From digital ads to search to social, there were several tech announcements in the recent weeks. These news items could have interesting implications for marketers and local business owners alike.
Facebook begins rollout of Bluetooth Beacons, “Place Tips”
Imagine being able to connect with your customers digitally as soon as they walk into your store. Sounds handy, right?
Already utilized by select local businesses in New York City, Facebook has begun a mass rollout of their free Bluetooth Beacons. The Beacon – a small square device to be placed within your store – allows business owners to deliver content to their customers’ Facebook feeds upon entering their place of business. Known as “Place Tips,” the information sent allows customers to connect with the business more easily by:
- Offering a welcome note and/or photo
- Prompting the customer to like the business’ Facebook page and check in
- Sharing current sales and campaign information
- Displaying the business’ recent Facebook posts
- Displaying friends’ recommendations for your business
Early tests of Facebook Beacons have proven successful with business owners seeing a steady rise in page traffic from in-store customers and increased engagement. While the product is currently only being rolled out to high-traffic, content-heavy Facebook pages, it will soon be offered to all businesses with a Facebook page.
Google is promoting Voice Search, but what does it mean?
Google has begun heavy promotion of its voice search feature, prompting users to utilize the feature on Android devices and from within the Google app. While this may not seem like significant news on the surface, the shift to voice search has many implications for marketers.
With the popularity of mobile voice search on a steady incline, consumers are quickly adjusting to interacting with technology in a more human-like manner. As we shift to a more conversational way of searching, keyword optimization strategies must be adjusted to cater to more natural, long-tail queries. It’s one more step emphasizing the rise (and reign) of mobile.
Also with this shift, content marketing will continue to become more universally interactive– – rather than content designed to be consumed, we’ll see more content that encourages active engagement. Adding human-like interactivity to content will undoubtedly allow for a deeper relationship between brand and consumer.
Bing Ads Home Page now provides KPIs, performance trends, more audience data
In May, Bing released their revamped Ads home page adding improved functionality as well as a fully-redesigned interface. While user response has been positive, Bing has already begun to address the most commonly requested features with its latest update this week.
Within the new Ads home page, users will now be able to easily create customizable information modules. This will ensure that the metrics and performance data that are most relevant to each user lives right at their fingertips, making campaign monitoring a snap.
With the update also comes the addition of a period-over-period comparison feature. It is now easier than ever to compare the performance of your campaigns over the course of two separate time periods, allowing the user to more easily pinpoint which edits have impacted their campaigns.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen significant advancements in the digital marketing landscape that can impact businesses of all sizes. From Facebook offering a simpler way to connect digitally with in-store customers to Google leading the shift to mobile voice search, we are on our way to an even more connected and personalized means of engaging customers.
What tech news are you most excited by?
