What is it?  A stand-alone report center and customized columns in the AdWords interface that shows you the entire Google AdWords search path leading up to a conversion. The path includes clicks and impressions. This report further reinforces the concept that searchers often search on multiple keywords before finally converting.

Why use it?  It can show you data on how your “upper-funnel” keywords are assisting conversions and allow you to report on these more effectively to your clients. Plus, you are also able to:

• View Assisted Clicks
• View Assisted Impressions
• View Path Latency and Length
• Discover and prioritize assist keywords
• Discover the true value of each keyword, not just the last click value to uncover any missed opportunities
• Assist your bid optimization strategy so you are not blocking the top of the funnel and your strategy is based on those top assist keywords, not just the last click
• Add the Search Funnel column that shows ‘assist impressions’ on the ads tab. Any ads that have a lot of assist impressions but few clicks may not be doing the best job conveying the message

Limitations of the report: The report does not pull data on organic search, search queries and competitor keyword information. This report only shows data for Google AdWords.

Where can you find it? Find the full search funnels analytics (stand-alone report center) from the Tools and Analysis tab – select the conversions drop down and at the bottom on the left hand side you will see Search Funnels.

Google has also made it easier to find search funnels right next to each aspect of your campaign, ads, adgroup and keywords through column customization. Note that the report center for search funnels has more data in it that these columns. However this column feature enables you to much more easily manipulate the data.

We have found both to be extremely useful so play around and find what works for you.

Want a more in-depth tutorial? Here is a great video from Google on this tool.

According to new research by eMarketer, “What’s at stake here is money—a lot of money.”

Figure courtesy of eMarketer

This research estimates that US digital video ad spending will nearly double in four years, climbing from $4.14 billion this year to $8.04 billion in 2016. Why the increase in investment? Studies are showing remarkable results when campaigns combined traditional television budgets with digital. For example, a study by the IAB and Nielsen showed that reach for consumer packaged goods grew 3.4 percent (3.4 reach points) among persons 18 and older when 15 percent of ad spend moved into digital. The same study also showed across verticals, the 15 percent share shift results in more reach at lower costs per point, dropping from an average of $67.6K to $63.0K. Those aren’t results you can easily ignore.

With the industry moving in this direction, the question is who can make these campaigns work best, the traditional or digital partners? It shouldn’t surprise anyone that as a digital agency we think we’re best suited for the challenge. But it’s not just because our sneakers are cooler (even though they are).

A successful digital video advertising campaign uses consumer data, media partner relationships and real-time bidding to effectively reach the right consumers in the right places on their path to purchase. Data-driven decisions and bid management are two of the cornerstones of digital advertising. As the science of attribution continues to be refined, digital marketers are able to track and analyze huge amounts of consumer data to make ever more informed decisions about the most efficient ways to utilize ad spend. An experienced digital agency is theoretically able to track a single consumer from the initial contact with the brand to the final sale, determining which channels and messages had the most influence on the decision.

In comparison, traditional television advertising is based on general estimates of audience size, demographics and reach. Ask a TV ad exec exactly how many people bought Doritos after watching the 4 million dollar SuperBowl spot and enjoy watching them talk around the fact that they have no idea.

The real challenge that lies ahead is the ability to track consumers across multiple screens. The concept of the “second screen” is a start in the right direction here. The second screen refers to an additional electronic device, like a tablet or smartphone, that allows a television audience to interact with the content they are consuming. Advertisers are already taking advantage of the second screen with sync ads, which are basically a “companion ad” that appears on the second screen in real time. While an advertisement plays on television a supplemental rich media ad is displayed on the second screen app. The rich media within the second screen allows the user to instantly act, get information or give feedback. This is one way marketers will be able to gather data on consumer behavior in a multi-screen world.

The reality is the old ways of traditional television advertising are dying. There is a huge new opportunity to plan and optimize online video campaigns that reach consumers across screens and across channels, providing a more trackable and ultimately more profitable marketing program. And this opportunity is digital, not analogue.

For a wealth of stats and information about the state of online video, take a look at this clip from OMMA:

Video streaming by Ustream

Amazing IT Guru/Unofficial Event Photographer Stu Lounsbury got some great shots again this year, and I decided to use them to try out a new picture editing site. Our content team has been exploring many options for quick ways to edit, caption and share photos as we learn more about the increasing value of visual content (check out Social Media Director Angie Pascale’s post for a ton of stats on the topic).

