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$70K in tips, luxury faux leather, AR shopping, eCommerce via Twitter, and more!

The Power of a Solid PR Campaign

A PR campaign aims to increase your brand’s profile and promote your company, solutions, products, and services. It also helps to generate awareness, create more leads, and, in turn, drive sales. Here are a few tips to consider when planning a PR campaign:

Start with research – Research everything from your target audience, media outlets, social media channels, and competition.

Plan your approach – Create a campaign approach based on the learnings from your research. Ensure that you define all metrics for success.

Develop press materials – The materials required depends on what you’re trying to achieve from your PR campaign. These can include pitch emails, media kits, media alerts and press releases.

State your message – Your narrative must be compelling, concise and well-articulated so that it stands out.

Timely Execution – The most crucial thing in executing your PR campaign is the timing.

Evaluate Performance – Once the campaign is over, evaluate defined metrics and adjust accordingly for future ones.

#FunStats The Top 15 US Companies in Retail eCommerce Sales Growth

Fifteen companies will account for 72.3% of US eCommerce sales this year, up 10.5% from 2019, largely due to the rapid expansion of several retailers.
US eCommerce sales are expected to grow 17.9% this year to reach over $933B. eCommerce is now on track to surpass 20% of total retail by 2024. Source: eMarketer

#FGFStory

Influencer Raises $70K in Tips for Airport Pianist

Tonee Valentine, a pianist who entertains travelers at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, collected $70,000 in tips after an internet influencer posted a video of Valentine playing his heart out while hardly anyone notices him. Valentine suffers from kidney disease and undergoes dialysis nightly before playing piano at the airport.

What We’re Reading + Listening To

Digital

Big Brands Piloting Twitter’s New eCommerce Features

With its Shop Module, Twitter joins other social platforms in adding features that help brands tap into online shopping that surged during the pandemic. The Shop Module allows consumers to tap on a product to learn more and make an in-app purchase without leaving Twitter. Nike, Walmart, Disney, Patagonia, GameStop, Google, podcast Latinx in Power and retailer Arden Cove are among the brands piloting the Shop Module.

#FunFact

As of the first quarter of 2021, Twitter had 199 million monetizable daily active users worldwide.

Discover how you can work with influencers to launch new products. Contact us!

Spaces Wanted!

Washington Metro Area

1,000-2,000 sq. ft. in DMV for a fashion brand.

Southern Florida

A fashion brand is looking for 1,000-2,000 sq. ft. in Southern Florida for a series of activations.

Toronto

A luxury home goods brand seeking 600-1,000 sq. ft. on Queen St W, College St, Ossington Ave, Dundas St W, or Bloor St W, or in The Junction, Roncesvalles.

A DTC women’s fashion brand seeking 500 sq. ft. on Ossington Ave for a sample sale.

100 sq. ft. in the GTA for a custom art showcase and sale.

350-500 sq. ft. near Union Station for a juice concept.

250 sq. ft. on Bloor St. West near Christie Pits or High Park an artisanal food brand.

1,000-5,000 sq. ft. of event space in West Toronto neighbourhoods for a cultural event.

IF YOU’RE A MATCH CONTACT US!

Virtual Shopping Features Take Flight

American Eagle Outfitters is building on earlier digital efforts for back-to-school with the expansion of its virtual shopping experience on Snapchat and the launch of its ‘Future Together, Jeans Are Forever’ campaign. Shoppers on Snapchat can use the ‘Dress Yourself’ AR feature to shop the entire American Eagle collection. The all 2021 campaign stars Chase Stokes, Madison Bailey, Addison Rae, Caleb McLaughlin and Jenna Ortega.

Brands Wanted!

Whether it is for a few hours or a few months, pop-up go connects diverse brands and businesses across North America with a range of available spaces for pop-up activations.

Check out these featured spaces in Toronto:

Mixed space property (residential/commercial) in Liberty Village area is looking to host local businesses for a new pop-up initiative.

2,500 sq. ft. of turnkey space in Toronto’s historic Distillery District.

Move-in-ready for events or retail! Beautiful 3,000 sq. ft. move-in-ready space in the heart of downtown located adjacent to Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square at one of the city’s busiest intersections.

Storefront with large windows and exposed brick. 4,400 sq. ft. over two storeys located on Queen and Bathurst Streets.

GTA space seeking pet product retailers, bookstores, or gift and wrapping services for pop-up activations.

New space in Calgary:

Retail center seeking women’s fashion, home goods, and health & wellness brands.

projeX by pop-up go

The latest offering from pop-up go, projeX by pop-up go is a virtual pop-up marketplace and online shopping destination that connects consumers to a diverse variety of small businesses, boutiques, and local retailers, allowing them to discover high-quality, exclusive, and interesting finds. Brands can sell directly to consumers, create virtual pop-up stores, or host digital experiences – all in one place. It’s a great way to launch a new product, test a new concept, or simply build an online presence.

#TrendAlert Faux Leather is Now a Luxury Material

The demand for leather alternatives has reached a new high. Thanks to increasing partnerships between influential fashion players and emerging biomaterials companies, products composed of leather alternatives are becoming commonplace in luxury. Innovative materials offering more sustainability and comparable quality are fueling the trend, as is a heightened focus on ethics and values.

