Mobile Marketing in A Cookieless World

What we call web traffic today is actually mostly mobile traffic. Mobile traffic accounts for at least 60% of total web traffic in most countries. Advertisers are very interested in mobile devices because mobile users are much easier to track down than desktop users.

It’s clear that mobile marketers collect massive amounts of data. But a cookie-free future may be full of great struggles for them. Although it is not easy to overcome these problems, there are some ways.

Creating Value

The number one goal of every mobile marketer should be to obtain voluntary consent from users. For this, the value created by my communication platform must be equal for both parties. In other words, you need to create value for your users as much as they create value for you.

The concept of “value” has a very broad definition. “Value” can be personalized content or promotional codes. You should decide the value of your drink according to the dynamics of the communication platform you have and be fair to your users.

Finding the Right Context

In modern marketing, context is one of the most important variables for creating effective communication. Mobile platforms, on the other hand, have great advantages in detecting context.

Thanks to mobile devices, it is possible to detect many behaviors and geographical locations of the user. For example, showing low prices to a user doing product research on a mobile phone in a shopping mall means communicating effectively with the user in the right context. However, of course, it is necessary to give importance to creating value while establishing this contextual communication. Otherwise, this communication can turn into an annoying experience for the user.

Brand Apps

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest dreams of every brand manager is to have the application of his brand downloaded by the masses. However, it is not that easy. Because people are very selective about the applications they will install on their phones and the permissions they give to these applications.

Mobile apps are great for identifying the user. However, a brand needs to do more than others to get its app installed.

Making the mobile app part of the mix while integrating marketing efforts can be a good solution. The automotive and white goods sectors have been successfully implementing this strategy for a while. With the mobile app, you can keep track of when your car needs service or how long the warranty on your fridge lasts.

The end of third-party cookies is not the end of the world. You need to stop relying on just one piece of code to identify users. When you create real value for your users, you will really start to get to know them.

Audio Advertising Is Here Again. So Where Are You?

In the old days of advertising, radio ads were a big part of the mix. Radio was one of the few tools that advertisers could use, along with the press and TV. As time went on and television and then the Internet became more popular, radio became a less important medium. So, advertising on the radio also lost its value. However, with the modernization of radio, a new age for audio advertising has begun. But not many people understand how big this change is.

Traditional media still have the lion’s share of audio advertising. While 28.28 billion dollars were spent on audio advertising in 2021, the figure was 5.92 billion dollars for digital channels. Although it is predicted that the change will be in favor of digital channels, it is predicted that traditional channels will maintain their superiority even in 2027 projections. It is estimated that in 2027, 28.38 billion dollars will be spent on audio advertising in traditional media, and this figure will increase to 10 billion dollars for digital media.

Although it is foreseen that advertising expenditures on digital audio channels will increase by 100% in the next 5 years, this is not enough. However, digital audio channels have things that other channels do not offer.

A Better Audience

We can say that digital audio advertising platforms offer a more refined audience. Studies show that the average podcast listener is a university graduate, a business owner, and a high income group. In this way, digital audio ads are great for reaching a high-purchasing audience.

Better Connection

Digital audio improves brands’ connections with their target audience, both physically and emotionally.

Digital audio ads, unlike display ads, cannot be skipped. There is no ad blocking software for these ads either. In this way, it is easier for ads to reach the target audience.

He knows that listeners have a higher emotional bond with podcasts. Therefore, it is possible for brands that advertise on these channels to benefit from this connection.

Better Targeting

You may have observed that Spotify offers the best personalization experience among all digital content platforms. This is because people are more selective when it comes to sound. The same goes for podcasts. This selectivity also allows for much more accurate targeting in audio ads.

Undistracted Attention

Perhaps the biggest advantage of audio commercials is that the audience listens attentively to the advertisements. The sound is usually heard while walking, driving, or cooking. Therefore, there is usually no interaction with any media device during listening moments. This allows listeners to listen to audio commercials without being distracted.

Audio ads are making a comeback with the digital audio revolution. This is a very untouched area with great potential. This potential needs to be used.