Creating fun visual content is a winning proposition for brands, but the reality of agency work is that the Art Director is often too busy directing art for clients to quickly turn around photo edits for one-off blog or social media posts.

Enter a slew of photo editing sites that allow those of us with brains full of snarky comments but no Photoshop skills to quickly and easily create visual content. All of the pics below were edited with Pic Monkey, but we also really like Pinwords. Know any other sites we’re missing out on? Fill us in below!

Featured experts will examine how franchise professionals can capitalize on new digital communications platforms and technologies to take their business to the next level.

Representing Location3 Media at FranCamp will be Business Development Manager Anne Dehner, Director of Strategic Accounts Carol Lee (@calee2), and myself, Account Director Anne Baum (@searchdiva).  We’ll be at Bar Eleven at 7 p.m. on May 13 for the official FranCamp 2013 Tweetup or at various sessions throughout the conference.

Location3 Media will also be speaking at two of the sessions during the conference.  Join us on May 14 at 11:15 a.m. in Ellington Salons ABC for “Strategies for Maximizing Google“.  This session will take participants through the following topics:

• Deep dive into the Google eco system
• How to put AdWords to work for your brand
• Driving customers to your franchisee through local search and Google Maps
• Determine your ROI with Google Analytics

After you’ve learned about how your franchise system can utilize Google’s tools, come join us for Lunch and a “Flash Panel” in Overlook East.  In this general session featured experts present solutions to common problems we all face. They only have three minutes to present that solution — breaking it down into only the essentials you need to know.

We can’t wait to be in Atlanta and meet up or Tweetup with you!

The Location3 team went behind the lens to support this year’s Ronald McDonald House® Charities of Denver Gala with a pro bono video in support of the cause.

The break room buzz here in Denver last Monday signaled a good time was had by all. The video kicked off the fundraising portion of this Kentucky Derby themed-party packed with hat toting ladies and well-suited gents. Rumor has it, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house after the lights dimmed and the credits rolled.

Location3 video producer Alex Yorchak was tasked with creating a piece that went beyond the basics to show the real impact that RMDH has in and around our community. Because of the timing of the video, shown prior to a plea for donations, the content was critical.

“I didn’t know what the video would look like or sound like until I saw the interviews,” Alex said. “Our goal was to get truthful, honest perspectives and let the value shine through.”

Honesty was clearly evident in the emotional first-hand accounts from volunteers, staff members and teary-eyed families, each with unique perspectives and one big thing in common—“I love it here.”

The Ronald McDonald House® Charities of Denver offers a loving home away from home to families needing to be near their seriously ill or injured children while they’re being treated at metropolitan area hospitals.

Since Location3 started working with RMDH, volunteers have helped out with donating and cooking meals, participated in the grocery and cleaning goods drive, donated six computers, printed volunteers for their annual RadioThon and Gala, and sponsored the Gala two years in a row.

Director of Sales Tim Miller and his lovely wife enjoy the Gala’s auction.

In talking with a few high-octane brands at recent industry conferences and events, I’ve been alarmed at how their national pay-per-click (PPC) programs are structured.  Actually, let me rephrase the concern: it’s alarming that so many have their heads in the sand when it comes to the local PPC programs their franchisees are running. Before I offend any top tier corporate franchise digital marketing teams let me be perfectly clear: some of you get it, and I applaud you. But many have yet to embrace the opportunity local PPC presents and are more concerned with buzzwords and new trends than getting this essential piece of the puzzle right.

Let me also clarify that I realize doing local store PPC correctly and in cooperation with national programs is the Holy Grail for franchise systems. Franchisees are generally only concerned with making money in their unit(s). Corporate franchise marketing teams can only do so much to fight the battle of consistent brand messaging. The franchise advisory councils (FAC) within most systems are the voice of the franchisees. If a national ad fund exists and is controlled by a FAC, it is there to promote and build brand equity, which in theory should benefit everyone.  The problem with this is if franchisees that don’t see local PPC marketing immediately benefit them they will go seek out their own self-funded strategies.  After all, they are business owners, and they have their own bottom line to worry about. So if there are no corporate-approved suppliers for local store PPC programs they will inevitably start competing on corporate brand terms with the national PPC campaigns, which wastes budgets on both sides.

This piece written by Location3 Account Director Anne Baum sums up what’s in our DNA; preventing these issues with integrated digital marketing programs for franchise systems. PPC programs are typically the first place a franchise brand would start in the digital space, because of their ease of use and the ROI of effective campaigns. Some brands only have a budget for a national campaign, but corporate may discover that bottom line increases attributed directly to PPC campaigns allow them to include local budgets as well. Even if there isn’t funding for location campaigns, encouraging franchisees to use the same PPC partner as corporate ensures that the campaigns complement each other rather than competing.