Adidas, Stella McCartney, Lululemon and Kering have slowly begun rolling out products featuring Bolt Threads’ Mylo leather substitute, derived from mushroom roots. And brands including Chanel and Hugo Boss have launched accessories incorporating Pinatex’s namesake leather alternative, made from pineapple leaf fibers.

What’s next? Material-focused changes-for-the-better are going to have a halo effect on the fashion industry. New materials are going to boost design teams in terms of their creativity and product development.

Pop-Ups in Action

Read about recent and upcoming pop-ups and pop-ins that we love.

Featured Pop-Up: Eliza Faulkner #Montreal Pop-Up

pop-up go is thrilled to have helped the bold feminine fashion brand Eliza Faulkner activate in Montreal. Check out their pop-up August 6 to 8 at 5689 St Laurent Boulevard.

“Beauty is everywhere. You only have to look to see it.” – Bob Ross

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Dating advice from Grandpa, social stories war, ramp up foot traffic, and more!

Building a B2B Community

Building communities is vital to B2B marketing and can elevate a brand’s thought leadership reputation, enhance customer experience and boost loyalty. Key community-building tactics include the creation of quality, educational content with a “journalistic edge” and facilitating community interactions through video. Here are some of the benefits:

  • Positions you as a trusted authority: Provide valuable content and experiences to your community and your brand will be perceived as a trusted resource.
  • Provides an experience beyond the product: Create a place to connect with customers and prospects at a more human, emotional, and problem-solving level.
  • Builds customer loyalty: Happy customers become dedicated followers and passionate brand ambassadors who will help recruit new organic followers and prospects to your community.
  • Offers opportunities to innovate: Run surveys, ask for customer feedback and suggestions, and uncover deeper insights about your customers.
  • Builds customer loyalty: Happy customers become dedicated followers and passionate brand ambassadors who will help recruit new organic followers and prospects to your community.
  • Cut ad spend: One of the long-term benefits of building your own organic community is it cuts advertising costs, which further helps your brand be more authentically authoritative.

Call it whatever you’d like but a B2B community is a space where customers come together to learn, share, and interact with brands.

Infographics

The average bounce rate on websites is 40.5%, per The Daily Egg, but infographics can drastically improve content viewer engagement, help boost Google rankings, and keep people viewing your content.

#FGFStory

Grandpa’s Texts to Granddaughter get 6.8M Tiktok Views

A A video showing the humorous text exchange between Megan Elizabeth and her 91-year-old grandpa has gone viral, attracting 6.8 million views and 1.7 million likes on TikTok. The video spotlights gems from her grandpa, such as “This is grandpa. I read an article that said if you do not find a life partner by 29 you most likely die alone. Your birthday is coming up in 3 months. Just wanted to let you know.”

What We’re Reading

Digital

Once Upon a Time…Social Stories

Stories have become a popular venue for social media advertising, but there are already signs of a spending plateau. In 2020, the primary venues where marketers placed Story advertising were Instagram, Snapchat, and (to a lesser extent) Facebook. In recent months, LinkedIn launched its own Story ad format and we expect Pinterest will also introduce ads in Idea Pins.

In July 2020 research by Kantar Media, senior marketers worldwide were planning to raise their ad budget or resource allocation for social media Stories by 54% in 2021—second only to the 65% increase for digital video ads.

Need help with your social media creative? Contact us!

#FunFact

According to eMarketer, US spending in influencer marketing is set to hit $3.69B this year, a 33.6% rise over 2020, and projected to surpass $4B in 2022. Instagram captures approximately half of that spend, followed by YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.

Learn more about how social influencers can help reach your target market. Contact us!

Spaces Wanted in #Toronto

A luxury home goods brand seeking 600-1,000 sq. ft. on Queen St W, College St, Ossington Ave, Dundas St W, or Bloor St W, or in The Junction, Roncesvalles.

A DTC women’s fashion brand seeking 500 sq. ft. on Ossington Ave for a sample sale.

100 sq. ft. in the GTA for a custom art showcase and sale.

350-500 sq. ft. near Union Station for a juice concept

IF YOU’RE A MATCH CONTACT US!

Foot Traffic Ramps Up Across North America

According to the latest mall index from Placer.ai, malls in the US saw a boost in foot traffic in June nearing pre-pandemic levels. Since February 2021, they reported rebounding visits, with a 14.4% month-over-month increase for indoor malls, and a 12.8% increase at outdoor malls. With shoppers feeling more confident and returning to malls as they reopen, the back-to-school season is expected to give it a further boost.

Canadians are also eager for in-store shopping as restrictions ease, according to geolocation data compiled by SafeGraph Inc. The San-Francisco based analytics firm released complete data for the first time recently, showing a 44% increase in clothing store foot traffic in June as compared to the same month in 2019, according to a Bloomberg analysis of the numbers.

Brands Wanted!

Whether it is for a few hours or a few months, pop-up go connects diverse brands and businesses across North America with a range of available spaces for pop-up activations.

Check out these featured spaces in Toronto:

Mixed space property (residential/commercial) in Liberty Village area is looking to host local businesses for a new pop-up initiative.

2,500 sq. ft. of turnkey space in Toronto’s historic Distillery District. Move-in-ready for events or retail!

