known that people consume content quickly via mobile. For this reason, it’s important that you grab consumers’ attention in the first few seconds. You should aim to make an impact as quickly as possible. A few ways you can do this include moving images, as they are usually more eye-catching. You can also bring the most exciting frame to the front of your feed ads.

 

So, there you have it. Everything you need to know about creating optimised mobile ads in order to maximise your campaign success! Follow these best practices to get the most out of your ads.

Still feel like you need some extra help? Get in touch today to find out how we can level up your Facebook ads!

When publishing Facebook Ads, you obviously want to see the best results possible. However, if they aren’t even being delivered in the first place, then this can be a little bit difficult.

 

There are a number of reasons why your ads might not be delivered, and most are fairly straightforward to fix. If you want to know the reasons why your Facebook Ads aren’t delivering they’re being rejected in the first place, don’t worry, we’ve highlighted the most common reasons below, as well as how to fix them!

 

You’ve reached your spending limit

 

Let’s start with a simple problem that seems silly, but one that actually affects many businesses. When running ads, you will have to set a spending limit that runs across the whole ad account. When this limit is reached, your ads will no longer be shown on Facebook.

 

The good news is that this is very easy to fix. All you have to do is go to the Billing & Payment Methods tab in Ads Manager, where you will be able to see your current spending limit. Simply edit, reset or remove the figure and your ads will start delivering again.

 

Your ads aren’t scheduled correctly

 

Again, this problem might seem like something you’d spot immediately, but it is a surprisingly common issue. If you’ve scheduled ads for a specific time and date, then Facebook will only run them during that timeframe.

 

If you have a campaign that is scheduled to run in the future or one that has already passed its end date, then all you need to do is change the specified time.

 

Your ads violate Facebook’s policies

 

This issue is slightly more serious than the previous ones we’ve looked at and trickier to fix as a result. If your ad doesn’t meet Facebook’s advertising standards, then it will be rejected outright. This happens to a lot of businesses because Facebook is extremely strict with what they will allow on ads.

 

Restricted or prohibited content, such as depictions of violence, weapons or vulgar language are the easiest issues to spot, but sometimes things like misleading ads, fake offers or even irrelevant landing pages can see your ads rejected.

 

Brands or businesses that are advertising for special purposes, such as political campaigns or social causes, will be limited purely because of their grouping, so make sure this is correct before querying rejected ads.

 

If you’re not sure why your ads have been rejected or believe they have been marked incorrectly, then you can appeal to Facebook. They will then reinstate the ads if the appeal is successful.

 

In the case that your ads are still rejected, you will have to make the required changes. Facebook will give a reason for why your ads were rejected initially, such as inappropriate copy or content, so you will have to change the offending aspects and then resubmit the ads.

 

 

The ads have limited engagement

 

Making your ads as engaging for users isn’t just desirable for their experience, as Facebook can hinder your campaigns if they aren’t connecting with your targeted audience. This is why you need to pay attention to your Ad Relevance Diagnostics.

 

This will allow you to see the Quality, Engagement Rate and Conversion Rate for your ads. Essentially, you can use this to quantify how good your ads are when compared with others in the same audience, whether they are as engaging and ultimately determine if they are getting competitive conversion rates.

 

When looking at your scores, you should target ads with a ‘low’ ranking, as getting these into the ‘average’ category is more beneficial than moving ones already rated average into the above-average section.

 

Using the diagnostics, you can see which specific areas need work. For example, if you are having trouble with conversion rates, then you need to focus on your post-click experience, such as the landing page you are directing users to, or even re-examine your targeted audience.

 

The ads are stuck in review

 

We’ve already covered how Facebook reviews every ad before they go live, but what if you’re having issues with the process itself? Facebook advises that the review process should take 24 hours, but that it may be longer in some cases.

 

On holidays such as Christmas or Black Friday, Facebook will be inundated with ads to review, so the process may take longer across the board. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to speed the review process up. However, there are preparations you can make to ensure this isn’t an issue.

 

You can schedule your ads ahead of time, which means that they will already be reviewed at the point you need them live. However, if you make changes to the targeting, creatives, optimisation or billing event, then they will need to be reviewed again.

