Looking for an effective way to reach new audiences? Over-the-Top (OTT) and Connected Television (CTV) are two forms of viewership that offer incredible potential for your digital ad campaigns. 

It might not surprise you that many viewers no longer rely on cable or satellite for entertainment. Instead, they can now access streaming services continually and inexpensively using various smart devices. 
That means audiences can watch what they want—when they want it. Additionally, these platforms' wide range of options allows users to personalize their experiences, enticing them to break away from traditional cable subscriptions.

But is OTT and CTV advertising right for your brand? And is traditional TV on the way out? In this guide, we'll discuss how OTT TV advertising works, how it differs from CTV, its benefits, and why you don't want to cut cords with traditional TV entirely.

OTT TV vs. CTV

Before we get started, let's review a few simple definitions:

• What Is OTT? OTT streaming is a type of media delivery where video or audio content is delivered directly from a provider to a user's device without a cable or satellite connection. Think Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, or Amazon Video. 
  • OTT allows users to access their favorite shows, movies, and other forms of media at any time—from any smart device with high-speed internet.
• What Is CTV? CTV describes any device—from Smart TVs to Roku sticks—directly supporting streaming media services over the internet. 
  • Both options allow brands to advertise campaigns (using display ads, video content, etc.) and market to niche audiences. 
• Difference between OTT and CTV: Although they sound similar, it's important to note that CTV is really the vehicle that helps deliver OTT content to viewers. Simply put, you need a connector to the internet to access OTT content on your television. And you achieve this via a CTV device (e.g., smart tv, game console, streaming stick, etc.).

Now that you understand how both types of viewership work, let's discuss the question on most marketers' minds:

Is Traditional TV Dead?

Not quite. Although OTT streaming offers a wide range of content at low costs—appealing to most audiences—it’s reported that 56% of Americans still watch cable or satellite TV. In fact, many apartment properties nationwide work with cable or satellite providers to get exclusive deals for tenants. Landlords then include these fixed subscriptions in lease agreements and monthly rent. 

Therefore, if you’re currently advertising on traditional TV or thinking of doing so, don’t let the popularity of streaming services fool you. 

TV is still an awareness driver, particularly local TV, which offers a community connection via local news programming.  

Furthermore, and perhaps most notably, antenna viewership continues to rise among younger audiences (18-49). A 2022 report, for instance, revealed an increase of 9% within one year among younger audiences preferring TV antennas for entertainment.

This number could rise, as although OTT TV claims to offer access to your favorite shows, movies, and music for “less,” users ultimately need to pay “extra” for more control.

Traditional Cable vs. OTT Subscription Services

Your audience is conditioned to believe that OTT subscriptions offer a lower-cost option to watch their favorite content from the internet—without relying on an expensive cable subscription. 

However, while OTT services generally offer an extensive selection of more popular programming than traditional cable, the quality and reliability of their services can vary. Additionally, the cost savings tend to be less significant than many consumers realize.

• Firstly, to watch live programming, such as the NFL, ESPN Live, UFC, the World Cup, etc., you'll need to pay extra on OTT TV as this content is considered "on-demand." 
• Similarly, if consumers want to access other channels, such as HBO shows or Paramount +, in addition to their favorite films on Netflix, they need to pay for extra subscriptions.
• Finally, although some OTT providers like Hulu allow you to bundle channels, the costs do add up, and this isn't even considering the costs of paying for ad-free content (more on that below).

Therefore, it will be interesting to see how costs factor into the popularity of OTT TV and traditional TV over time. The bottom line is you don’t want to discredit traditional media from your advertising wheelhouse. Instead, you want to incorporate it effectively into your digital marketing strategy.

Types of OTT TV Advertising

OTT and CTV allow marketers to target audiences geographically—by their devices. You’re also permitted more customization by age, income level, and other demographic information.

To ensure you connect to the right demographics, consider creating personalized ad experiences that speak to their unique wants. 

With OTT ads, you have the following options to achieve this:

• Pre-roll ads: Ads that run up to 30 seconds, appearing before the main content begins. 
• Mid-roll ads: These ads appear in the middle of a show or movie and are usually longer than pre-roll ads (up to a minute).
• Post-roll ads: These ads will appear once the main content has ended and are typically longer than other OTT ads.
• Banner ads: You’ve probably seen these ads on the interface of a CTV or at the bottom of a video playing. 
• Overlay ads: These clickable ads appear on top of the viewing content. It leads viewers to a page off-screen for more information.