Beautiful 3,000 sq. ft. move-in-ready space in the heart of downtown located adjacent to Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square at one of the city’s busiest intersections.

Storefront with large windows and exposed brick. 4,400 sq. ft. over two storeys located on Queen and Bathurst Streets.

projeX by pop-up go

The latest offering from pop-up go, projeX by pop-up go is a virtual pop-up marketplace and online shopping destination that connects consumers to a diverse variety of small businesses, boutiques, and local retailers, allowing them to discover high-quality, exclusive, and interesting finds. Brands can sell directly to consumers, create virtual pop-up stores, or host digital experiences – all in one place. It’s a great way to launch a new product, test a new concept, or simply build an online presence.

Four Trends Impacting Retail Marketing Strategies

As digital ad costs have risen in recent years, retailers are exploring new ways – and resurfacing more traditional channels – to advertise their goods and diversify their marketing strategies.

Resurgence of print – Direct mail and catalogs have become particularly attractive to direct-to-consumer brands as online competition heats up,and relying solely on Facebook and Google has come at a cost.

‘What’s old is new again’ – Combining print with agile marketing can help brands marry the allure of print with the benefits of digital marketing. For example, brands can post a print advertisement on the side of a vehicle, and if people are located near the vehicle and have GPS location enabled, the brand can then deliver them an ad based on their geolocation.

Rethinking digital marketing strategies – Some apps now need to ask permission before tracking, which can makes calculating an ROI difficult. This has led brands to shift budgets to alternative digital channels like podcasts and diversify their platform selection as well as integrate more non-digital channels such as the inclusion of pop-ups.

Experimenting to find the right approach – With more advertising channels for brands to explore than ever before, choosing the right option isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one brand may not work well for another, making experimentation key.

Pop-Ups in Action

Read about recent and upcoming pop-ups and pop-ins that we love.

#FunFact

According to research conducted by Podium, 74% of consumers said that would be more likely to text message with a business if they knew they were engaging with a real person.

There are approximately 369,400 flowering plants in the world.

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Flying fish, Lego, niche social platforms, and more!

The Era of Adaptation

This year’s Nielsen Annual Marketing Report equips brands – big and small – across various sectors of the economy with smart marketing and advertising strategies to meet the escalating pressure and drive return on investment. Key takeaways include:

  • Continue marketing but reallocate your mix: Make the most of marketing budgets and engage with new consumer groups.
  • Focus on the end-to-end journey: Rethink omnichannel strategies and capitalize on opportunities in emerging advertising channels. Read our recent blog on CTV opportunities.
  • Leverage both holistic and granular measurement: Incorporate first-party data supplemented by second- and third-party data.

The Importance of Combining Print and Digital Campaigns

Consumers have been increasingly turning to digital channels—and so too have marketers. According to a US End-Of-Year Forecast report, digital advertising will account for 55% of all advertising by the year’s end. However, while digital advertising is surging, marketers shouldn’t overlook print advertising. In a recent survey on consumer attitude toward print advertising, 40% of consumers said they were more likely to shop at a retailer that sends them printed advertising than one that doesn’t.

While marketers need to show up in the channels their customers are using – such as digital channels – they also need to make sure they’re making the most impactful impression they can for their brand. Thus, the best advertising strategy is often one that combines both digital and print.

Blended campaigns can create more memorable experiences for your customers while driving traffic to your brand both online and offline. This can amplify your marketing efforts further and, ultimately, lead to better marketing outcomes.

Three reasons why combining print and digital can improve your marketing campaign:

  • Drives greater engagement.
  • Amplifies your calls to action.
  • Enables your brand to stand out in a crowded advertising space.

#ClientNews

2021 Recipient of the ICFF Award of Excellence: Congratulations Vincenzo Guzzo!

“This prestigious award honors Mr. Guzzo’s outstanding support and contributions to Italian and Canadian cinema and recognizes his incredible influence in the film industry and on the movie-going experience across the country,” said Cristiano de Florentiis, Artistic Director of the Italian Contemporary Film Festival. Each year, the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) is pleased to host many special guests at the Lavazza Drive-In Film Festival, including actors, directors, producers, journalists, and other prominent members of both the Italian and the Italian-Canadian film industry. An accomplished Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist, and television personality, Mr. Guzzo will attend the closing gala as the preeminent guest of honor.

#FGFStory

Fish Fly from Planes into Utah Lakes

A video showing the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources restocking lakes, which are not accessible by car, by dropping fish from a plane has gone viral on Twitter, attracting more than 2.2 million views. Pilots can dump up to 35,000 trout into 40 to 60 lakes within a few hours – a process that is speedier and more efficient than pumping fish through a pipe that empties into a lake, the common method for restocking lakes accessible by cars.

What We’re Reading

digital

Niche Social Platforms Can Reveal New Brand Opportunities What Apple’s iOS 15 Means for Marketers

Consumers are turning their social media attention toward niche platforms tailored to specific, like-minded audiences. Brands are following suit to connect with them and sell products to niche audiences who are genuinely interested. Examples include Stage 32 for the entertainment industry and Figure 1 for medical professionals. Brands should explore these platforms with social listening and then interact with valued content.Apple’s upcoming privacy changes, including Hide My Email and Private Relay, will make opt-ins more valuable and may complicate already strained efforts to reach target users on iPhones. Apple’s iOS 15 software will give their customers several ways to limit or prevent data-sharing. The planned changes, earmarked to launch this fall to coincide with new device announcements, will force marketers to develop alternative ways to find potential customers and engage with existing ones. A key strategy will be to position themselves as direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands that gather first-party data from consenting customers.

