December, 2020 - Mason Interactive

If you want to evaluate your strategy for the new year, or you’re launching a new product or a service, you need to do a competitive marketing audit.

A simple guide to competitive auditing

A competitive marketing audit is a great way to learn more about your competitors, who they are and how they are positioning themselves. Researching competition can also help you discover new marketing tactics and channels that you haven’t thought about yet.

Competitive auditing is an essential part of our toolbox at Mason Interactive. Every new client relationship begins with an in-depth analysis of the competitive landscape, and it always helps us and the client tremendously. In this article we’ll explain how you can perform a high-level audit for your business or organization.

Use data and insights to gain a competitive edge

An audit provides a wealth of information about your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, industry trends, and where you stand among the competition. It allows you to:

Learn what is working for your competitors
Learn what is not working for your competitors (so you can avoid repeating the mistakes)
Identify gaps in your strategy
Uncover your competitors preferred channels
Get a feel of your competitors’ positioning and tone of voice
Better understand what gets customers’ attention

How to perform an audit

1. Understand competition

The first step of competitive auditing is to identify who your top competitors are. You can use Google to search for your keywords and see who else ranks for those key terms. Instagram is another helpful platform to explore competition; just type in relevant keywords into the search bar and look at the results under accounts.

Narrow down the list to top 5 core competitors that you want to include in your audit. It’s a good idea to add 1 or 2 aspirational brands that aren’t necessarily your direct competitors but who you think are doing a great job in positioning themselves in the marketplace.

2. Start your research

Below is a list of useful next steps and tools you can use to gather more information for a high-level analysis. You can focus on different data points such as search rankings, SERP (search engine results page) presence, or social media activity. Some tools can even tell you where your competitors advertise online.

Google and other search engines

Search engines like Google are a good starting point for your research to understand the depth of your competitors’ online presence. Search for your own name as well as your competitors’ names to see what shows up on SERP. Good questions to ask are:

Are they running paid search campaigns? What about Google Shopping ads?
What type of language do they have in title tags and descriptions?
What rich elements (videos, images, knowledge panel) can you see?
What press appearances can you see? (Write down the names of publications)

Website and search rankings

Learn more about your competitors’ content strategy, brand story, and tone of voice by exploring their website. Pay extra attention to about us and blog pages. If you want to dive deeper into their SEO presence, try online tools like BuzzSumo, SEMRush, or Backlink Monitor to gain in-depth information on:

What your competitors’ search rankings are
What keywords they rank for (write down the ones you don’t)
How many backlinks they have and who are the referring sites
What their domain authority score is

Social media platforms

Looking at your competitors’ social media accounts gives you tons of valuable information. Browse through their profiles, posts, comments, and other engagement on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and Twitter, to look at the following areas:

What is in the bio
What keywords and hashtags are used in the posts
How often they post content and at what times
How much engagement the posts get
What kind of CTAs they use
What style of content and language they use

3. Compile your findings and analyze

Once your research is complete, compile all your findings into a single document. By now, you have a full view of the competitive set you need for the analysis. Look at areas you can improve; what are your competitors doing that you are not? What tactics are working for them? Can you implement some of those tactics into your strategy?

Yet essential for every business and organization, a competitive marketing audit requires time and effort. The good news is, you don’t have to do it on your own. Sign up for a free marketing audit and let our digital experts do the work for you.

In the beginning of December there was another Google core algorithm update, which would make that the third (and hopefully final) major algorithm update of 2020.

Here’s What We Know

Google is notoriously elusive when it comes to their algorithm updates. They usually announce them with little information on what they actually mean. Because of that, we monitor the SERPs and industry articles on the days preceding the Google announcement.

We know that there was a huge spike in ranking fluctuation on December 4th, 2020. Things seemed to have leveled out since then, but Google has reported that the update is still rolling out as of 12/10/20. Search Engine Land has put together some data on how the update has affected major industries.

Stay Calm & Stick to Best Practices

In these times when rankings appear to be fluctuating, it’s important to stay calm and not make any drastic changes. Google is never going to change the fundamentals of their algorithm, so it’s safe to say that if you stick to their best practices, your website will be okay. Here are some tips on how to follow best practices:

Have quality content that is updated regularly
Run site audits regularly and fix any major site health issues
Keep E-A-T in mind (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness)
Look at your website from a user’s perspective, not from a search engine’s perspective

Contact our SEO experts to schedule a free consultation and to learn more about SEO best practices.

2020 has been an unpredictable year, full of challenges, pivots, and unfathomable shifts toward digital firsts.

Insights from a Performance Marketing Agency

As a trusted marketing partner for clients within various industries, it’s our responsibility to follow the data – and luckily, we’ve spent the last 10 months gathering plenty of it. When news surrounding COVID-19 shook the world in March, it was no surprise that brands pulled out of the marketplace. While we understand the impulse, we also saw the cost of advertising drop while conversion rates remained steady.

The reality? More eyeballs were on devices and platforms than ever before. The data and trends showed “Black Friday” level traffic and transactions in April, despite an 8.7% drop in retail sales. The result? Brands that decided to stay in the market not only maintained their presence, but were able to stay in front of consumers for nearly half the price [of advertising].