How OTT TV Advertising Gets Tricky

It's safe to say that OTT streaming services have changed how advertising works. With cable, for example, advertisers have traditionally purchased time slots to air commercials. However, with OTT TV services, audiences have the option of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services. This allows them to choose what they watch without sitting through commercials. 

Remember, though. This comes at a price. Therefore, some viewers are still willing to sit through commercials to keep their monthly subscriptions low. Additionally, certain OTT channels are free to use with the understanding that commercials are part of that free experience. These are known as Advertising-based Video on Demand (AVOD).

Therefore, brands shouldn't let the threat of SVOD services stop them from pursuing OTT and CTV advertising. Instead, marketers need to be smart about approaching this type of advertising to ensure their message effectively reaches the right audience.

Using OTT/CTV Advertising Effectively

You must take a holistic approach to get the most out of OTT TV advertising or CTV.

This begins by thoroughly understanding your target audience, selecting the appropriate ad format(s) for each platform, and creating compelling ads with clear calls to action. 

Also, utilize data-driven techniques such as A/B testing to refine your campaigns and ensure they reach the right viewers at the right time. Finally, don't forget to monitor performance periodically—this will allow you to adjust your strategy to maximize ROI from your OTT/CTV ad campaigns.

Determine Your Budget and KPIs Now

The next step in any OTT/CTV campaign is determining your budget. This will play a major role in deciding which advertising platforms to use and the ads you can create. 

Once a budget has been set, it's important to identify key metrics that will be used to measure success. 
Common metrics for OTT/CTV ad campaigns include:

• Impressions
• Reach
• Engagement rate
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• View-through rate (VTR)

Keep these in mind when launching or optimizing campaigns so that you know what actions to take that provide the best return on your investment.

Get Help with Your OTT Ad Advertising

OTT and CTV are changing how your audiences consume media today! However, to get a headstart on optimizing ad campaigns that resonate with viewers and ensure your ads show up at the right time, you need a dedicated marketing team to navigate the complexities of these popular platforms.

At East Shore Marketing, we support various clients in traditional and digital media. So whether you want to promote ads on OTT, CTV, traditional TV, or a combination, we’ll help you build a competitive strategy that connects and converts.

To learn more about our advertising capabilities and proven results, contact us today for a consultation. 

We all know the expression: "work smarter, not harder." But most businesses struggle to stay competitive with fast-approaching deadlines and high demand for more content that connects, engages, and converts seamlessly.

As a result, you might be considering Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that claim to save marketers time and resources by automating the process of generating high-quality content.

Generative AI vs. Traditional AI

Before diving further, let’s first distinguish the differences between generative AI and traditional AI.

• Generative AI combines natural language processing (NLP) with machine learning (ML) technology to generate new and original content via images, videos, audio, and text. 
• Traditional AI is designed to recognize patterns and make predictions based on past behaviors. 

So although both models benefit your marketing team, generative AI can be incredibly helpful in streamlining content for various purposes—from writing blogs and social media posts to optimizing landing pages and ad campaigns. However, with so many available options, knowing which AI tools best suit your creative team's needs takes considerable time and effort. 

In this review, we'll closely examine some of the most popular generative AI tools, evaluating their features and capabilities, to help you add the right platforms to your marketing AI tool kit.

Top Generative AI Tools: Pros & Cons

When deciding on a generative AI tool, it's essential to consider different vital features, such as: 

• Ease of use
• Programming languages
• Quality of output
• Uniqueness and originality

To give you a head start, we’ve tested the following platforms to give you a candid review of their pros and cons.

ChatGPT

Perhaps you’ve already played around with this conversational AI model. GPT stands for “Generative Pre-trained Transformer” and outputs human-like responses to questions or requests you input. For example, you could ask ChatGPT to create the first two verses of a song about your dog or ask it to generate 10 talking points for an upcoming presentation on video marketing strategy.

