With the plethora of digital marketing opportunities available nowadays, it can be hard to know where to focus your brand’s budget to get the most engagement and return on investment. Here are 3 strategies that work…. 

1. Content Marketing is a way for brands to create and share material online to generate interest in the brand’s products or services, without promoting their brand so overtly. Some of the most popular types of content includes: non-blogging social media (79%), article posting (78%), in-person events (62%), e-newsletters (61%), case studies (55%), blogs (51%), white papers (43%) and webinars/webcasts (42%)

(For more information: https://www.marketo.com/infographics/content-marketing-vs-traditional-advertising/).

So where should a brand place their content?

• Social and Video Platforms: 

Facebook, YouTube and SnapChat are ideal platforms to easily reach massive scale with your brand’s content

• Advertising Networks: 

Teads, Outbrain and Google are just a few examples of where you can obtain “wholesale rates” on ad inventory that’s available across the web

• Publishers:

BuzzFeed, AOL, Conde Nast and Hearst are some of the publishers who provide a variety of content solutions that include quality content and trusted audiences. Utilizing these types of well-known publishers bring credibility to a brand’s content, allowing brands to reach and attract audiences they may not be able to access on their own
(Read the full article: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/295013/content-advertising-projected-to-be-50-billion-ma.html)

2. Mobile Video Advertising:

Videos have become the preferred way consumers want to learn about products before making a purchase. Mobile video ads provide an opportunity to provide engaging and entertaining content to users who crave an experience, not marketing. For brands to effectively reach their target audience, they must deliver mobile videos with content that’s personalized to the brand’s target market. LoopMe, a U.K.-based startup, provides a platform utilizing Artificial Intelligence to deliver results-oriented ads targeted to specific users. (Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/peggyannesalz/2016/01/12/why-mobile-video-advertising-will-eat-the-world/#7ecb87fd7868)

3. Snapchat Stories:

Brands can utilize Snapchat stories to humanize their brand, i.e. bring to life the feeling of being at one of their events, show what happens behind the scenes, etc. According to Snaplytics, a brand’s story will be opened by +50% of Snapchat users and 85% of them will watch the entire story. Snapchat has 160M daily active users, so this platform provides great reach and allows brands to deliver engaging content that resonates with users, in real-time. The sweet spot for brand content appears to be 11 snaps or less, on average, and a recommendation or call-to-action provides engagement (learn more: http://www.dmnews.com/social-media/more-than-half-of-snapchat-users-open-watched-branded-content/article/637949/) 

Flickr / Photo by Automotive Social.