Need help connecting with your audience on social media? Contact us!

Twitter is Ending Fleets

Less than a year after Twitter widely launches Fleets – posts that disappear after 24 hours – the company is removing the feature citing low user adoption. The Fleets feature mimicked other time-limited formats like Snapchat Stories, as well as Facebook and Instagram’s own copycat versions. As of January, just 7.7% of Twitter users in the U.S. said they had posted a Fleet, a marginal increase compared with 6% right after the feature launched, per a YouGov survey.

Learn more about how social videos can help you gain followers. Contact us!

 

popup

Brands Looking for Spaces

LA: A 10,000+ sq. ft. outdoor space is needed for an art exhibition.

Montreal: A private chef is looking for an Old Port location with a terrace.

New York: A beauty brand is looking for 1,500-2,000 sq. ft. on the street level in Soho.

Ontario: A sales center is looking for multiple locations in central (street locations) and rural (strip malls or enclosed malls) markets for 6-month pop-up sales offices, 1,000-2,000 sq. ft.

Ottawa: A fashion brand is looking for 900-1,200 sq. ft. mall location with a storage room.

Oakville / Toronto: A lingerie brand is looking for 1,500-2,000 sq. ft. to host a month-long pop-up. The space must have fixtures, changing room, storage, and be air-conditioned.

Toronto: A luxury retail brand is looking for 2,500 sq. ft. in the Rosedale, Etobicoke, Summerhill, Yonge and Eglinton, or Bayview Village areas.

Toronto: Ghost kitchen spaces 500+ sq. ft. off Yonge near Eglinton or nearby dense residential areas.

Toronto: A Gen Z fashion brand is looking for 500-1,000 sq. ft. with a change room on Queen Street West, Koreatown, or on Ossington avenue.

Toronto: We’re searching for a +/- 2,500 sq. ft. space in Toronto’s Yonge/Eglinton or Queen Street West areas for a pop-up activation.

Toronto / Vaughan: A food brand is looking for 500-1,000 sq. ft. in a high foot traffic location in the downtown core of Toronto, North Toronto, or Vaughan during the summer months.

IF YOU’RE A MATCH CONTACT US!

Boost Website Visitors via Social Media

Use social media to boost traffic to your brand’s site by optimizing profiles, posting social proof (i.e., client reviews and testimonials), and engaging more niche audiences on platforms. Other tips include publishing social content when your target audience is most responsive, creating valuable content, and using visuals such as infographics and video.

Here are nine tips to help increase social referral web traffic:

  • Optimize your social profiles
  • Use social proof
  • Use less popular platforms in addition to mass ones
  • Time it right, pick the most effective times
  • Make share buttons obvious
  • Promote your content
  • Engage your audience
  • Be responsive
  • Get visible

#FunFact 87% of marketers say increasing website traffic is a benefit of social media marketing, according to Social Media Examiner.

Spaces Looking for Brands

Whether it is for a few hours or a few months, pop-up go connects diverse brands and businesses across North America with a range of available spaces for pop-up activations.

Check out these featured spaces:

Muskoka, Ontario: Back-of-house kitchen spaces are available in the Muskoka region throughout the summer.

Toronto: Mixed space property (residential/commercial) in

Liberty Village area is looking to host local businesses for a new pop-up initiative.

Toronto: Beautiful 3,000 sq. ft. move-in-ready space in the heart of downtown located adjacent to Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square at one of the city’s busiest intersections.

Toronto: Storefront with large windows and exposed brick. 4,400 sq. ft. over two storeys located on Queen and Bathurst Streets.

projeX by pop-up go

The latest offering from pop-up goprojeX by pop-up go is a virtual pop-up marketplace and online shopping destination that connects consumers to a diverse variety of small businesses, boutiques, and local retailers, allowing them to discover high-quality, exclusive, and interesting finds. Brands can sell directly to consumers, create virtual pop-up stores, or host digital experiences – all in one place. It’s a great way to launch a new product, test a new concept, or simply build an online presence.

Commercial Real Estate Market Leaders Combine Vast Experience to Launch of CDNGLOBAL®

Commercial real estate leaders and members of the Devencore management team, Agron Miloti and Jon Bishop, announced the launch of CDNGLOBAL® this week. The company boasts that it will provide the global real estate market with a bridge to Canada and access to highly experienced professionals coast-to-coast supporting both brokers and their clients. Additionally, CDNGLOBAL will connect its strategic regional partners to its global network. CDNGLOBAL states that it is unique in that it offers limitless opportunity for a collaborative ecosystem of entrepreneurs, advisors, and brokers with a progressive business model and compensation system.

“I believe strongly in bricks and mortar. We believe very much in human contact. We have clients who love to prepare their purchases back home but then come to the store. The clients like to have this fluid interaction.”