For businesses, however, you can utilize this tool as a chatbot to carry out conversations with your online users in multiple languages, thanks to its NLP. Users can also quickly find answers to FAQs about your products/services, making it a valuable tool for many industries, including finance and health care. And since it already uses pre-trained datasets, you can start using it immediately. 

Though we enjoyed testing this tool, we did notice a few scenarios where the output generated was either misleading or sometimes even offensive. As a customer-facing automated tool, this can be alarming, as the last thing you want to do is provide users with false information or comments that they may find inappropriate and associate with your brand.

Therefore, you’ll need to provide this model with a large dataset of customer interactions and train it to respond to customer questions accurately. 

Pros of ChatGPT

• The model can generate highly fluent and contextually relevant text responses to various input prompts and questions.
• You can utilize ChatGPT in various applications, such as chatbots, customer support, or content creation.
• ChatGPT can help automate general customer queries, saving your team time while providing a positive online experience. 

Cons of ChatGPT

• The model may generate inappropriate, offensive, or misleading responses, especially when trained on biased or unreliable data sources.
• ChatGPT has already raised ethical concerns around the potential misuse or unintended consequences of automating human-like interactions, such as impersonation or manipulation.
• ChatGPT may not fully capture the nuances and complexities of human communication and understanding, especially for highly emotional or nuanced interactions.

Synthesia

We already know that short-form video content is one of the leading marketing trends of 2023. So it’s not surprising that generative AI tools like Synthesia are gaining popularity. Synthesia offers an AI-content platform to help businesses create personalized videos in up to 120 languages. 

Features include over 65 built-in avatars and access to custom background music and backdrops. Businesses can also generate company videos from text input or transfer a static PowerPoint presentation into a moving visual. 

Though Synthesia makes it easy to get started with video marketing—thanks to its friendly user interface—its intended audience is generally smaller businesses with a limited budget. 

In fact, the costs go up dramatically for larger organizations and corporations that require a branded look and functionality that adheres to their policies and brand guidelines. Further, the output is generally less original and more generic, as regardless of your pricing plan, all platforms include pre-set templates.

Therefore, for businesses looking to dip their toes into video marketing, this may be a great beginner platform. However, if you're looking for a long-term video marketing strategy, you'll be limited in terms of customization and original content.

Pros of Synthesia

• This platform creates highly realistic video content with diverse characters and languages.
• It can be used for personalized video content creation, such as targeted ads or customized messaging.
• It offers a user-friendly interface and easy-to-use tools for creating videos quickly.

Cons of Synthesia

• It can be expensive, especially for larger projects or ongoing use.
• The output quality can vary depending on the quality of input data and voiceover recordings.
• This platform offers limited options for customization beyond the pre-set templates.

Copy.ai

Though we'd all love to create engaging content every day, sometimes we need a little help to put the creative wheels in motion. AI-powered content creation tools like Copy.ai position themselves as writing assistants that do all the research and outlining upfront. This gives writers more time to edit the copy to fit the brand's tone of voice and appeal to your target audience.

From writing “how-to” blog articles to creating compelling social media posts, informative case studies, and engaging emails, Copy.ai is designed to give writers the headstart they need to finish writing projects on time.

After playing around with this tool, we enjoyed using its friendly interface and browsing through the platform’s various templates and content generators that included:

• Essay intros and outros
• Tone changer
• CTAs
• Event copy 
• Listicles
• Header text
• Etc.

However, we were surprised that some content was less original and more general reworkings of the content found on other websites.

This tool is a great assistant for writers to brainstorm ideas and find inspiration for titles, headers, and talking points; however, you shouldn't view it as a content generator for writing a blog article, landing page, or press release. Furthermore, we did notice that the content generated required an extensive editorial overview to identify inaccurate and misleading information. 

Pros of Copy.ai

• Copy.ai offers many writing categories and related templates to help brainstorm and outline diverse writing projects.
• The tool can generate content quickly and easily from the descriptions, keywords, and directions you provide.
• It can be used for various content types, including marketing copy, social media posts, and product descriptions.

Cons of Copy.ai

• It may only sometimes produce the most original or creative content.
• Its ability to understand nuance, tone, and context can be limited.
• The tool sometimes generates false or misleading information that requires extensive editorial review.

