Inc. magazine revealed today that Mason Interactive is included on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.
“We are proud to be named on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the nation, and thankful to our team, our clients, and our partners for their support”, says Mason Interactive Founder and CEO Brook Llewellyn Shepard. “It’s a testament to our team’s hard work and our dedication to grow the agency by delivering the best possible digital marketing services.”
Shepard predicted further growth for the future, referring to the agency’s expanding client portfolio and partnerships with industry-leading vendors. He also hinted of more exciting growth news to come this fall. “While we grow the business and our range of services, we will continue putting our clients first, and give them the same level of attention we did when Mason Interactive first opened its doors in 2009″, he shared.
“Embracing close collaboration, and building strong client-agency relationships is what separates us from other agencies, and I believe that has had a significant impact on our rankings.”
Brook Llewellyn Shepard
Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.
“The companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business,” says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.”
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.
Mason Interactive’s digital marketing webinar series continued with a TikTok Advertising masterclass. Webinar hosts Chris Kelly (Emerging Media Specialist), and Adrian Padron (Director of Media) explored the true potential of TikTok as a new challenger in the digital advertising landscape. Watch the full TikTok Ads 101 webinar, or read the highlights below for TikTok best practices and expert tips.
Facebook and Google have long held a duopoly in the paid media space, with unbeatable reach and inventory that drives incredible results for advertisers through automation and machine learning. At Mason Interactive, TikTok Ads have been on our radar since its beta release, and we were privileged to onboard some of our clients early on. In mid July, TikTok Ads became available to the public. This means every business can now create, launch and monitor ads through TikTok Ads. But exactly how easy it is to navigate the platform and run successful campaigns?
Is TikTok the right platform for your business?
TikTok, one of the fastest growing social media platforms, has 84 million monthly active users in the United States. “A quarter of the entire US population actively uses TikTok. 77% of these users are Gen Z and Millennials, and for advertisers this means a huge opportunity to reach a very specific demographic that might be impossible to find on other platforms”, Chris starts the webinar.
“Advertisers cannot underestimate the importance of Gen Z and their purchasing power”, Adrian adds. “It is very important to build interest and nurture this group of future loyal customers today when they are in the early years in defining their brand preferences.“
TikTok’s engagement rate is exceptionally high, and an average user spends 80 minutes on the app every day. In total, 305 billion TikTok videos are watched every month. During its beta release, TikTok Ads had 2,000 advertisers in comparison to millions of businesses advertising on other popular platforms. There is still a great opportunity for any-size advertiser to truly stand out and join the elite pool of advertisers such as Apple, Netflix, and Walgreens before the platform is found by the masses.
Start by building a robust strategy
Launching a successful ad campaign on TikTok requires a robust plan that starts by setting up measurable goals, and selecting the right strategies and ad formats that support your end goals. Brand takeovers and top view formats are particularly effective with awareness strategies when you want to introduce your brand and / or products to a new audience. “We have seen the best results with upper funnel strategies, says Adrian. “However, TikTok’s multiple ad formats cover the entire sales funnel, and there is great potential to nurture relationships and build loyalty”, he adds.
Advertisers should think critically about their audience and how to best leverage TikTok’s robust targeting capabilities. In addition to age, gender, location, and interest clusters, TikTok offers more creative ways to reach your ideal customer such as targeting based on device price.
The analytics on TikTok are self-serve, and advertisers have easy access to the metrics directly on the platform. It is highly recommended to use UTM codes so that the post click data can be tracked in Google Analytics. By combining the platform data with the data from Google Analytics, advertisers get a full view of the campaign performance.
To expand the reach even further, advertisers can leverage TikTok Creator Marketplace to connect with TikTok-vetted influencers. On the platform, businesses can find the creators that are best suited for their brand, and communicate with them directly to discuss goals and agree on a price. Creator Marketplace is currently on beta only; contact us for more information on how you can get access.