 

Let Social Nucleus Help

 

As you can see, a comprehensive knowledge is required to ensure Facebook ads are simply being delivered. We haven’t even mentioned how to optimise these ads for best results or the importance of having a cohesive, multi-channel marketing strategy. The short of it is that it’s very complicated to run effectively on your own, especially when you’re dealing with all the other aspects of owning a business.

 

With that in mind, why not let the experts help? At Social Nucleus, we have an account manager, digital specialists and a creative time who can oversee every aspect of your Facebook Ads marketing. We work in Scrum formation, which means you’ll get a dedicated team who will work to ensure your ads are providing the best results possible. . If you’d like to take your advertising to the next level, get in touch and start connecting with your audience now.

Black Friday is almost here, and it’s arguably the biggest event for eCommerce store owners. It’s one of the easiest times to maximise conversions and drive sales, but to do so effectively, you need to allow room for preparation and planning.

 

Today’s post is going to walk you through some of our top industry tips and secrets that you can implement, before, during, and after Black Friday.

 

Before Black Friday

 

The period before Black Friday is arguably the most important. You want to make sure your strategy is planned, and this involves creatives and the channels you want to focus on.

 

• A warmup

 

In the weeks leading up to Black Friday, it’s likely that customers are going to be less willing to splash their cash. This is a great time for you to push brand awareness campaigns to drive people to your website. You want to get people talking about and sharing your brand before the big day.

 

Doing this also allows you to build a bank of vital customer data that you can utilise before the event. It’s a great way to get an idea of the people clicking on your ads and to re-engage any cold audiences.

 

• Optimise your site for conversions

 

Before Black Friday, you want to make sure your site is optimised for conversions. User experience, site speed and the checkout process are all areas you want to look at.

 

Your site needs to be fast, and easy to navigate as slow websites are almost guaranteed to lose you the sale.

 

Making sure your checkout process runs as smoothly as possible is also crucial to Black Friday success. Ensure there are no sign-up options or unexpected shipping fees. Aim to make the customer journey as smooth as possible to ensure they follow through with their checkout.

 

Something people forget is to optimise their site for mobile. Most customers shop on their phones, so if your site isn’t up to speed, you will lose sales. Ensure you have a responsive design; easy site navigation and a one-click purchase feature.

 

• Pre-approve your paid ads

 

Getting ads approved on Facebook can be a tricky process as it is and becomes even harder and longer during the Black Friday period. We recommend having your ads built and send for approval at least two weeks before Black Friday.

This gives you enough time to make any necessary changes for them to be approved and run smoothly.

 

During Black Friday

 

Once all your preparation is done, the hard work isn’t over. There are some things you need to be doing throughout the event to keep on top of sales and conversions.

 

• Keep on top of website optimisation

 

As customers are driven to your website, you’re likely to receive feedback. It’s important that you listen to this feedback, especially if it concerns site problems which you should fix as soon as possible to retain sales.

 

Perform regular site audits to ensure your customer’s journey is as smooth as possible.

 

• Optimise paid ads

 

Optimising paid ads daily is a vital part of maximising success, even outside of Black Friday. We suggest looking at metrics such as CPM (cost per thousand impressions), CTR (click-through rates), and ROAS (return on ad spend).

 

By measuring these key metrics you’ll be able to effectively analyse your copy, content, audiences, and strategy and realign your findings with your marketing efforts.

 

After Black Friday

 

• Increase customer loyalty

 

After Black Friday, it’s time to focus on retaining customer loyalty and retention. This can be done in a few ways.

 

Firstly, try retargeting ads on paid social channels. Offer customers discount codes and showcase your benefits and USPs. How does your product evolve with the customers and why should they come back for more? Do you offer any add-on products? Now is a great time to push them.

 

You can also increase customer loyalty through your email marketing by offering customers a code to use on their next purchase, encouraging them to come back.

 

• Cyber Monday

 

Making the most out of Cyber Monday is just as important and great for maximising sales before the Christmas period begins.

 

Firstly, you can create a dedicated landing page for your Cyber Monday promotions. By doing this, you provide customers with an easy and stress-free experience in finding the best possible deals. Doing so can also benefit your website in terms of SEO optimisation.

 

You can also increase your ad spend. Doing so makes sure you capitalise on your digital strategy as much as possible.