DALL·E 2

Made by Open AI, the creators of ChatGPT, this automated tool allows you to create realistic images and art from the descriptions you provide. 

The process is fairly simple. 

First, you input a description of what you want to see (e.g., a raccoon playing tennis at Wimbledon in the 1990s), and then the system generates a stunning visual output of the data you entered.

Using this AI system, you can edit existing images to add or remove elements based on your input. DALL·E 2 is free up to a limited number of credits. After that, you can upgrade to receive additional credits.

This tool is easy to use and helps streamline images for social media posts, blog articles, product ads, and other brand media. However, the quality of output can vary depending on the availability of relevant training data. Therefore, you’ll want to use this tool for generating static images only.

Pros of DALL·E 2

• The tool can generate highly creative and original images using various objects and concepts based on text input.
• Businesses can use DALL·E 2 for many applications, such as creating illustrations, product designs, or visual aids for presentations.
• The model provides a powerful, flexible interface for generating custom images with specific attributes and parameters.

Cons of DALL·E 2

• The tool is limited to generating static images only; therefore, it’s unsuitable for more complex or interactive media.
• The quality of output varies depending on the specificity of input text and the availability of relevant training data.
• As with ChatGPT, DALL·E 2 has raised ethical concerns around the potential misuse or unintended consequences of generating images automatically.

Descript

Most creators love making great content to share online with their customers and followers; however, the editing process can typically put projects on hold or stop campaigns entirely.

Generative AI tools like Descript work to eliminate the technical expertise generally needed to edit audio and video content; therefore, marketers have more time to create, edit, and post content faster and easier. 

Descript offers tools that allow users to edit videos and podcasts and instantly transcribe audio into text to repurpose later. Teams can also collaborate on projects and publish their work using its all-in-one platform. 

You can also add audio to a podcast without re-recording. Using its overdub feature—an AI tool that clones your voice—you can add audio via text. This feature comes in handy if you forget to include an important comment or want to clarify a key point in your dialogue. 

Descript is still generally new, which means there are a few kinks to keep an eye on, especially when transcribing audio to text, so reviewing your content thoroughly before publication is essential. 

Pros of Descript

• Descript offers a wide range of editing and enhancing audio and video content tools, including transcription, sound design, and collaboration features.
• Content creators can use this tool for various content types, including podcasts, interviews, and presentations.
• Teams can easily collaborate on the same projects, share comments, assign tasks, and edit.

Cons of Descript

• Descript does not always produce the most accurate transcriptions or captions.
• The tool is limited in understanding nuance, tone, and context, especially for non-native speakers or accents.
• The tool requires an editorial process to identify errors in translation.

The Future of Generative AI

AI aims to help us streamline processes, affording us more time to focus on hitting our marketing KPIs. With that said, it’s important to note that generative AI tools are intended to function as “assistants,” not replace the creatives working alongside them. 

Neil Patel, a top-selling digital marketing guru, said it best: “... AI tools will save you time, but they do require human intervention. You need a human touch to make the content better…” (Excerpt from his article “How ChatGPT, Bard, and AI Will Impact Search”).

Based on our analysis of the tools above, we can only agree with Patel’s conclusion.

Want More Marketing Trends and Resources?

Stay connected to our blog for more marketing tips, trends, and strategies to grow your business and reach your target audience.

If you'd like to learn more about our capabilities, or how we can help boost your brand's outreach with competitive video, social, or paid marketing and media services, contact us for a consultation. 

Did you know that 1 in 4 marketers are currently leveraging social influencers to promote their businesses?

With more customers turning to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok for product reviews, health and beauty tips, fashion, and lifestyle advice, influencer marketing offers brands, especially e-commerce brands, opportunities to expand their digital outreach and increase sales.   

But more than that, influencer marketing can be an effective way to build trust and engage with your customers.  

Influencer Marketing Is Changing

Wondering how you can leverage influencer relationships to boost brand awareness and engagement? Stay ahead of the learning curve with these five emerging trends that are changing the way brands work with influencers.

More Emphasis on Micro vs. Macro Influencers

Micro influencers (those with between 10K-100K followers) and nano influencers (1K-10K followers) continue to rise in popularity. In fact, many of these social influencers generate higher engagement rates due to having specialized niches, and therefore, stronger connections with their followers.