Create content that resonates with audience
When it comes to producing content, Adrian and Chris both emphasize authenticity. All of the content in TikTok is user-generated and edited in the platform itself. “If your video is highly produced and looks too polished, it will stand out as an advertisement and may have a negative impact on your end results. Shift your focus on creating mobile-first, unexpected videos that the users want to engage with”, Chris recommends.
“TikTok’s entire purpose is to bring happiness and start conversations, and the users want to have a good time when they open the app”, Chris highlighted.
In order to create content that speaks to the audience, advertisers must understand the platform and its tone of voice. Repurposing content from other platforms can significantly decrease engagement. Adrian asked an important question from the audience: would you use the same profile picture on LinkedIn and on Instagram? The answer is, we are more likely to choose a professional photo for LinkedIn, and something more artistic for Instagram. In the same way that individual users choose the style depending on the platform, advertisers should create platform-specific content that speaks to the users of that platform.
Any advertiser can effortlessly, and without high production costs, create content with the easy-to-use tools in TikTok. Chris recommends filming the content on a mobile device, and then editing that content with the TikTok Ads platform that is available in the browser.
Key takeaways from the webinar
“With a low point of entry, a selection of ad options to fit all budgets, and multiple targeting strategies, TikTok is a great opportunity to reach Gen Z”, says Adrian. “You can easily create content that has an authentic feel through TikTok’s creation tools, and save on production costs”, he continues.
Follow this checklist when you are ready to introduce TikTok Ads to your media mix:
Define your business-specific goals and KPIs, set up a TikTok pixel and ensure tracking works accurately
Consider your audience; who they are, why you want to target them and what you offer for them
Create a unique brand experience with content that resonates and sparks new connections
Start by testing with a small advertising budget, and scale when you have enough data to make informed decisions
Leverage expertise of a trusted partner that can help you along the journey
Google has introduced various initiatives this year with a goal to make eCommerce more accessible to retailers of all sizes. Among the benefits for sellers, the tech giant removed product-listing fees on Google Shopping, and brought free listings to Search as well.
Last week Google announced a series of new changes that included a move to zero Google commission for purchases made through “Buy on Google” (aka Shopping Actions). This means that brands and retailers who participate in the Buy on Google checkout experience will no longer have to pay a commission fee. Effectively, this move will attract a broader range of retailers – and shoppers – to Google Shopping, and help the tech giant better compete against the major players in the eCommerce world.
What this means for you?
If you’re brand new to selling on Google through Shopping Actions, you will be invited to onboard directly to this new 0% commission version of the program.
If your store is already live on the platform, you will be invited to migrate your account to the new version with 0% commission over the next few weeks. Starting July 30, your commission rate will be automatically capped at 5% or less.
Make digital commerce more accessible
In addition, Google will open up its platform to third-party providers, starting with Shopify for inventory and order management and PayPal and Shopify for payment processing. This allows retailers to continue using the tools and services that already work for their business – essentially enabling a smooth transition for sellers, as well as consumers.
To simplify its tools and make them more compatible with merchants’ existing processes, Google is enabling commonly-used product feed formats that allow sellers to connect their inventory to sell directly on Google without having to reformat their data. Retailers will also be able to add product information (like images or technical specs) by pulling from Google’s existing database rather than having to upload it themselves.
According to Bill Ready, President of Google’s Commerce Division, Google has seen a significant increase in demand to buy from and support small businesses, and in order to help people discover these smaller merchants, Google plans to add a new small business filter on the Google Shopping tab.
With zero commission, and simplified onboarding, it will become easier for retailers to sell their products through the Google Shopping program. For consumers, this will eventually mean a larger variety of products available on Google search. As a Google Premier Partner, Mason Interactive is ready to answer any questions you may have about the new changes. Contact us for more information.
We appreciate the July Boycott initiative. That said, we want to emphasize that this initiative is being supported by large companies such as Verizon, Unilever, Coca-Cola and others. It should be noted that these companies do not sell their products to end consumers online. As a result, this initiative, which we support, will not be detrimental to their business; it will generate positive PR but ultimately not hurt their bottom line – Coca Cola can shift its spend to NBC easily.