Pietro Beccari, CEO, Dior

Retail Salespeople are Transforming Themselves into Social Influencers

For decades, sales employees have been strictly floor workers: they interacted with customers browsing in stores, showcasing, and pitching them items to make commissions. Now, more salespeople are also building up their presence on apps like Instagram and TikTok, in order to reach customers there.  One reason that more commission-based workers pop up on social channels is that more start-ups are providing the tech infrastructure to help them sell directly. Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nieman Marcus are among the retailers that have used white-label software to help salespeople set up virtual storefronts on their websites.

LEGO Launches its First Experiential Pop-Up Tour in the UK

The LEGO Group is hitting the road with the launch of its first experiential pop-up tour of the UK this summer, hitting major cities including Southampton, Liverpool, Edinburgh, and Bristol. Called the LEGO Pop & Play Tour, the experiential activation will set up within major shopping centers around the UK. The pop-ups will encourage kids and families to unleash their creativity through a range of play experiences. Visitors will be able to take part in activity stations, including cupcake decoration with LEGO DOTS, vehicle building with LEGO City, embarking on a scavenger hunt to spot balloons and horses with LEGO Friends, and creating their own beat with the LEGO VIDIYO studio. After completing each station, families will receive a rosette and by simply collecting two, can head to a local LEGO store in the area to collect a gift.

Pop-Ups in Action

Read about recent and upcoming pop-ups and pop-ins that we love.

There is no known number of beaches in the world because there is no qualifying definition of a beach!

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Future of SEM, evergreen content, #FunFacts, and more!

Developing the Best Evergreen Content

Evergreen posts are those that experience continuous visits, and keep driving traffic over the years, building the foundation for optimization efforts. A few strong pillar blog posts, aligned with key topics in your industry, can help make your website the key go-to, maximizing both branding and discovery performance. Developed from analyzing 3.65 billion posts, this new infographic showcases insights on creating evergreen content. The most effective evergreen content features headlines with the words “best,” “guide,” “data” and “reasons,” and creative recommendations include validating content with research, trend data as well as collaborating with influencers.

Check out the infographic.

 

SEM

Since it was made commercial in 1995, the internet has become home to roughly 400 million active websites. However, with such a vast assortment of websites to choose from, surfers would have been lost without a way to search. Platforms to pinpoint the digital content they are looking for, known as search engines, were developed to solve this issue. With millions of web pages battling to be the answer to consumers searches, what can businesses do to strategically position themselves at the top of the list? The answer is Search Engine Marketing or SEM.

Visit our blog to learn more about how to master SEM for your business. 

#FGFStory Architects Compile a Catalogue of Ideas for Rooftops

From green roofs, solar installations, and sky-high farms, rooftops are slowly becoming more than just a way to protect a building. The city of Rotterdam commissioned an architectural firm to create a catalogue of ideas for rooftops and they came up with 130. Designs cover everything from tiny houses and urban campsites, classrooms, athletic fields to hubs for delivery drones, parking and landing space for air taxis. They’re not all utilitarian, however, and include a green maze, a tropical palm conservatory, and — one of our favorites — the super hammock, a gigantic net suspended between rooftops, creating an aerial playground for adults and children alike.

What We’re Reading

Digital

What Apple’s iOS 15 Means for Marketers

Apple’s upcoming privacy changes, including Hide My Email and Private Relay, will make opt-ins more valuable and may complicate already strained efforts to reach target users on iPhones. Apple’s iOS 15 software will give their customers several ways to limit or prevent data-sharing. The planned changes, earmarked to launch this fall to coincide with new device announcements, will force marketers to develop alternative ways to find potential customers and engage with existing ones. A key strategy will be to position themselves as direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands that gather first-party data from consenting customers.

Learn more about how social videos can help gain followers. Contact us!

Food & Beverage Brands find Tiktok Recipe for Success

Food and beverage companies are reaping rewards on TikTok with short, visual recipe and product developed by brands and influencers. They’re quickly gaining followers and sparking new product ideas leading to sales. For example, Nutter Butter amassed 1.6 million TikTok likes for its unique recipes, user-generated content, and responses to viral recipes, while IHOP is tapping the platform’s mini pancake cereal trend with its new Panflakes cereal.

Learn more about how social videos can help gain followers. Contact us!

popup

Brands Looking for Spaces

LA: A 10,000+ sq. ft. outdoor space is needed for an art exhibition.

Montreal: A private chef is looking for an Old Port location with a terrace.

New York: A beauty brand is looking for 1,500-2,000 sq. ft. on the street level in Soho.

Ontario: A sales center is looking for multiple locations in central (street locations) and rural (strip malls or enclosed malls) markets for 6-month pop-up sales offices, 1,000-2,000 sq. ft.

Ottawa: A fashion brand is looking for 900-1,200 sq. ft. mall location with a storage room.

Oakville / Toronto: A lingerie brand is looking for 1,500-2,000 sq. ft. to host a month-long pop-up. The space must have fixtures, changing room, storage, and be air-conditioned.

Toronto: A luxury retail brand is looking for 2,500 sq. ft. in the Rosedale, Etobicoke, Summerhill, Yonge and Eglinton, or Bayview Village areas.

Toronto: Ghost kitchen spaces 500+ sq. ft. off Yonge near Eglinton or nearby dense residential areas.

Toronto: A Gen Z fashion brand is looking for 500-1,000 sq. ft. with a change room on Queen Street West, Koreatown, or on Ossington avenue.