Gaming: An Undervalued Advertising Channel

We discuss the value of the gaming sector for advertising. However, when we compare the size of the industry with the existing advertising expenditures, we see that the gaming industry is not given enough space in advertising without the need for a long analysis. We would like to examine this issue more thoroughly.

Is It Still a Niche?

We can say that the advertising industry’s biggest bias against the idea of “game” is that this idea is still seen as a niche. But that is not how things actually are. To categorize gamers as a niche audience now, when mobile games have significantly increased the number of casual players, would be to demonstrate a shocking lack of knowledge.

One can categorize the players into hardcore and casual gamers. Casual gamers are those that play video games for fun, typically on their mobile devices. Hardcore players, on the other hand, are individuals who incorporate PC gaming into every aspect of their lives.

It is certain that the advertising industry has developed a certain understanding of casual gamers. Investments and advertising-related technologies are growing quickly. However, it’s uncertain how much is sufficient.

On the other side, the advertising business has no idea who the audience for hardcore players is. Something is known to be going on there, but no real effort is being made.

The following details need to be understood: The video game industry is larger than the combined size of the movie and sports industries. Globally, there are 2.7 billion players. And these are significant numbers.

Chance for the Perfect Context

Creating engagement is one of the main issues facing modern advertising. Ads must be presented to the intended audience in the appropriate context in order to generate engagement. Games offer this context.

Games undoubtedly rank among the content types with the highest levels of engagement. Both movies and sporting activities can’t keep viewers glued to the screen. Sometimes, even during the most thrilling tournament finals, we check our phones.

Games are not like that. The video games provide an engaging experience. They also provide it every day, not only on particular days. The typical gamer plays for seven hours per week.

It is true that there is tremendous potential here. Advertisers must effectively utilize this potential. According to the context, they must insert their advertisements inside the games.

For a long time, automakers have included their vehicles in racing simulations. This is a good example of product placement by context. However, it’s pretty simple. It is possible to make more sophisticated integrations with today’s technology.

The ad industry has to learn more about the gaming sector and broaden its current understanding of games. The game world no longer being a mysterious box will be advantageous for both the advertising industry and the gaming sector.

Why Do You Need to Think More About Social Commerce?

For most of the population, social media has become the internet itself. Therefore, social media is one of the most important communication points for brands that want to meet their target audience on the internet. However, the fact that e-commerce businesses use this contact point only for the promotion of products and services causes them to add another layer for sales. Social commerce makes it possible to sell things through social media, which speeds up the sales cycle.

Inspiration in the Purchasing Process

Undoubtedly, shortening the check-out process is one of the most important advantages of social commerce. However, this is not the only advantage. In particular, the younger generations get their inspiration for shopping from social media. A study showed that 97% of Gen Z use social media as the biggest source of content for their purchasing decisions. This means that social commerce does not only make the e-commerce process practical for the user; it also shows that it brings users closer to the source of inspiration.

A More Personalized Way to Reach Your Audience

One of the most important reasons for the success of social commerce is the ability to reach potential customers through personalized systems. Since the activities of people on social media are much more traceable than on other channels, it becomes easier to recommend products and services that they are more likely to purchase.

Communication and Sales: One Channel

One of the biggest advantages of social commerce is that communication and sales with the target audience can be carried out through a single channel. Brands that restrict their sales to their own e-commerce sites use their social media for communication while selling from their websites. The fact that these two channels act independently of each other causes a lack of synergy. Social trading solves this problem. In this way, a more loyal customer base emerges.

There is data to confirm this insight. A study showed that 72% of millennials are more loyal to brands that engage with them on social media.

There Are Great Opportunities for Small and Medium Businesses

We should also say that social commerce offers great opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses. Recently, there has been a shift in e-commerce from large retailers to smaller businesses. These businesses consist of local businesses and businesses with expertise in a particular field. Social media offers these businesses great opportunities. Since these businesses are more likely to be able to communicate with their customers more effectively than big retailers, they are also more likely to make sales.

To summarize, social commerce has reached a level that e-commerce operations of all sizes simply cannot ignore. Businesses that use social media not only as a communication channel with their target audience, but also as a sales channel earn more. If you run such an operation, you should seriously consider using the power of social media to sell.

