30-second summary: According to Global Web Index’s findings, 80% of consumers in the U.S. and UK say they have consumed more content since the outbreak. According to emarketer, 49% of marketing professionals and agencies held back a campaign launch until later in 2020 and 45% stopped or paused a media campaign midway. Admoik shared that there was a 17.2% drop in week-over-week ad revenues, direct deal and programmatic guarantee being the biggest drops. Despite the 8.3% decrease of retail industry’s M&A deals, Apple acquired AR technology startup, NextVR for a $100 million with an intention to launch its AR headset in 2022 and AR glasses in 2023. 53% of consumers prefer brands to communicate through TV ads. According to McKinsey, UK, Spain, and Italy are least optimistic, whereas the US (37%) and China (48%) are optimistic about their economies jumping back to normal in the next two-to-three months. Purchases are …

30-second summary: In order to adapt to the “new normal” 24% of people plan to delay large purchases. 42% are planning to cook at home to save money over the next six months. People are spending anything between 3 to 7 hours on social media in a day. Adtaxi survey found that 68% of people find it helpful when ads show regard of the current scenario and 62% know that brands mean well. 42% of market leaders mentioned that their marketing teams lacked the bandwidth to quickly adapt to shifting priorities and create new content. As per Adobe and Fortune’s collaborative survey, cybersecurity will be a top tech priority. Companies using enterprise-level planning and project management tools face comparatively lesser challenges in these taxing times. More details on what’s working and what’s not. As toilet papers and sanitizers remain scarce and people miss elements of regular lives there’s an abundance …

Posted by MiriamEllis “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.” — Fred Rogers This quote is one I find myself turning to frequently these days as a local SEO. It calls to mind my irreplaceable neighborhood grocer. On my last essential run to their store, they not only shared a stashed 4-pack of bath tissue with me, but also stocked their market with local distillery-produced hand sanitizer which I was warned will reek of bourbon, but will get the job done. When times are hard, finding helpers comes as such …

30-second summary: Lean on real-time data and insights to understand and engage consumers in meaningful ways. Elevate marketing and engagement strategies, acknowledging new consumer needs and shifts in behavior — increased e-commerce, social media usage and streaming TV. Deliver real value to consumers using localized approaches, messaging and incentives. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly changing consumers’ shopping habits, brand engagement and media consumption behaviors both now and in what will be our “new normal.” While much of life has changed due to social distancing, the temporary closure of businesses and apprehension even as restrictions are lifted, it’s important for brands and marketers to connect with customers in meaningful ways. Rather than pulling back on marketing or pausing engagement efforts, marketers have an opportunity to engage consumers in powerful ways by tailoring campaigns to new needs and priorities. During this unprecedented time, recent research from Valassis shows consumers value communication …

Facebook organic reach is down. Way down. In the past, posting a link on your Facebook or Instagram page could drive hundreds of clicks. Not any more. Social media referrals have stagnated around 5 percent of all traffic for years . The average Facebook post will reach just over 5 percent of your followers. The encouraging news is social media reach is still massive. There are more than 3.5 billion active social media users . But reaching that massive audience is harder than ever before. What’s the answer? That’s exactly what we’ll cover in this article. Let’s get started. What Exactly Is Organic Reach On Facebook Organic reach is the number of people who see your content without paid distribution. It includes people who are shown your posts in their own feed or because their friends have interacted with you. Paid reach is the people who see your content as …

30-second summary: According to Amperity COVID-19 Retail Monitor, who tracked consumer behavior across categories and channels from 100 North American retail brands, overall retail demand is down 90%. eMarketer’s data shows the best use of ad spend at the moment is PPC, followed by email marketing and regional advertising. Not surprisingly, a new report from streaming media intelligence provider Conviva – finds that streaming during the pandemic has climbed sharply (26%) in the U.S. Global Web Index found that – while almost 45% of global consumers are devoting more time to social media – over 10% are also creating and uploading videos themselves. 40% of organizations potentially spending more on software can also be an opportunity for ideally placed vendors to solidify themselves within the longer-term business trends caused by the immediate crisis. We have noticed that any of our articles that tackle the topic of coronavirus tend to have …

In 2017, Facebook launched its answer to the burgeoning streaming video market: Facebook Watch. Through Watch, users could view both scripted and live video from professional networks, brands, influencers, and everyday people. Facebook released Watch to a limited group of users, and for that first year, it flew pretty much under the radar. In 2018, they launched it globally, and the service took off like a rocket. By 2019, Watch had 270 million monthly users, and by 2020, that number had shot up to over 1.25 billion, according to Facebook . I covered Facebook Watch in a previous post when it initially launched. Since then, they have expanded their content offerings (even getting into the music space!) and added a ton of features for brands and marketers. In this post, I’ll dive deep into how to use Facebook Watch for marketing, now that the platform has matured. Content on Facebook …

Posted by MiriamEllis   Image credit: DoSchu “No place like home for the holidays.” This will be the refrain for the majority of your customers as we reach 2020’s peak shopping season. I can’t think of another year in which it’s been more important for local businesses to plan and implement a seasonal marketing strategy extra early, to connect up with customers who will be traveling less and seeking ways to celebrate at home. Recently, it’s become trendy in multiple countries to try to capture the old Danish spirit of hygge , which the OED defines as: A quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. While this sometimes-elusive state of being isn’t something you can buy direct from a store, and while some shoppers are still unfamiliar with hygge by name, many will be trying to create it at home this year. …

No doubt this is a hard time to grow a local business. Coronavirus has likely forced you to make big changes to the way you operate. It’s almost certainly hit your bottom line too. However, it’s still absolutely possible to grow your local business at a time like this. You just have to be smart about it. In this article, I’ll talk you through how to do that. First, though, here’s a bit of detail on why this is such a challenging time for businesses like yours. The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Local Businesses You’re probably sick of reading and hearing the word “unprecedented.” I know I am. Unfortunately, it’s just the best word to describe the current climate for local businesses. By the end of March, 32 states had locked down in response to the pandemic. Two in five small businesses across the US had temporarily closed …

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission. Video conferencing software has exploded in popularity over the last year. With people working from home and remote work becoming the new normal, businesses rely on video conferencing services to communicate. But not all video conferencing software is the same. The tools you use to video chat with your friends and family across the across aren’t necessarily the best business communication options. Which video conferencing software is the best for you? I’ll break down my top picks in greater detail below. The Top 6 Options For Video Conferencing Software BlueJeans Cisco Webex Lifesize Whereby RingCentral GlobalMeet by PGI How to Choose the Best Video Conferencing For You As you’re shopping around and evaluating different options, there are certain criteria that must be taken into consideration. Keep these factors in …