 

Finally, make sure your email flows are built and ready to send. Although customers were aware of your Black Friday deals, it doesn’t harm to let them know about your Cyber Monday ones. Try adding a hint of exclusivity by letting them know this discount is only for them.

 

 

 

So, there you have it. Our top tips for smashing your Black Friday sales.  It can be a stressful time for marketers but if correct preparation and planning are in place this is a great time to capitalise on some extra sales

 

Not sure how to execute your Black Friday strategy? It’s not too late to get in touch and see how we can help! Book a call with our ad experts today.

 

The advent of social media has made it easier than ever to connect consumers with brands, public figures and more. However, with such an overwhelming number of profiles and pages available online, it can sometimes be a bit tricky for these prospective consumers to find the exact business or figure they are looking for.

 

That’s why knowing how to verify a Facebook business page is absolutely crucial for anybody looking to cement their online presence. If you’re struggling to do this yourself or don’t understand why you even need to, read on, as we’ll explain everything below!

 

What is a verified Page?

 

Let’s start with the basics; what exactly is page verification? Well, whenever you search for a profile or brand on Facebook, you’ll probably find numerous results all with the same name. If a brand is verified, it will carry a blue tick next to the page, which shows that Facebook has registered it as the authentic presence of that brand. This means that any page you see on Facebook with a blue tick has been certified by the social media platform and any posts, stories or other communications come directly from the brand.

 

Why is it important to verify a Facebook business page?

 

As we’ve mentioned above, there may be many other businesses out there that are shown on the same result page as your own. If your page is verified, then potential customers will immediately identify that this is an authentic, trustworthy profile, whilst also making your page stand out from other, similarly named brands.

 

It’s not just the customer psychology standpoint you should pay attention to though, there are several tangible benefits to verifying a business page on Facebook. The first, and perhaps most important of these, is that a verified page will appear at the top of search results when a user enters a search query.

 

This can be especially useful for brands that have numerous sub-pages for specific sections of their brands. It allows users to determine which of your pages is the ‘main’ one, and also ensures it has the most visibility to drive traffic from a general audience.

 

Another positive that comes from having a verified Facebook page is that you’ll have access to new features Facebook might preview ahead of other, unverified public pages. As you can see, there are many critical benefits to verifying your business page.

 

How do I verify a Facebook page?

 

To verify your page, just follow these six simple steps:

 

1. Click this link and fill out the form, or you can navigate to Settings and select Page Verification under the General tab.
2. To get started, make sure you tick the ‘Page’ box and not ‘Profile’, as you’ll be verifying a business page. Choose the page you want to verify through the ‘Select page to verify’ option. Remember, this has to be done by an admin of the chosen page’s business manager.
3. After this, you’ll need to supply Facebook with an attachment of an official document. This could be a utility or phone bill, a certificate of formation, articles of incorporation or any tax documents relating to the business.
4. Fill out the relevant boxes beneath, describing your brand, its audience and why you should be verified.
5. Then provide up to five social media accounts, articles or any other links that will show that your page is in the public interest and is deserving of a verification badge.
6. Click send and the review process will begin. You’ll be able to track the status of your request on the page shown after initially submitting the form.

 

What to do if you can’t verify your business page?

 

If you’re having trouble with verifying your page, don’t panic! This is likely due to an error in the information you submitted. It could be as simple as submitting the wrong type of official document and you can check on this link which documents are accepted in the country your business resides in.

 

Another issue you might have is if the document you sent over is self-filed. Facebook won’t accept these, as the documents must have been certified by someone outside of the organisation, with an official seal or signature. It could also be a problem with actual upload as if the file is blurry, low resolution or corrupted, Facebook won’t accept it. There are many reasons why your page might not have been verified initially, but the good news is that it’s probably just a small issue that can be fixed pretty easily.

 

Need help with your digital marketing?

 

We hope this blog has helped you answer some of the questions around Facebook verification you might have. Of course, this is just one of many things that can have a huge effect on your brand’s online presence. There is a huge number of other considerations you need to make, from branding to ad messaging and audience targeting. If you don’t know where to start, making sure all of these aspects are the best they can be is vital.