Further, because they are not at the macro influencer level (over 100K followers), they are often more affordable. By utilizing micro and nano influencers, businesses can partner with individuals who are leaders in their specific niche but are less expensive and interested in fostering an ongoing working relationship.

This type of authenticity is recognized by their followers, resulting in higher conversions.

Authenticity Makes All the Difference

Speaking of authenticity, it’s important to recognize that audiences expect one thing from social influencers: honesty. 

Remember that even you, as a customer, can easily recognize inauthentic brands and influencers, so staying true to your brand message and personality is essential when working with an influencer.

It’s also essential to only collaborate with influencers who genuinely love using your products or services. After all, if it makes their life easier or enriches it in some way, they’re more likely to share their personal experiences with those who trust them for recommendations. 

We also see this trend happening with podcast advertising. Listeners are more likely to “tune out” when they hear pre-recorded advertisements from businesses that interrupt the streaming of an episode. However, listeners are more inclined to “tune in” to ads read aloud by the show’s host who shares a personal experience of using the product. 

With Age Comes Wisdom

An opportunistic trend taking over social media is the rise of influencers in their 60s and 70s and even 90s. Sometimes referred to as “granfluencers”, older generations are stepping into the virtual spotlight to share their stories, passions, and life advice with Gen Z and Millennial followers. 

These influencers are gaining popularity quickly, from topics on beauty and fitness to cooking and sharing things “your mother never told you.” A common thread among these influencers is that they’re all embracing the aging process and showing just how fabulous life can be in your golden years!

This is one of the best examples of how authenticity will play a fundamental role in your influencer outreach, as older influencers have a unique perspective on the world gained from their life experiences.  

“Granfluencer” in Action

Candace Cima, a businesswoman, artist, and former model who resides in Ithaca, NY, is an excellent example of this emerging influencer marketing trend. Her Instagram, “@LifeinMy70s,” shows audiences how to make their golden years the best years yet. She also offers tips on how to reinvent yourself and pursue a healthier lifestyle through food and fitness. Her goal is to encourage her audience to embrace aging and foster a healthy mindset. For fashion and lifestyle tips, you can also find her on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. 

Clearly, there’s audience appeal, as Candace is gaining thousands of followers across different age groups; many of whom are younger and interested in her advice and insights. 

At East Shore Marketing, we have the privilege of working with Candace on her strategic content development and are excited to see her continue to gain followers and extend her influencer outreach to a multi-generational audience.

Long-Term Partnerships Replace One-Off Campaigns

Short-term partnerships (or one-off campaigns) were a popular business model during the early years of influencer marketing. These partnerships would typically end following the completion of a specific promotion, and the brand and influencer would part ways afterward.

However, businesses are quickly discovering the benefits of working with a long-time influencer. After all, it takes time to build trust. And even the most trusted influencer with the most engaged audiences will need time to run an effective campaign that sparks interest and gets users familiar with your brand. 

Therefore, working with the same influencers for a longer period of time can not only help you foster stronger relationships with their followers, it can also offer an opportunity for the influencer to become more of a brand advocate. 

TikTok vs. Instagram? 

To date, Instagram has been the preferred social media channel for brands and influencers. However, TikTok continues its meteoric rise in popularity and offers unique features to support brands and drive more user engagement. Last year, for example, over 45% of marketers used TikTok for influencer marketing campaigns, and this number is expected to increase by at least 4% this year.

Additionally, TikTok offers influencers the creative tools they need to create compelling videos with stunning visuals that are entertaining and personalized. And those who can differentiate themselves from other influencers by creating the best short-video content with eye-catching visuals will make the most impact. 

It's projected that TikTok will continue to trend upwards, both in time of usage and for influencers who will utilize this platform more frequently.

How can Influencer Marketing be Effective?

Simply put, influencers give audiences the authenticity and relatability they desire. So pairing it with traditional marketing, where more carefully crafted messaging represents a brand's ideal image, fosters a more authentic relationship for the brand with its audience.  Influencer marketing is all about real people sharing personal stories with real audiences about real products that really make a difference.