Toronto: We’re searching for a +/- 2,500 sq. ft. space in the Toronto’s Yonge/Eglinton or Queen Street West areas for a pop-up activation.

Toronto / Vaughan: A food brand is looking for 500-1,000 sq. ft. in a high foot traffic location in the downtown core of Toronto, North Toronto, or Vaughan during the summer months.

IF YOU’RE A MATCH CONTACT US!

Eight Core Elements Needed to Succeed in Personalization

To start personalization activities, retailers need to test and learn while building multidimensional intelligence on customers over time. The following will help to develop an effective personalized experience to differentiate retailers, increases the average spend with the most loyal customers, and ultimately boosts retailers’ top and bottom lines.

  • Data management. Develop a multidimensional view of the customer to serve as the backbone of analytics. Quality should take precedence over quantity (having the right data is more important than having extensive data).
  • Customer segmentation and analytics. Segment customers, identify value triggers, and score customers accordingly.
  • Playbook. Create a library of campaigns and content that can be matched with customers.
  • Decisioning engine (campaign coordination). Develop a multichannel decision engine to prevent conflicting messages and drive maximum value per touchpoint.
  • Cross-functional team. Assemble a cross-functional, co-located team to manage weekly deployment in a test-and-learn culture for faster results.
  • Talents, capabilities, and culture. Secure the right capabilities and talent, often begun by setting the right ambition in leadership.
  • Technology enablement. An optimized technology platform can be complex; start with an existing platform and squeeze value from it first.
  • Test and learn. Don’t wait for perfection; get started and improve over time with analytics.

Need help creating a personalization strategy? CONTACT US!

Spaces Looking for Brands

Whether it is for a few hours or a few months, pop-up go connects diverse brands and businesses across North America with a range of available spaces for pop-up activations.

Check out these featured spaces:

Muskoka, Ontario: Back-of-house kitchen spaces are available in the Muskoka region throughout the summer.

Toronto: Mixed space property (residential/commercial) in

Liberty Village area is looking to host local businesses for a new pop-up initiative.

Toronto: Beautiful 3,000 sq. ft. move-in-ready space in the heart of downtown located adjacent to Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square at one of the city’s busiest intersections.

Toronto: Storefront with large windows and exposed brick. 4,400 sq. ft. over two storeys located on Queen and Bathurst Streets.

projeX by pop-up go

The latest offering from pop-up goprojeX by pop-up go is a virtual pop-up marketplace and online shopping destination that connects consumers to a diverse variety of small businesses, boutiques, and local retailers, allowing them to discover high-quality, exclusive, and interesting finds. Brands can sell directly to consumers, create virtual pop-up stores, or host digital experiences – all in one place. It’s a great way to launch a new product, test a new concept, or simply build an online presence.

#FunFact

China will surpass US$350 billion in retail social commerce sales, eclipsing the almost US$37 billion the US will see from such sales, by the end of this year. That means consumers in China will spend about 10 times more on social commerce purchases than their US counterparts will. Source: eMarketer

IF YOU’RE A MATCH CONTACT US!

Pop-Ups in Action

Read about recent and upcoming pop-ups and pop-ins that we love.

The pink sand of Pink Sands Beach on Harbour Island the Bahamas comes from Foraminifera, a microscopic marine animal with a bright pink or red shell.

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The Present and Future of Search Engine Marketing

Since it was made commercial in 1995, the internet has become home to roughly 400 million active websites. Whether for personal purposes or commercial efforts, the internet offers countless platforms for user consumption. However, with such a vast assortment of websites to choose from, surfers would have been lost without a way to search. Various search engines, such as Google and Bing, have been developed to solve the inability to pinpoint the digital content users are looking for on the internet. With millions of web pages battling answer consumers searches, what can businesses do to strategically position themselves at the top of the list? The answer is Search Engine Marketing or SEM.

What is SEM?

SEM is a digital tactic employed by businesses to influence search engine results and increase specific website visibility. Once used as an umbrella term for both organic and paid organic traffic, SEM has now shifted to specifically reference ads, with search engine optimization (SEO) used for unpaid content. While SEO is the process of creating content to appeal to the complicated algorithms used by search engines, SEM is a more direct approach in which businesses use a combination of monetary bidding and carefully-curated content to win high rankings on search pages. SEM can be employed on various search engines however, Google dominates due to the resounding popularity of the platform and the size of its Ads services – roughly 2x greater than the next highest competitor, Bing. With the majority of a website’s traffic deriving from search engine results, businesses need to leverage SEM as a tool to increase visits and drive leads. Furthermore, one of the most prominent advantages of SEM, for both B2B and B2C companies, is that it places businesses directly in front of motivated customers at the exact moment they are seeking a product or service.

 

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How to do SEM well:

It is imperative to understand the way SEM works. SEM is not as simple as purchasing the prime spot in search results, there are many practices and trends that businesses should follow to achieve success. In essence, these campaigns leverage carefully-developed keywords to associate ads with search queries. Companies should begin by identifying the prominent keywords that relate to their business and the search queries they want to appear for. To do so, careful website evaluation is critical as is a review of popular keyword data to then draft ad text and prepare for the bidding process.