None of Mason Interactive’s clients, are pulling July media spend on Facebook or Instagram. The small/medium/large companies in our portfolio focus on maintaining revenue streams in July due amid market volatility. This volatility is ongoing since March.
The exit of large-brands-budgets in July will be beneficial for the businesses that stay on Facebook, as reduced competition should generate lower costs for our clients. That said, at Mason Interactive, we are here to support our partners in whatever position they decide to ultimately take.
We are always actively looking for new ways to diversify our ad partner portfolio and look forward to continuing to grow in our efforts together.
Thanks!
Brook
This month, we hosted a higher education webinar alongside Google to discuss the digital marketing trends and tactics we are seeing in the education sphere surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. If you missed the webinar, here are the highlights from Mason Interactive’s Brook Shepard and Google’s Stephanie Schmitt.
Lower Advertising Costs for Institutions
No matter your institution’s size and budget allocation for marketing efforts, you want to make sure that you are getting the most value for your advertising budget. In such uncertain times as the past few months, you may have re-evaluated your marketing efforts in order to cut costs.
Since March, many colleges and universities have dropped media spend, and some have gone completely dark. For those that kept media spend live, the Cost Per Impression (CPM) dropped more than 50% from March 1st to April 4th. This meant that media was cheaper if you stayed in the game.
“Today, you can convert students more profitably at a lower rate”
At Mason Interactive, we saw the conversion rates (CVR) holding fairly steady across our higher education clients. “When your CVR is holding steady and the media is cheaper, you will convert students more profitably at a lower rate”, says Brook.
Let’s Talk Attribution
Most of our higher education clients use either First Touch Attribution or Last Touch Attribution. First Touch Attribution is usually a display campaign where you are getting your institution in front of new eyes. Last Touch Attribution is normally a remarketing campaign where you constantly stay relevant to your prospective students. Choosing the correct attribution model for your institution is key to optimal enrollments. Not sure what is the right attribution model for you? Talk to our experts today to find out.
Now, let’s see how attribution plays a role in attracting new students…
“Leaky Student Bucket”
What is a leaky bucket in digital marketing? Well, similar to a leaky bucket in real life, whatever is in the bucket will continue to diminish unless it is constantly replaced. For many different reasons, we always have leads that tend to fall off, or leak out of the bucket.
Have you had to cut media spend in the past few months to increase efficiency and only focus on one level of attribution? Let’s say you decide to only focus on remarketing. Now, you have a leaky bucket of students that you are remarketing to, but you are not refilling the bucket. Soon, your bucket will be empty and you will have no one to remarket to.
That is the problem with only focusing on one single level of attribution at once; it causes your bucket to leak and your leads to run dry.
How do you fix a leaky bucket? You have to understand that everything in your marketing strategy is connected. What you do in one part of your marketing funnel can affect other parts of the marketing funnel.
Marketing Trends During COVID-19
The trends that we have been seeing over the past few months with our education clients are actually quite contrary to some initial assumptions. The majority of students are still planning on going back to school for the fall semester. Using Google survey data from March 2020, a whopping 56% of students say that Coronavirus has NOT changed their plans to go back to school.
Now, this does not mean the entire student body will be flocking back to campus in August. In fact, students who say that an online offering is an important factor when looking at schools went from 35% to 47%. Students are still holding onto their intentions of enrolling but are looking for alternatives to the traditional college experience.
In addition to online offerings being a big ticket item, the demand for education and training has increased almost 10% YoY.
56% of students say that Coronavirus has NOT changed their plans to go back to school.
99% of students have no plans to delay their education even if there is no resolution to COVID-19 by Q3. Clearly, COVID-19 has had little to no impact on student’s upcoming education plans; even more of a reason to stay active in your media campaign.
Keep the Funnel Full
Keeping the marketing funnel full will require new ways of thinking now that people are living in a new normal. Focusing on specific aspects of your campaign will help to maximize your efficiency. Timing is very important because you want to know that your prospective students will see your ads when they are online. Since most people are working from home and online pretty much all the time, you want to make sure your ads do not just run the typical workday hours.