Furthermore, influencer marketing permits a two-way communication channel where followers can engage and connect with other influencers. This approach differs from celebrity endorsers, who are often scripted and only offer one-way communication vs. opportunities for more engagement. 

In fact, 50% of Millennials say they trust products influencers recommend whereas only 38% say they trust celebrity endorsements. And because most influencer followers (approximately 72%) fall into the Gen Z and Millennial age groups, it would seem that demand for authenticity will only increase.

By harnessing the relationships and reach of influencers in your industry, you can boost brand visibility, reach potential customers, and increase engagement. 

Need Help with an Influencer Marketing Strategy?

Influencer marketing is a rapidly changing industry. To ensure your campaigns deliver the best returns possible, it's important to refine and adjust your strategy as needed.

If you’re interested in leveraging influencer marketing to promote your business as part of your overall marketing strategy, we invite you to contact us for a consultation. 

We’ll help you connect with the right influencers and create a comprehensive campaign strategy that factors in new technologies, emerging trends, and changing audience preferences, so you always stay ahead of the competition.

To get started, contact us today!

The roar of the MGM lion, the iconic "dun-dun" of Law and Order's television series, and the melody behind McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It!" all have something unique in common: sonic branding. 

Or, more specifically, they’re all examples of sonic logos.

What’s Sonic Branding?

Sonic branding is the audio element of a brand’s trademark. Simply put, it's the essence of your brand translated into sound (i.e., vocals, music, a combination of the two, or single notes). Therefore, you don’t need to see a logo design to know who a company is; you only have to hear it.

Sonic branding also conveys a brand’s personality, tone, and image, but most importantly, it triggers brand recall.

Think of it this way: the moment an audience hears your familiar soundbite, they instantly recognize it's you. Then, as they would after seeing one of your digital ads, they associate your brand with a personal experience.

Benefits of Audio in Brand Marketing

As mentioned, sonic branding can be a catchy jingle, a string of notes, or a single cord. 

It can even be the sound you hear when you turn on your iMac or the audible tone Alexa makes when she has a notification. In fact, these are two examples of sonic signatures, meaning you don't necessarily associate the audio with a brand's logo or trademark but instead recognize it as belonging to the brand (in this case, a company's product or service).

Again, as with a brand logo, audio branding aims to create a positive connection with customers. Not only can they recognize your advertisement through traditional methods but also through tuning into a podcast or streaming from their music platform to hear your branded jingle or sound. 

Why Is This So Effective?

Think about it. From the moment people hear your branded sound, you’re in their heads, meaning you now have their attention and a unique opportunity for engagement. 

Remember when we said sonic branding helps convey a company’s personality? Through sound, sonic branding can trigger an emotional response (e.g., happiness, warmth, confidence, comfort.) that ultimately humanizes your brand, making it relatable to your target audience. Sometimes the sound can be a short combination of a few notes to aid brand recall (e.g., the two notes you hear every time you log into Netflix). 

In this way, you stand out from the competition and connect with customers on a personal level.

DID YOU KNOW that 74% of young adults admit to feeling more emotionally connected to a brand through its music? In addition, 41% of consumers believe sound is critical to a brand's communication efforts. 

Using Audio in Your Brand Marketing

So, now that you know what sonic branding is, the next question is: should you invest in this brand marketing strategy?

Good question. Sonic branding has indeed been around for a while. But with the vast popularity of smart speakers and the demand for more audio streaming and audible services, sonic branding has more opportunities to evolve and allow brands (no matter the size) to connect with more customers.

So before you can decide if a move toward sonic branding is right for you, here are a few noteworthy questions to consider:

Is audio already part of your marketing strategy? 

If you're already utilizing audio, whether it's for TV or radio ads, podcast ads, or video streaming on social, it makes sense to start incorporating sounds into your brand. 

In fact, if you already have recorded audio or videos that advertise your products or services, start from here and decide on a sonic branding strategy you can build upon to begin featuring in audio soundbites across multiple touch points.

If you're already using sounds associated with your brand, ask yourself the following question:

Are you using sounds that already exist?

Remember, the power behind sonic branding is that it creates an emotional connection with your audience. Therefore, it should fit your brand's personality and be an extension of its image. 

