Demand Generation
Who is the Referee in Digital Media?
I’ve become a quick fan of Michael Lewis’ new podcast, “Against the Rules“. The basic premise is the state of the “referee” in our society (i.e. the impartial third-parties that are brought in to keep all parties honest). In limited airings, he’s hit on roles of art authenticators, ombudsmen, government agencies, and actual referees. In…
Read MoreThe Realities of “Casting a Wide Net” in Digital Media
If you’ve been in Facebook, Google, Amazon Sponsored Ads, or most other self-service media platforms in the last few years, you’ve undoubtedly come across some sort of audience size estimation tool for your target market. Let’s check out a few to refresh your memory: Facebook: YouTube: Google Display Network: Google Search (Bid Simulator): You get…
Read MoreWhy do startups keep hiring people who “break things”?
A recent article by the Harvard Business Review declared “The Era of Move Fast and Break Things is Over”. The author looks at this from a macro point of view for startups and asks questions like, “How will you keep yourself accountable at scale?” and “How will the company leverage data responsibly?” All fantastic questions…
Read MoreAlternatives to “We Need More Budget to Hit These Targets”
Startups are (usually) investing someone else’s money in hopes of generating a sizable return. So why are startups so often encouraged to spend ad nauseam for revenue goals when profitability is the ultimate goal? I’m sure you’ve gotten the pitch from your marketing staff or agency – “If we had more budget, we could really…
Read MoreDear Media Agencies – Stop Treating Clients Like Idiots
How many times have you seen (or given) a presentation from an agency that shows a LUMAscape like this? Holy shit! Look at all those MarTech companies. Good luck thinking about all those companies, client. Or how about a process chart that look like this? As someone who has been on both sides of the…
Read MoreAre There Better Alternatives to Heatmaps?
You’ve seen them. A chart overlay of your website that shows where people on the site clicked. Marketing people get really excited about these. They can show their bosses that they’re using some really space-age technology to improve the site. Never once have I heard, “So what? It doesn’t mean they’re purchasing.” In eCommerce, we’re…
Read MoreIs Working from Home More Productive?
Updated 5/30/2020 I work out of my home. That was a conscious choice almost exactly three years ago when I worked at an agency just 12 miles away. I would leave the house before my (then) 6 year old son was off to school. Most of the time, I would get home as he was…
Read MoreHow Do You Test a Creative Concept?
One of the most overused concepts in digital marketing is “Let’s test this messaging/image in digital before we launch…” It’s not a bad idea, it’s that hardly anyone follows through on it properly. Companies requesting this sort of report generally fall into two categories: A company fires up a messaging test in digital to help…
Read MoreWhen to Shut Down Paid Media
Most articles I read about marketing or digital media for startups are fairly self-serving to the marketing people and agencies – and mostly lacking in specifics that could actually help. Check out some of the headlines from a recent “marketing startups” search on Google News: 10 Proven Online Marketing Opportunities for Making Your Small Business…
Read MoreHow is ACoS Calculated?
Like most paid media folks, over the last few years I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time in Amazon advertising interfaces – specifically Amazon Sponsored Ads (formerly Amazon Marketing Services) and Amazon DSP (Formerly Amazon Media Group). It’s understandable that these channels would take up so much time and money. Amazon is where 49% of…
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