 

At Social Nucleus, we can help with all aspects of digital marketing. We have a dedicated creative, with both graphic designers and copywriters, that can help take your messaging to the next level. We also have account managers and digital specialists on hand to make sure your ads are being seen by the right people. If you’d like us to help your business grow, get in touch and start connecting with your audience now.

When you engage someone in a conversation, you can influence the decisions they make. Great conversations are often key to a great marketing campaign and that’s why, with the correct execution, Messenger ads can be the core of successful conversions.

What are Facebook Messenger Ads?

Facebook Messenger Ads are advertising options that either start instant-message conversations with customers or appear within the Messenger app.

There is a huge variety of different ad placements you can choose from, with the ultimate goal of starting an instant message conversation with a prospect. Messenger ads are the best way to connect directly and more importantly, privately with your customers. This interaction often leads to above-average conversion rates.

Let’s have a look at some of the different Messenger Ad options available to you:

Ads that click to Messenger

 You can use standard Facebook display ad placements to start a conversation with your prospect. These ads will appear in the newsfeed, but your CTA button will open up a Messenger conversation, as opposed to taking them to your website for example.

Sponsored messages

This placement allows you to send a sponsored message directly to people who have already chatted with your business via Messenger.

Messenger stories ads

Similarly to Instagram, Messenger story ads are full-screen mobile experiences that appear in the Messenger app. These ads are only available alongside Instagram stories, however.

Messenger inbox ads

Messenger inbox ads appear in the chat tab within the Messenger App. When a user clicks on your ad, they are sent to Messenger with a call-to-action. This will take the user to the destination you chose during the ad creation.

 

Key attributes of conversations

 When it comes to creating effective Messenger ads, there are a few things you should consider before creating your ads. 

• TOV

When you create an authentic voice for your business, people are more likely to engage with you and that goes for all ads, not just Messenger. When thinking about the tone of voice you want to use for your Messenger ads, here are some things to consider:

• How will your voice translate to Messenger?
• Is a conversational approach preferable?
• Should a helpful assistant lead people through your experience?

These are the top 3 things Facebook suggests for creating an effective TOV.

You should consider using a character as the personality for your conversations. This could include bringing a spokesperson to life or partnering with a celebrity.

• Expressive ideas

Your ads are more likely to resonate with people if you show, rather than just tell. Facebook offers a one-of-a-kind experience that can really engage people.

Photos and videos are one way to bring your ads to life using expressive ideas. You could use them to share instructional or exclusive content to up engagement.

• API

With Messenger, you can use API to connect people to your server. You can use this to interpret, connect and unlock new ideas. Using the API and your server, Messenger can act as a virtual switchboard, connecting the people who message you.

You could also use Messenger as a remote control. People can send requests that lead to real-world actions. They could send a gift to a friend, control, or a robotic device.

 

There are many ways you can use Messenger to boost your conversions and engage more potential customers. If you still feel like you need some help with your sponsored Messenger ads, get in touch today to see how we can help!

How to Improve Your Google Ads Quality Score

When it comes to PPC strategies, Google Ads is one of the most important tools at your disposal. The biggest search engine in the world sees 5.6 billion queries a day, and there are a plethora of brands all competing to ensure theirs is the one taking most of that traffic. An effect Google Ads campaign can be incredibly lucrative for any business, but you wonder how you can ensure yours are successful.

One of the best ways is by monitoring and improving your Quality Score. This is a measurement that can ultimately guide you to making better PPC ads and lowering the price of both clicks and conversions. Below, we’ll detail what it is and how you can improve your Google Ads quality score.

What is the Quality Score?

Simply put, the Quality Score is a metric Google uses to determine how your ads compare to other brands on Google. You’ll be given a value of 1-10, with one being the lowest and ten the highest. If your ads are relevant to a user’s search query and offer an effective answer, then you’re much more likely to get a high score. The Quality Score is useful as it can pinpoint certain areas of your campaigns where you may need to improve, such as keyword targeting and landing pages.

Why Your Quality Score Matters

The Quality Score isn’t just an arbitrary number, it’s Google telling you how effective your ads are in the eyes of the prospective customer. The factors it takes into account are key in maximising the success of your campaigns and there is a clear correlation between high-Quality Scores and both low-cost clicks and conversion. The cheaper the cost of conversion, the better your return on investment will be.