What I’m suggesting is this: if nothing else take how you are structuring your PPC campaigns into serious consideration. Allocate a national budget, but provide options for the local store levels. Ideally, find a PPC partner who can manage campaigns at both levels. Otherwise you will find yourself competing with franchisees or field marketing teams bidding on similar terms, and that just hurts everyone.

Last Friday night we sent a few stalwart Location3 veterans to the Business Marketing Association Colorado Gold Key Awards. Their mission? Gracefully accept the Gold Key award for our latest white paper, hobnob with other marketers and try not to embarrass the company on the dance floor. Two of the three objectives were accomplished.

We’re really proud of the fact that A Convergence of Channels: The Intersection of Social, SEO & Local was selected as the top entry in this competitive field. The in-depth white paper provides practical tips and big-picture strategies for marketers to capitalize on the growing integration between digital channels. Download a free copy here.

“To win a Gold Key is impressive and significant. It is a fiercely competitive program that truly recognizes the very best in business-to-business marketing for 2013,” said Marilee Yorchak, CAE, Executive Director, Colorado Business Marketing Association. “With our emphasis on results and the quality of entries, the BMA Gold Key Award is one of the most coveted by marketers in Colorado.”

The creation of a quarterly white paper is an important part of our overall content marketing initiative. This strategy includes frequent blogging, active participation in social media and producing insightful content in the form of instructional videos and white papers. Our CSO John Harris explains why we go to all that trouble:

“As we continue to see excellent results from client content campaigns, we become more and more certain that producing high-quality, engaging content that provides actual value and utility to consumers  is the key to moving consumers down the sales funnel to conversion and, ultimately, to brand advocacy.”

A Convergence of Channels had a 32 percent conversion rate with readers coming from a wide variety of channels including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the Google Display Network, showing that the outreach strategy we employed to increase reach was effective in driving engagement using multiple digital platforms.

This content piece has also been a critical asset at industry events, including the International Franchise Association and Direct Marketing Association annual conventions. From a business development perspective, the white paper has resulted in half a dozen qualified leads that probably wouldn’t have considered partnering with us prior to reading it.

Thanks to all the folks at BMA Colorado for putting on an excellent event and honoring us with a 2013 Gold Key Award!

White Paper Production Team:

Ryan Geiger, Creative Director

Lucia Novara, Copywriter

Angie Pascale, Social Media Director

Anne Baum, Account Director

Tarla Cummings, SEO Manager

Liu Xin, Web Designer

Lindsey Savisky, Project Manager

1.

90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual and is processed 60,000x faster than text.

Photo credit: urbanmkr via photopin cc

Stat source: http://www.billiondollargraphics.com/infographics.html

2.

Viewers spend 100% more time on pages with videos.

Photo credit: bredgur via photopin cc

Stat source: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=32075#

3.

Posts with videos attract 3x more inbound links than plain text posts.

Photo credit: Camera John via photopin cc

Stat source: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-makes-a-link-worthy-post-part-1

4.

Viewers are 85% more likely to purchase a product after watching a product video.

Photo credit: Roberto Carlos Pecino via photopin cc

Stat source: http://www.invodo.com/html/resources/video-statistics/

5.

Photo and video posts on Pinterest are referring more traffic than Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Photo credit: mkhmarketing via photopin cc

Stat source: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33513/Visual-Content-Trumps-Text-in-Driving-Social-Media-Engagement-INFOGRAPHIC.aspx

6.

Videos are shared 12x more than links and text posts combined on.

Photo credit: mkhmarketing via photopin cc

Stat source: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33513/Visual-Content-Trumps-Text-in-Driving-Social-Media-Engagement-INFOGRAPHIC.aspx

7.

Engagement from Instagram users is as much as 10x greater than other platforms.

Photo credit: moi

Stat source: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-small-businesses-need-instagram-2012-11#ixzz2E5iFkwa5

Main Photo Credit: geoftheref via photopin cc

Location3 CEO, Andrew Beckman presented at SES New York the last week of March. His presentation titled “Bringing Together Paid, Owned and Earned Media” was a great success. Check out the entire presentation on SlideShare.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SEARCH?