But it didn’t stop there. The months that followed gave rise to a shift. Brands had the opportunity to not only stay in front of their target audience, but share their own stories along the way. We went back to our roots – our inherent nature to help one another – and showcase the realities of how businesses, both big and small, were navigating these unprecedented times. While some went into discount mode, others saw this as an opportunity to give back to those in need.

A Shift in Brand Preferences

While we can mention countless examples of brands that shifted for the greater good, we were fortunate to support a coalition of brands who joined together to form Brands x Better. This community of over 140 brands, including Dagne Dover, helped raise over $3.8M (to date) “to support and foster stability to our communities as they navigate critical social issues.”

As the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 continued, a civil rights movement emerged and we began to see an uproar of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. When millions decided to stand in solidarity by posting [black squares] to their Instagram feed, we had to ask ourselves what role sponsored content played as we scrolled through in conversation?

Black Out July soon followed on Facebook, and many brands had to decide whether or not they would pull their presence (ad spend) from the social giant. In our view, it wasn’t a battle of right and wrong, but rather highlighted the reality that we live in the duopoly of Facebook and Google – and it’s our job to help our clients diversify.

Witnessing the Biggest eCommerce Event in History

Here at Mason, holiday planning starts in July. You’ll hear us reference the “leaky bucket” concept dozens of times leading up to the Q4 shopping season. Brands who began filling up their bucket with quality water [traffic] through top of the funnel, awareness strategies in Q3, were able to focus on bottom of the funnel strategies come holiday. They say that timing is everything, and although we couldn’t predict what the reality would look like in November, we knew that our strategy remained the same.

It’s December 2020 and the dust is beginning to settle. A vaccine is expected, and people around the world are feeling hopeful for the future. The numbers don’t lie – While the U.S. had its biggest e-commerce day ever, we also saw record numbers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday goals across our portfolio. And that is something to be proud of.

We’re not just helping businesses hit their goals this month, we’re helping them strategize for the future, and beyond. With 2020 almost behind us, we have to ask; who will walk through our door next year and how can we work in partnership to help drive success for the years to come?

Schedule a consultation with our digital experts and start the new year right with the help from a trusted digital marketing partner.

While festive cheer is spreading all around us, eCommerce retailers have their eyes set on holiday sales figures. And the expectations are high; 2020 Cyber Monday has already set the record as the biggest U.S. eCommerce day in history.

But what happens when the holidays are over?

Often underestimated, post-holiday marketing campaigns are a great way to stand out in the less-crowded market. When your competitors go quiet and slow down their marketing efforts, continue your sales success long after the new year with these simple marketing tips.

Drive conversions with remarketing

Remarketing is not just for the holidays, it is an effective marketing tactic all year round. Thanks to seasonal shopping behavior, eCommerce retailers typically see an increase in website traffic during the holiday season. That traffic is made out of returning customers, new customers, and “window shoppers” who visit the website but leave without completing a purchase. Through cost-effective post-holiday remarketing campaigns you can increase conversions as much as 147% and turn window shoppers into first-time customers.

Take advantage of low CPMs

It’s no surprise that CPMs skyrocket over the holiday shopping period. When the season ends, however, a so-called post-holiday slump occurs and CPMs show a noticeable drop. This happens when businesses decide to significantly lower, or even freeze, their advertising spend. Not a good idea. Why, you may ask? The reason is simple; shoppers still continue shopping after the New Year. A smart marketer continues running paid campaigns post-holiday and takes advantage of low advertising costs.

Engage new subscribers with email

The festive season is a perfect opportunity to collect email sign-ups through pop-up forms and discount initiatives. If you have followed email marketing best practices, you have already built an automated welcome email series that triggers immediately when a person signs up. That’s a step one in nurturing potential customers through email marketing. The next step is to enhance your relationship and start marketing to new addresses you harvested over the holidays. Good attention-grabbers are personalized coupons, exclusive discounts, or free shipping.

Build brand loyalty

Holiday shoppers are more willing to buy from new brands, and as a result online stores see a spike in first-time customers during the festive season. Post-holiday campaigns are a great way to deepen your relationship with new customers, and turn them into loyal, returning customers.

Don’t forget to shift your messaging. When the holiday season ends, even your most loyal fans may feel a little overwhelmed by sales focused emails and advertising. Post-holiday marketing communication should provide respect and appreciation towards your customers, no matter if they are looking to purchase products or not. It’s a good time to draw attention to your rewards program and the benefits of joining it.

Entice gift card holders to your store

Year after year, gift cards remain as one of the most popular items on people’s holiday wish lists. According to a survey by Inmarket, 68% of shoppers plan on purchasing gift cards more than any other items this holiday season. Talk directly to gift card holders post-holiday and give a reason to visit your store. A good starting point is to remind gift card holders that now is the time to treat themselves after shopping for others pre-holiday.

Gather feedback and reviews

Gain insights from holiday shoppers with post-purchase email campaigns. Consider sending a quick survey about their shopping experience, or request product reviews. These insights are valuable assets that help you improve and drive sales in the new year.

Start planning your post-holiday approach now so you are ready to hit the launch button when the festive season ends. If you need help with your 2021 marketing strategy, schedule a free consultation with our digital experts, or wrap up your year with an in-depth marketing analysis.