How to Improve Google Ads Quality Score

Check the Metrics

Three key elements are taken into consideration when evaluating the score; the expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Each of these is judged independently and given a rating of ‘above average’, ‘average’ or ‘below average’. Using this, you can see which parts of your Google campaigns need work. For example, if your landing page experience is below average, then you may want to focus on creating new ones.

Keyword Research and Targeting

Keywords are immensely important in driving SEO and organic campaigns, and Google Ads is no different. One of the metrics the Quality Score uses is ad relevance and this determines whether your ads are actually relevant to the keywords targeted. If your score is low in this regard, then there are a few things you can do to boost the rating.

The first is to constantly carry out keyword research. While some keywords may be effective when you start actioning your Google strategy, if you don’t seek out new ones then you won’t be able to build upon the initial success. Doing this will not only improve the quality of your own campaigns but may also provide entirely new audiences and angles that your competitors may be missing out on.

Tailor Ad Text

Tailoring ads to the specific search terms and keywords targeted is immensely important. A generic ad is far less effective than one which is made with the audience in mind. If a prospective customer sees ad copy that directly offers the answer they are looking for, then they will be much more likely to click through the link and possibly convert.

Make Ad Copy Engaging

While tailoring your copy to certain audiences and keywords is beneficial, you still need to craft engaging ad text that will entice people to your brand. First, consider what you want the end result of the customer journey to be and modify your call to action accordingly. If it’s simply purchasing a product, then something along the lines of ‘buy now’ is fine, but if you’re trying to get them to sign up for a free trial, then a different CTA is needed.

An effective way of getting people to click the link is by offering a financial incentive in the copy. Simply stating that there’s free delivery can be the difference between someone visiting your site or not.

Craft Effective Landing Pages

We’ve already mentioned this, but it’s crucial enough to warrant its own section. Landing pages are the place you direct your audience to. Because of this, if there are any issues, then they’re going to immediately stand out and put people off. One of the biggest problems is when a landing page isn’t directly connected to the ad they clicked on.

For example, that someone looking for a necklace has clicked one of your ads targeting the keyword ‘necklace’. If they were directed to a catalogue page for general jewellery, as opposed to a page focused on necklaces, they may leave the site quickly as the page isn’t relevant to their specific query.

This is the same for the messaging you use. If the tone and style of your landing pages are completely different to your paid ads, then this may throw people off. Consistency across all of your channels is vital for building brand trust with the consumer.

Let Social Nucleus Help

These steps can help raise your Quality Score and make your Google Ads much more successful. However, this is just one component of a marketing campaign and there are numerous other things you need to consider. If you’re completely neglecting Facebook ads for example, then there is a huge market you’re missing out on.

Of course, running all of these things at the same time is a lot of work, especially if you’re not an expert. If you’re struggling, then Social Nucleus can help! We have account managers, graphic designers and copywriters on hand to take care of every aspect of your digital marketing. If you want to find out more, get in touch and take your PPC campaigns to the next level.

Are you a Facebook ad user? If the answer to that is yes, then there’s one key tool you should start using right away in order to get the most out of your budget … the Facebook Pixel.

One of the greatest benefits of Facebook advertising is the ability to test, track and refine your target ads. The Facebook pixel is a data-gathering tool that helps make the most of your ads across both Facebook and Instagram. If you use Facebook or Instagram ads the pixel needs to be your go-to tool.

What does the Facebook pixel do?

The Facebook pixel is a piece of code that you place on your website and collects data from customers, helping you track conversions, optimise your ads and build more refined remarketing targeted ads in the future.

It works by placing cookies to track your users as they interact with your business both on and off of Facebook and Instagram.

For example, if you swipe up on a product you like the look of on Instagram, you can expect to see a targeted ad for that very thing the next time you open the app. This handy method of retargeting is only possible through using the pixel and is a handy way for us marketers to remind shoppers to come back and buy the items they’ve been looking at.