Last month we announced the introduction of Enhanced Campaigns. We feel it is bringing advertisers into the reality of our new world where mobile queries are due to take over desktop query volume by 2014. However, we were still not too thrilled about losing control of our mobile bids and having them rolled up to an adjustment at the campaign level. In April Google announced that they will be making a change and allowing advertisers to also control device bid adjustments at the ad group level. Due to this recent change Google have moved the auto upgrade date out to July 22. Read our coverage for more details.

As seen by their Q1 2013 numbers, Google is already making more money as searchers migrate from desktops to mobile devices and Enhanced Campaigns are likely a major factor. These numbers show that advertisers are already starting to pay more for smartphone traffic. “We had a very strong start to 2013, with $14 billion in revenue, up 31% year-on-year,” said Larry Page, CEO of Google. “We are working hard and investing in our products that aim to improve billions of people’s lives all around the world.”

Google also released a tool that helps place values on mobile marketing. Did you know that between 2000 and 2012 device ownership jumped from 1.97 per person to 3.94 devices per person*? It’s more important than ever to place values on mobile marketing and calculating in-store ROI. Read Account Director Anne Baum’s  blog for more details on this tool.

How are the engines ranking? No surprise but Google still owns the lion’s share with 67.1% of market share followed by Bing with 16.9% and Yahoo! at 11.8%. Combined Bing and Yahoo! increased share by 0.4% points in March while Google dropped 0.4% points. Combined Bing and Yahoo! make up 28.7% of search queries.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN DISPLAY?

We all challenge display networks and exchanges every day to ensure our ads are visible to viewers; however advertisers are still predominantly billed on a CPM basis with no guarantee that the ad was even seen. Sticky is pushing for a Cost Per Visual model. We think this would be a great move for the industry, but there are many factors to take into account when building out a model like this. Click here to read more.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN VIDEO?

According to a 2012 eMarketer study, in 2010 only 14.3% of display advertising were videos, however in 2012 that number jumped to 19.6% and by 2016 it is projected to reach 31.9% of spend. So how do you determine what to spend on video? Nielsen and the IAB ran an Online Video Study in Feb. 2013 to help us determine what that number should look like. According to the study shifting 15% of television budgets to digital results in 4.2% lift in reach. 

How has radio fared with the new video revolution? Can the medium again draft behind the growth of its better-looking sibling as it did more than three decades ago and represent the next frontier in content marketing? Read CSO John Harris’ blog about branded radio stations to find out.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN LOCAL?

Google released a new Google for Business Dashboard in a step toward integrating Local and Plus. It is currently targeted for single location businesses but was rolled out to help address issues such as data push speeds and reducing data integrity issues. The rollout is currently being implemented in stages and is available to a small number of businesses that are newly claimed through the Google+ Local page.

New categories have been added into the Places dashboard and now allow up to 10 categories to be chosen. However, the capability to create custom categories is no longer available. Since categories help to determine the relevance of a listing in search results, this is an important change.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN ANALYTICS?

Location3 Media has been really enjoying some great new updates to Google Analytics real time reporting! These new updates allow for more granular comparisons of data and faster analysis, all in real time.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SEO?

A few months ago Google launched the Disavow Tool, allowing sites to submit backlinks they suspect as being “unnatural” so that Google will no longer count them as a backlink. Google accompanied this launch with the directive that manual measures had to be put in place first before submitting. A rep from Google’s spam team has now come out recommending that links that were manually removed also be added to the disavow list to be on the extra safe side.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN CONTENT?

Google’s recent patent may favor larger publishers because they’re less prone to tricking the algorithm. The key takeaway is that non-traditional publishers such as bloggers, independent publications and brands need to ensure high quality, originality and volume in their content offering. Important factors all point to the content model of traditional journalism. They include:

• The number of articles produced during a given time period
• Average length of article
• Number of original sentences
• How quickly a publisher jumps on a story
• Number of original named entities within a cluster of articles (breaking news and additional relevant details)
• Writing style (quality, typo- and grammatical error-free writing)

Pew’s “State of the News Media Report” was recently released. It chronicles the decline of the traditional newsroom (30% less staff over the past decade) and the surge of journalists going into the content world. This industry transition has been marked with many missteps but is stabilizing as consumers, publishers and brands figure out the new ecosystem. Sponsored content is seeing an explosive rise and is likely to continue in this direction.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOCIAL?

Facebook Partner Categories Targeting

Facebook launched a new targeting feature last week —Facebook Partner Categories— that allows brands to reach users based on their activity across the web and based on their offline behaviors and purchases, not just on Facebook.com. Partner Categories is using data from third-party providers (including Acxiom, Datalogix and Epsilon) and Facebook’s traditional demographic and interest targeting can be layered on top.