Paid Advertising vs. SEO. Finding the Perfect Path for Lucrative Traffic

One of the most important problems of almost every website is to drive more traffic. Especially for e-commerce sites, this problem is bigger. Because the relationship between traffic and money in e-commerce sites is closer than in any other site type.

There are four main traffic sources for almost every website:

  • Direct traffic
  • Traffic from social media and other websites
  • Paid traffic
  • Organic traffic

Today we will make a comparison between paid traffic and organic traffic.

Can a Comparison Really Be Made?

We tend to perceive paid traffic and organic traffic as alternatives to each other. However, this is a big mistake.

Paid and organic farming have their own advantages and disadvantages; so we must begin by recognizing that they serve different purposes. In this way, we can optimize our investments in website traffic to get maximum results.

Paid Traffic: Fast Path to Results (For a Price)

It doesn’t take a marketing guru to tell you that the biggest difference between paid and organic traffic is that one is free and the other is paid. What matters is what this price is paid for.

Paid traffic can be very useful in situations where results are required in a short time. This may be a sales campaign or promotion of a new website. However, it should be noted that paid traffic is a type of traffic that brings success as money is spent. Therefore, when calculating the success achieved with paid traffic, the money spent should also be evaluated.

It doesn’t take a marketing guru to tell you that the biggest difference between paid and organic traffic is that one is free and the other is paid. What matters is what this price is paid for.

Paid traffic can be very useful in situations where results are required in a short time. This may be a sales campaign or promotion of a new website. However, it should be noted that paid traffic is a type of traffic that brings success as money is spent. Therefore, when calculating the success achieved with paid traffic, the money spent should also be evaluated.

Right Harmony

Instead of choosing between organic traffic and paid traffic, it is much more accurate to focus on creating an efficient harmony between both traffic types. In this way, it is possible to take advantage of the advantages of both types of traffic and achieve marketing objectives in the most efficient way.

If you have a new website and want to get traffic in a short time, it would be a good choice to focus on paid traffic. Paid traffic can create a good boost for your website launch. However, on the other hand, by making organic traffic investments, you can guarantee the traffic continuity of your website in the long run. In this way, you will get more return on your investment.

There is no magic formula when it comes to website traffic. For every website there is a different strategy to success. But what successful strategies have in common is that they don’t restrict traffic sources to a single channel. Identify the right traffic channels for your website and try to create a smart harmony between them. In this way, you will be successful.

About the Future of Media Buying

We always think about the future. But the change we’ve been through in the last few years is making us think even more about the future. It’s no different when it comes to media buying. Let us share with you some of our predictions about the future of media buying.

Technology Will Shape the Future

This is not a new fact. We all know that technology is the number one variable that will drive the future of media buying. What we don’t know is how technology will develop and how people will adapt to it.

In particular, the fact that streaming services have become much more common and concepts such as metaverse are based on concrete foundations will cause the media where people see advertisements to change forever. This will naturally affect the dynamics of media buying.

Targeting: A Much More Complex Job

Thanks to technology, targeting is now much easier. But in the future, when audiences will be more split up, it will be harder for media buyers to keep track of all these different groups.

Here we need to add that the line between media buying and creative operations will become more and more blurred with each passing day. In a communication environment where messages must be shaped according to the medium and context, knowing the media will be a prerequisite for being creative.

The Future of Media Buying Agencies May Be at Risk

In the future, media buying operations will have much more strategic importance. Advertisers are likely to want to keep these operations, which will have more complex structures, in-house. We can observe this trend even today. In a future where access to data will be much more problematic with the privacy regulations made, brands will not want to consolidate all their data sources and share them with the outside.

The Human Factor: Much More Important

We may be exaggerating when we talk about the future role of technology. We see this in the TV programs of the 1960s in which predictions about the future were made. Most of the predictions about the 2000s in this era of technological optimism are inaccurate. None of us are driving flying cars yet.

The same may be true today. While technology facilitates many media buying operations, there may be a greater need for human insight in making strategic decisions. We need to know that the foresight of machines has to be based on the data available but that humans do not always act in accordance with the data. If that were the case, millions of dollars could be made in the stock market just thanks to algorithms.

We live in a time of great change. It is not possible for us to predict most things. One thing we do know: Time will tell what will happen.