Facebook pixel standard events

There are 17 standard Facebook pixel events you use:

• Purchase: Someone completes a purchase on your website.
• Lead: Someone signs up for a trial or otherwise identifies themselves as a lead on your site.
• Complete registration: Someone completes a registration form on your site, such as a subscription form.
• Add payment info: Someone enters their payment information in the purchase process on your website.
• Add to cart: Someone adds a product to their shopping cart on your site.
• Add to wish list: Someone adds a product to a wish list on your site.
• Initiate checkout: Someone starts the checkout process to buy something from your site.
• Search: Someone uses the search function to look for something on your site.
• View content: Someone lands on a specific page on your website.
• Contact: Someone contacts your business.
• Customize product: Someone selects a specific version of a product, such as choosing a certain colour.
• Donate: Someone makes a donation to your cause.
• Find location: Someone searches for your business’s physical location.
• Schedule: Someone books an appointment at your business.
• Start trial: Someone signs up for a free trial of your product.
• Submit application: Someone applies for your product, service, or program, such as a credit card.
• Subscribe: Someone subscribes to a paid product or service.

The Facebook Pixel and iOS 14.5

Because of recent changes to third-party tracking in iOS 14.5, some pixel functionality has been disabled for Apple devices. One major change is that advertisers can now only set up a maximum of eight standard events and custom conversions.

Advertisers have had to change the way they think about the pixel as these changes have taken effect.

Why should you install the Facebook pixel?

1- Increase the ROI on your Facebook ad spend – Pixel data helps ensure your ads are seen by the people who are most likely to convert. This allows you to improve your conversion rate and your ROI.

2- Use Facebook conversion tracking – The pixel allows you to see how people interact with your website after viewing your Facebook ad. You will gain a deeper understanding of the customer journey ensuring you get the best conversion tracking data.

3- Create lookalike audiences – using the pixel allows you to use its targeting data, helping you build lookalike audiences of people who have similar likes, interests and demographics to those who have already interacted with your website.



So, there you have it, everything you need to know about the Facebook pixel. Still thinking you need some help setting up your pixel or getting to grips with its benefits? Book a call with our expert team to find out how we can help you get the most out of your Facebook ads.

Content marketing is that essential part of your marketing strategy that very easily gets stale if you don’t find ways to keep your audiences’ attention. Content marketing has transformed from an exciting new marketing concept to pretty much an essential powerhouse for every business. From Instagram content to writing a blog, content marketing is designed to show the world that you’re the best at what you do.

Today’s blog is going to look at five ways you can up your content marketing game this Q4.

Why is content marketing so important?

Before we get into the good stuff, let’s firstly look at why content marketing is so important. At the heart of every single digital marketing strategy is content. It supports every element of your strategy and can be repurposed across all platforms.

Creating high-quality content that is built into your campaigns is guaranteed to boost your conversions and smash your business goals. Consistent content is associated with a very attractive return on investment (ROI) and should never be a second thought.

How to up your content marketing game:

Incorporate social media – Today, social media is everywhere. Great digital content brings together your entire digital footprint under one umbrella. Whenever you create new content, find ways to tie it to your social media. Whether that’s snippets on Facebook, quotes on Twitter and images on Instagram and Pinterest. Doing so improves your social proofing, engagement, and brand image.

Update your blog – Writing and keeping up to date with a blog is a great way to drive traffic to your website and convert traffic into leads. Running a blog demands a lot of energy and stale blogs can fade into extinction quickly. If you don’t have time to run your blog yourself, working with a third-party content creation service is always an option.

Use mixed media – Relying exclusively on text for your digital marketing is a no-go. Research has shown that coloured graphics make people 80% more likely to read a piece of content. Venture out of your comfort zone and use videos, audio, images, or even infographics. Draw your visitors in and keep them engaged.

Establish a style guide – Customers are increasingly perceptive when it comes to brand awareness. Your customers can tell when messaging conflicts with your values, goals and styles. Putting together a style guide can help keep your brand image in check and allow you to effectively keep up your content marketing game. Your style guide should cover areas such as tone of voice, logo styling and colours, font preferences and overall content goals.

SEO optimisation – SEO optimisation continues to evolve and remains extremely relevant in today’s marketing world. It’s important to choose specific actionable keywords that benefit from low competition and high search volume. They’re a bit harder to find but valuable for your content.

So, there you have it. Five ways to up your content marketing game. If you’re not happy with your content marketing game, step it up. If you don’t have the time, book a call with us and find out how we can help you level up your content, just in time for Q4!