Introducing flexibility in programs if possible is also highly recommended. For those students that do not feel comfortable returning to campus, they want to have an online learning environment available.
Creative Changes
Gone are the days of showing ads with large groups of students enjoying their time together. We cannot show people what they can’t have. Revised creative copy can easily be overlooked, but it makes a huge impact on those that see your ads as ‘insensitive’.
Why Having an Agency Partner Makes a Difference
Mason Interactive is a Premier Google Partner, offering an exclusive partnership. Only the top 5% of agencies in the nation are given the coveted title and we are proud to work with the full team at Google. For our clients this means exclusive access to Google insights and latest tools months ahead of the public.
Schedule a free consultation with us today to discuss more about your institution’s digital strategy.
Here at Mason Interactive, we have helped dozens of educational institutions meet their enrollment goals with edu-focused digital marketing strategies. We are committed to stay on top of the industry trends so our clients can benefit from the latest innovations. Over the past couple of years, instant messaging apps have been the hottest communication channel between schools and students.
On Tuesday, February 5th, we hosted a webinar in partnership with Facebook exploring how higher education marketing professionals can utilize Facebook Messenger. We discussed the latest industry trends and best ways to implement Messenger, as well as the opportunities the channel creates for generating, engaging, and nurturing leads.
Think beyond traditional tactics
Fast-paced, digitized world with instant access to information has made consumers more demanding. Intimate, highly personalized customer experience is now a norm across industries. Following the trend, chatbots and instant messaging apps are taking over emails and calls as a preferred communication channel. Did you know that 64% of consumers would choose messaging over picking up the phone?
Education is no exception, and, as you probably know already, getting in touch with students is harder than ever. According to recent research, 61% of students enroll in the school that responds to their enquiry first. The big question for schools is how to capture attention first and respond appropriately through a channel that is native for the student?
Reach prospective students where they are
Facebook Messenger has grown 10X in the last 3 years, and with 1.3B monthly active users, it is the second biggest messaging platform in the world, right after iMessage.
Consumers who already spend time in Messenger on a daily basis find it a natural way to communicate not only with their friends, but also with businesses. In fact, 65% of consumers feel more confident messaging than filling out a website form. Communicating with prospects through a channel that they are accustomed to means the conversation stays on top of their minds – and converts.
“70% of students thinking about returning to school said they would use Messenger to contact a school if they had questions while applying”
Lead generation made easy in Facebook Ads Manager
Despite its great results within the retail space, very few schools have yet utilized Messenger’s potential in higher education marketing. This provides a great opportunity for an innovative higher education marketeer to become an early adopter, and differentiate their institution from competition.
Facebook Messenger offers a 360° approach to lead generation throughout the entire customer journey, from building brand awareness and prospecting through to following up with prospects and retargeting.
Getting started with lead generation in Messenger is quick and easy. First, identify which portion of your funnel has additional friction or low contact rates. Then take your current lead flow to Messenger to utilize products that are currently available in the Ads Manager.
Start by creating Facebook ads to attract new, better quality leads and drive them to your institution’s Messenger. After initial chat with the bot, set up automated reminders and follow-ups in Ads Manager to create an ongoing conversation with the potential student and increase engagement. Continue nurturing the leads using Sponsored Messaging for important messages, such as reminders about enrollment deadlines.
University of the People successfully increased student enrollments with a Messenger campaign using Facebook video ads that clicked to Messenger. 51% of the people who had a conversation with their Messenger bot started an application, out of which 20% ended up completing an application.
If you’re looking to create a more personalized flow that Ads Manager offers, you can build an advanced bot for an interactive, immersive experience. This requires advanced engineering skills, and we highly recommend using a Facebook Partner Developer to help you build the bot that best serves your needs.
Are you ready to get started with chatbot marketing? Or are you already using Facebook Messenger as a part of your marketing strategy? We’d love to hear your thoughts and experience with using chatbots in higher education marketing. We are knowledgeable in all areas of Facebook and always ready to help you!