SEM bidding relates to the monetary aspect of this equation and refers to the auction whereby businesses set the price they are willing to pay for clicks on their ads. After companies identify their targets, budgets are allocated according to which keywords are most relevant and drive the most traffic. However, unlike a real auction, the highest bidder isn’t guaranteed the winning result; quality also carries weight. For Google, ad ranking is influenced by the Quality Score (QS) it receives. The QS is comprised of two main characteristics: the ad’s click-through rate (CTR), which is determined by the ratio of people who see the ad versus who click it, and its quality alongside the landing page, which is the website that users arrive at when engaging with an ad. Ultimately, with these characteristics, the QS should be regarded as how useful the ad is to whoever searched the keywords. With this in mind, to achieve success through SEM and maximize ROI, companies must ensure that their ads and landing pages are high quality and highly relevant to the keywords against which they choose to promote.

To contextualize the process of SEM, below is an example of a Best Buy Google ad campaign for cameras.

 

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By targeting specific and focused keywords, selecting the appropriate landing page, and ensuring the ad was relevant to targeted consumer searches, Best Buy was successful in increasing their visibility.

Where is SEM heading?

By following these best practices, any business can compete with the best of the best. But to gain a competitive edge, one should consider SEM trends. As we work our way through 2021, there are many emerging consumer behaviors that will ultimately impact the future of SEM. Here are two observed trends that marketers should consider as they approach SEM in 2021:

1. Optimizing for Voice Search

According to Google, approximately 20% of search queries on tablet and mobile devices were made using voice searches through technology such as Google Home, Apple’s Siri, and Amazon Echo, in the past year. 65% of users cite that this search method plays an essential role in their everyday lives. In 2021, studies have shown that up to 70% of searches will be completed by voice (GeoMarketing). This will lead to searches being conducted by conversational tone and long-tail keywords that often accompany voice dictation. As a result, marketers must adjust their strategies to incorporate more natural language – paying less attention to what user search for and more to what they ask.

2. The Rise of Videos

With the recent growth and emphasis on streaming services, it is projected that video content will hold great power in 2021 and beyond since consumers would much rather watch a video than read text (SEM updates). According to Cisco, by 2022, online videos will comprise greater than 82% of all consumer internet traffic. To take advantage of this trend in SEM efforts, it’s recommended to embed ‘how to’ or product promotion videos within web pages to drive traffic, improve their CTR and increase QS.

For businesses looking to enhance their digital results through SEM, it’s important to have a plan. While SEM can be conducted on self-serve platforms such as Google Ads and Bing Ads, many businesses wisely choose to hire an agency such as Zenergy Communications to develop the best overall strategy, confidently select the strongest keywords, and allocate appropriate budgets. With 18 years of experience delivering success for clients, Zenergy can assist in planning, executing, and monitoring SEM campaigns. While the internet may be a vast place, through SEM, businesses can make sure they don’t get lost in the chaos.

Interested in learning more about how SEM can benefit your business?
Send us an email at: info@zenergycom.com.

Written by TORI BURROWS for © Zenergy Communications (North America) Inc.

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Quantum marketing, wonder trees, hyper-personalization, and more!

Marketing Plan Refresh – Staying Contemporary

With ever-changing consumer behaviors, emerging communications channels, and access to a plethora of analytical data, there is no better time to refresh your marketing plan. Whether you’re a start-up, a company on the rise, or an established voice, never stop innovating. Here are some elements to consider when revisiting your marketing plan:

  • Identify the pain point of your target audience and alter your messaging to ensure you address it.
  • Evaluate if your unique selling proposition (USP) has changed or shifted slightly.
  • Adjust your messaging on social media to match each platform’s audience and use A/B testing.
  • Decide how you’re going to analyze the merits of your new strategy by establishing metrics for measuring success.
  • Re-evaluate roles and allocate responsibilities to minimize roadblocks or unforeseen issues.

Based on your review of the above, you may need to alter your marketing mix or even overhaul your messaging.

Need help auditing your marketing plan? Contact us!

Quantum Marketing – A Fifth Marketing Paradigm?

Artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and wearables are some of the advances driving a fifth marketing paradigm according to Mastercard’s CMO Raja Rajamannar’s new book Quantum Marketing.
Rajamannar describes the four historical paradigms of marketing and contends that the industry is now hurtling into its ‘fifth paradigm.’  He suggests that MARCOM practitioners need to prioritize new technologies, plus have a broad command of PR, data, and finance, to navigate in today’s business world. He argues that in this new paradigm, the concept of loyalty is dead, and the very notion of a brand requires a complete re-imagination.   Check out the interview for more insights.

#FGFStory Wonder Tree is a Game-Changer for Rainforest Agriculture

There is a ‘wonder tree’ in Honduras that’s creating organic farming livelihoods, climate resistance, and giving hope to farmers in the Central American nation and abroad. The Inga family of trees, when planted in an agroforestry alley model, has given rural farmers the opportunity to use regenerative farming methods rather than the historical slash and burn methods.
This revolutionary Inga alley is hoped to reduce traditional agriculture practices, which contribute 73% of greenhouse gas emissions from the developing world’s agriculture. Additionally, the Inga alleyways are allowing farmers to add cash crops, generating more revenue for farmers.