Using sounds people hear daily (e.g., a doorbell, a phone ringing, a dog barking, etc.) or royalty-free audio isn't authentic. It also leaves you vulnerable to others using the same sounds, creating a completely different experience for your audience. Remember, you want them to associate these sounds with your brand, not someone else's.

Finding, ask yourself this:

Do you have enough time to dedicate to a sonic strategy?

As with all marketing touch points, sonic branding takes careful planning, strategy, and execution. After all, you want to get it right the first time and create an experience with your audience vs. having to go back to rebrand your sound, which can result in consumer confusion.

Tips on Getting Started with Audio Advertising

You may already have a jingle you use in ads or are curious about incorporating more sound and audio elements into your branding and advertising strategies.

If so, the first step would be to perform an audio audit. Similar to a website or social media audit, an audio audit helps you identify what's working, what needs improvement, and where there are areas of opportunity.

During an audit, you'll be able to:

• Review your existing audio channels
• Identify which sounds depict your brand's niche and personality (i.e., friendly, energetic, cutting edge, etc.)
• Discover which sounds help tell your brand story
• Understand which sounds best resonate with your target audience (i.e., memorable, appealing, positive)

Though audio advertising isn't for everyone, it's worth the investment if you want to improve your marketing efforts to reach a larger demographic. Podcasts, for example, can generate up to 4.4x more brand recall than display ads. The reason? Audiences are tuned in. So the question is, will you be the next audio ad they hear?

Let’s Connect

At East Shore Marketing, we specialize in digital audio advertising, including smart speaker advertising. Our team of experts knows which audio ad campaigns perform best and resonate with audiences. We can help you develop an effective strategy that reaches more customers and creates an emotional connection with new and returning users.

Contact us for a consultation today to learn more about how we can help! 

Although we can't predict what the future holds for 2023, we can confidently say that digital marketing will play a vital role in branding and advertising.

During economic uncertainties, the natural instinct is to cut back on marketing spend; fortunately, brands all over the country are resisting the urge. And instead, they're going full throttle with their marketing efforts to reach and connect with more customers.

After all, a New Year offers new ways to market your company. It also gives you an opportunity to step back and ensure you’re staying on trend with emerging technologies that improve your brand's interactions with new and returning customers, such as: 

• Building a responsive website design
• Improving mobile experiences
• Improving media efficiencies
• Leveraging AI/ML and voice search technologies
• Optimizing content strategies and short-form videos to increase reach and awareness
• Ensuring better data protection to build users’ trust and loyalty

Therefore, despite any fears of the unknown, business owners are taking it upon themselves to speed up their digital marketing efforts, so they don’t fall behind the competition. 

Are You Ready for 2023?

The digital world will continue to evolve in the coming years; therefore, marketers and businesses must adapt to stay relevant. To give you a head start on what to expect in 2023, here are 8 marketing trends that will make a significant impact in the New Year.

1) More Businesses Will Utilize AI/ML

There’s no doubt about it. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will continue to transform how we advertise to customers and manage business operations. It’s true that Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) will gain more popularity each year. Nevertheless, you’ll want to keep your attention on pragmatic AI/ML technologies that aim to solve real-world challenges. 

Remember, AI and ML are already used to improve customer service, automate processes, and provide insights into unique user behaviors—think Chatbots, Conversational AI, and Natural Language Processing (NLP). 

Such technologies allow brands to:

• Interact with users
• Streamline services and customer support
• Increase sales
• Improve efficiencies
• Create a personalized experience

Today, more marketers are using AI tools to automate email campaigns, generate trending topics for blog articles or to post on social media, and display relevant ad campaigns that target customers based on interests (i.e., ones who are more likely to convert). 

As more marketers become familiar (and comfortable) with utilizing AI/ML to improve the user's experience, we can expect to see new products and ML capabilities emerge in 2023 and beyond.

2) The Rise of Voice Search Will Continue

Alexa, Siri, Google Voice Search, and other voice-automated assistant tools continue to appear in homes across the country. In fact, 71% of customers prefer to conduct their search queries by voice, and 75% of American households are expected to own at least one smart speaker by 2023. 

So naturally, marketers must ensure their websites and apps are optimized for voice search to create a seamless shopping and search experience.

