Industry Focus for Friday, May 20, 2022
This week was a seriously major one for digital marketing. We learned mind-blowing news about Google search keywords and ads, dove into the detailed metrics TikTok provides advertisers, and felt validated by the hottest tips on inclusive website design.
For the last seven years, we’ve been keeping up on all things digital marketing trends – and that’s what makes us a major powerhouse in the Kansas City ad agency world.
If you think your brand and business are cutting-edge, then you need a cutting-edge ad agency to help you reach your goals. (And we do that through deep dives into data and a boutique service mindset you won’t find anywhere else.)
Here’s what we’ve been reading about and discussing in the office and on Slack this week.
“Google Adds Customizable Ads on Search and YouTube,” by Natalie Koltun in Marketing Dive
Google Ads is giving users more control over the content they see. Under My Ads Center, users can follow brands and choose to see more ads from them, depending on their preferences. They can even block certain ads and view details on an ad’s funding sources and targeting metrics. It’s a move that aligns with Google’s latest undertaking to instate more personalization and privacy features.
-Submitted by Kelsey Whittle, Account Manager
“Shifting Patterns Mean US Adults Are Spending More Time With Media on Entertainment Devices,” by Sara Lebow in Insider Intelligence
Adults are spending 35.4 percent more time on “other” internet-connected devices like smart TVs and game consoles. Experts say digital will account for even more time spent with media by 2024, up to nearly 65% of total time, mostly on smartphones and other connected devices – not including laptops, desktop computers, or tablets. With such massive growth in the digital space, marketing tactics will need to keep up with these changes to continue reaching target audiences.
-Submitted by Joyce Wong, Project Manager
“New TikTok Tool Surfaces Useful Insights for Marketers,” by Matt G. Southern in Search Engine Journal
TikTok’s new marketing tool helps social media marketers target demographics while providing information about audience behavior, interests, and more. With dozens of filters, including by industry, demographics, and holidays, marketers can easily find the most relevant metrics and capture insights that truly matter.
-Submitted by Jonny Uhlenhake, Junior Web Developer, and Katie Severino, Social Media Analyst
“Surprise: ‘Near Me’ Brand Names Don’t Rank Higher for ‘Near Me’ Searches,” by Chris Silver Smith in Search Engine Land
Are you sitting down? “Near me” search queries help searchers narrow down to see businesses closest to them – and this term has grown 400 percent year over year. It’s so popular that some businesses have even incorporated “Near Me” in their brand names. But – shocker – Google has made it so that any “near me” query will return the closest matching local business within the Maps/Local listings, extracting “near me” and looking only at the remainder of the query. So, it seems the “near me” qualifier isn’t as powerful as it was originally – but that doesn’t mean businesses shouldn’t use it in their blog or website content. Our search engine optimization team is keeping up-to-date on these Google changes to ensure your content is as powerful as it can be.
-Submitted by Stephen Rau, Senior Web Developer
“9 Ways To Design Inclusive Content,” by Alisa Smith for Moz
Inclusivity is about recognizing diversity, not just with regard to disability, but also for internet connectivity, geographic location, computer and literacy skills, culture, age, access to software and hardware, and language. Business owners who practice inclusivity in their content improve how they communicate with their audience and build trust. Of the nine tips in this blog, we especially loved the ones about using clear, simple, thoughtful language, focusing on responsive design, and providing text alternatives for non-text items. These are all tactics we’ve implemented in our website design projects – and we can help make your website inclusive, too.
-Submitted by Zach Kinser, Senior SEO Manager
Embrace the Latest Digital Marketing Strategy with iFocus Marketing
Based in Overland Park, Kansas, but serving the nation, iFocus Marketing is a digital marketing force to be reckoned with.
Why?
Last year, we were voted best ad agency in Kansas City in The Pitch, one of our favorite local culture publications.
And this year, we snagged five AMBIT Awards – including multiple golds – from the Kansas City Data-Driven Marketers organization (also known as KDCMA).
And these accolades have only lit a fire under us to do more and be even better. Your business could be the next one to experience the effects of an award-winning omnichannel marketing campaign.
Are you ready? Then request a discovery call with one of our business development specialists today.