What We’re Reading

Video Virality

Entrepreneurs and content creators wait for that moment when their videos go viral. But going live requires persistence and a few other key elements to get that extra boost for desired viral growth.
To boost your chances of going viral, keep these tips in mind:

  • Post across social media platforms.
  • Make your content relatable and relevant.
  • Be more authentic – elicit emotions, talk to people, tell stories.
  • Find the right audience.
  • Follow influencers.
  • Approach social media like an extension of your brand.
  • Evaluate your results.
  • Repeat and adjust.

Need help developing videos for social media? Contact us!

Report: Focus More on Facebook

Facebook is criticized on many fronts. However, its importance for brands is undeniable. According to a Sprout Social survey detailing consumer and marketer trends on social media, nearly 80% of consumers select it as their go-to platform to follow brands and it tops the charts as the most-used platform (87%). Furthermore, consumers following a brand on social have a remarkably high level of conversion (91%) and who said they are likely to visit its website or app.

 

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Why do these findings matter? They serve as a reminder to revisit Facebook as a platform to drive business despite the buzz about newer platforms like TikTok and Clubhouse.

 

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Brands Looking for Spaces

LA: A 10,000+ sq. ft. outdoor space is needed for an art exhibition.

Montreal: A private chef is looking for an Old Port location with a terrace.

New York: A beauty brand is looking for 1,500-2,000 sq. ft. on the street level in Soho.

Ontario: A sales center is looking for multiple locations in central (street locations) and rural (strip malls or enclosed malls) markets for 6-month pop-up sales offices, 1,000-2,000 sq. ft.

Ottawa: A fashion brand is looking for 900-1,200 sq. ft. mall location with a storage room.

Oakville / Toronto: A lingerie brand is looking for 1,500-2,000 sq. ft. to host a month-long pop-up. The space must have fixtures, changing room, storage, and be air-conditioned.

Toronto: A luxury retail brand is looking for 2,500 sq. ft. in the Rosedale, Etobicoke, Summerhill, Yonge and Eglinton, or Bayview Village areas.

Toronto: Ghost kitchen spaces 500+ sq. ft. off Yonge near Eglinton or nearby dense residential areas.

Toronto: A Gen Z fashion brand is looking for 500-1,000 sq. ft. with a change room on Queen Street West, Koreatown, or on Ossington avenue.

Toronto / Vaughan: A food brand is looking for 500-1,000 sq. ft. in a high foot traffic location in the downtown core of Toronto, North Toronto, or Vaughan during the summer months.

IF YOU’RE A MATCH CONTACT US!

Hyper-Personalizing Customer Engagement in Retail – Collect Data + Categorize It!

Brands can no longer differentiate themselves on product and price alone, as 75% of all consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a company that knows their name, their purchase history, and recommends products based on their preferences (Source: Accenture Interactive). For retailers, this one-to-one approach to engaging their customers is no longer optional, it is imperative to remain competitive. Start collecting data and implement methods to categorize the engagements by the objective of the interaction i.e., conversations about a repeat purchase, product questions, or support). These classifications can help you determine where to build self-service workflows, such as automated chat replies, and can assist when training your staff. Top tips:

  • Categorize engagements into groups across all channels.
  • Listen to the conversations.
  • Identify customer sentiment, learn how they are relating to your brand, and find out what their thoughts are on their experience.

Next week, we’ll discuss the power of using your categorized data to deliver personalized engagement.

Spaces Looking for Brands

Whether it is for a few hours or a few months, pop-up go connects diverse brands and businesses across North America with a range of available spaces for pop-up activations.

Check out these featured spaces:

Muskoka, Ontario: Back-of-house kitchen spaces are available in the Muskoka region throughout the summer.

Toronto: Mixed space property (residential/commercial) in

Liberty Village area is looking to host local businesses for a new pop-up initiative.

Toronto: Beautiful 3,000 sq. ft. move-in-ready space in the heart of downtown located adjacent to Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square at one of the city’s busiest intersections.

Toronto: Storefront with large windows and exposed brick. 4,400 sq. ft. over two storeys located on Queen and Bathurst Streets.

projeX by pop-up go

The latest offering from pop-up goprojeX by pop-up go is a virtual pop-up marketplace and online shopping destination that connects consumers to a diverse variety of small businesses, boutiques, and local retailers, allowing them to discover high-quality, exclusive, and interesting finds. Brands can sell directly to consumers, create virtual pop-up stores, or host digital experiences – all in one place. It’s a great way to launch a new product, test a new concept, or simply build an online presence.

#FeaturedSeeker – Brand Seeks Toronto Space

We’re searching for a +/- 2,500 sq. ft. space in Toronto’s Yonge/Eglinton or Queen Street West areas for a pop-up activation. Let us know if you have a space that fits the bill and we can bring your vacancy to life with exciting pop-up opportunities!

IF YOU’RE A MATCH CONTACT US!

#TrendAlert – Swimwear

The global swimwear market, which was worth more than $16 billion in 2020, and is expected to grow to about $21.4 billion by 2025, according to market research firm Euromonitor International. Statista is anticipating the market will be even bigger, as much as $29.1 billion by 2025.

Want to take advantage of this trend with a pop-up? CONTACT US!

Pop-Ups in Action

Read about recent and upcoming pop-ups and pop-ins that we love.

“Freedom lies in being bold.”Robert Frost

#CanadaDay #July4