Foursquare to Provide Data to Ad Exchanges

According to an article on Ad Age, Foursquare is developing a service to provide data to third-party ad exchanges and ad networks. Likely similar to PlaceIQ and other location-based data intelligence software, Foursquare’s data services will allow brands to reach users based on their check-ins and localized behaviors. Foursquare has not confirmed a release date.

New FTC Guidelines for Bloggers & Social Media Users

The FTC released new guidelines to address disclosures in blog posts and on social media channels. The updated guidelines are meant to help protect consumers by making it absolutely clear when a brand has provided free product, discounts or sponsored content to a blogger or social media user. Learn more about the new FTC guidelines.

Manage LinkedIn Pages from HootSuite

LinkedIn Company Pages, Groups and Personal Profiles can now be managed directly from HootSuite. Enterprise users can target status updates by geography, company size, job function and all other LinkedIn profile details through HootSuite, and both Pro and Enterprise users can view analytics for tracking page and post performance.

Embedding Vine Videos in Websites

In late March, Vine made it possible to embed videos into websites, in addition to embedding in tweets. Embedded Vine videos can be embedded as a standard video, or a postcard, which contains the user’s name, profile picture and caption.

* Source: MANGAGlobal via YuMe/IPG Media Lab “Are All Screens Created Equal”, Sept 2012

Quite a bit, actually. Simple can be good.

Twitter transformed the world using hashtags and 160 characters. Dr. Seuss wrote one of the most successful children’s books of all time with a mere 50 words. Nike created one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time with only eight words.

Enter Vine, the new mobile app that lets users upload six-second looping videos. Think of it like a video mixture between a tweet and an Instagram picture. The brevity is the appeal. In a world where digital attention spans are short, Vine challenges you to tell your story in six seconds or less. And honestly, why can’t you?

When Vine came out in January of 2013, the first question on most marketer’s minds was how they should leverage this emerging tool into something useful. When all the dust had settled, it seems like there are many creative and interesting ways that Vine can be used to produce stimulating and effective content. Here are six simple strategies that can help you create engaging Vines right away:

1. Shamelessly flaunt your brand

Businesses and brands have the ability to humanize themselves through social media. Vine videos are just another way to show what your brand is all about. It doesn’t have to be complex: something as simple as an office tour can emphasize company culture and employee cohesion. The most important aspect here is that your brand is on display for the world to see.

If you’re a B2C brand, creating a product-oriented Vines are especially powerful.  Show a woman modeling a new hat right before a summer music festival like Coachella, for example.

2. Use video looping to your advantage

One of the biggest strengths of Vine videos is the fact that they play on a continuous loop after the user clicks on it. So while the video itself is only six seconds, the continuous loop gives viewers the ability to watch the video again and again without clicking a single button.

Consider a Vine video that has a twist ending. The viewers might watch your video again to see what they missed the first time around. This is the same way a optical illusion makes you “double check” what you saw.

Or you could create a video that asks viewers to locate something within the video to receive a special offer. “Find our logo in this Vine video and we’ll send you 20% off your next order!” A challenge like this will make the viewer to watch your video until they solve the visual riddle.

3. Company event coverage

Rather than tweet that you’ll be attending a conference or event, make a quick Vine video that shows your presence there. Include signs of the event, where your booth is located, freebies at your giving away, etc.Check out a Vine of Location3′s latest trip to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Denver to cook a meal for parents of kid’s receiving medical treatment:

4. Let your users do the work for you

Vine can also be an effective way of starting a campaign centered around user-generated content.  ASOS asked their customers to make vine videos of themselves unboxing their new products. Botkier challenged their customers to show them what they keep in their purse.In both cases, these brands used Vine to create excitement and brand loyalists by asking them to be a participant in their campaign.

5. Give them a little taste

Are you releasing something new? If so, use Vine to give a sneak peek. Vine will provide visual content to increase the anticipation of its arrival. Use Vine to create short previews that link back to longer videos or more detailed information.

The same way movie trailers can create excitement for upcoming blockbusters, and free samples make you consider buying a new product in the supermarket, Vine videos can create anticipation and interest in larger pieces of content.

6.  Measure twice, Vine once

At Location3, we focus on findability and performance. So naturally we needed a way to measure how viewers are interacting with Vines. Thankfully, there is a free service, Simple Measured, that provides you with analytic reporting about who is driving the most engagement and where they’re located.