3) Businesses Will Increase Focus on SEO

The best way to market your business online is through SEO (search engine optimization). This involves ensuring your content (i.e., pages, images, videos, meta tags, URLs, etc.) is optimized for search engines and relevant to users.

It's important to remember that Google doesn't just look at how many times your site appears on the SERPs; it looks at how relevant your content is to the keywords used in a particular search query. Therefore, the more value you provide to users, the higher you'll rank. 

We recommend performing an SEO audit of your website to ensure you're managing foundational and on-page SEO correctly and efficiently. 

4) Short-Form Video Content Will Dominate

Video content creation is still one of the most powerful marketing trends. It’s an effective way to connect and engage with customers personally and its popularity is only expected to increase in the New Year.

TikTok, for example, will experience more growth in 2023, as 56% of marketers who currently leverage the platform are planning to increase their investment in 2023—the highest of any social media app.

From how-to tips to brand storytelling and social influencers, short-form video content is a great way to communicate ideas and provide value to your customers. It also helps businesses stand out from competitors by humanizing your brand so it’s more relatable. 

The best part? You don’t need a massive budget to create user-friendly content that helps you engage with more audiences.

5) Brands Will Need to Streamline Media Efficiencies

Utilizing paid media can significantly enhance the reach and effectiveness of marketing messages, influencing the attitudes and behaviors of target audiences. As paid media is often a significant component of digital marketing budgets, it's important to continually seek ways to improve efficiency to optimize the return on ad spend. 

One approach to enhancing efficiency is to optimize website structure for paid media campaigns, including creating relevant and clear landing pages and designing custom landing pages with effective calls-to-action. It is also advisable to organize the campaign structure in a way that facilitates easy segmentation and analysis, such as by key performance indicator (KPI) goals. 

Utilizing real-time data to target high-demand areas through tools such as heat maps can also improve efficiency. In addition, social media campaigns should focus on building relationships and producing relevant and engaging content, rather than solely relying on algorithm-driven ads.

Regular testing and optimization of paid media efforts, using data and insights to inform decisions, is crucial for improving media efficiency.

6) Users Want Improved Experiences Across All Devices

Most users will either search or land on your website using a smart device. Therefore, your site must be responsive for mobile and tablet—not just desktop.

Slow loading speeds, poor navigation, or any type of disruption in a user’s experience will ensure customers leave your site and find someone else. Therefore, if you’ve been putting off UI/UX design, make sure 2023 is the year you prioritize it.

7) Customer Privacy Will Be Non-Negotiable 

The internet has become a significant part of our lives, and we rely on it for everything—from shopping to banking. However, like anything, it’s certainly not perfect. 

Therefore, customers will want to know how you collect and use their information to ensure you're not selling their data. They also want to feel confident that their information is safe from potential data breaches and cyber-attacks.

As a result, you'll need to ensure you're implementing the best security practices and tracking tools to protect their information while still providing a personalized experience. And since Google will be phasing out third-party cookies, now is the time to get serious about utilizing other tracking tools that keep your customers’ data secure and protected.

Read our latest article for more tips and strategies on how to market in a cookie-less future. 

8) Users Will Want Memorable Content

Blogging will remain a staple in 2023 as it’s one of the easiest, and most effective ways, to improve SEO, including helping brands rank for relevant keywords and keeping websites updated with fresh, relevant copy for Google to crawl. However, you'll also want to consider adding other content options that engage users and keep them on your site longer.

Interactive content, for example, helps create a fun, memorable experience. It may include:

• Quizzes
• Polls
• Calculators
• Contests
• Augmented reality (AR)

For instance, if you offer a particular service, such as paving commercial parking lots or installing solar panels on homes, consider adding a calculator tool that allows users to share information about their project and understand what type of investment they're taking on. 

Again, this provides your company with valuable data and ensures you're always getting quality leads more likely to convert—saving your sales team time from estimating a quote that is outside of a customer’s budget.

Stay on Trend with East Shore Marketing

At East Shore Marketing, we can help you build, or refresh, your marketing strategy with competitive media buying, paid advertising, and content marketing solutions for video, social media, audio streaming, and more!

We invite you to request a consultation today to learn more about our capabilities. Let us help you build a creative marketing strategy that means business—and a better ROI—in 2023 and beyond. 

By now, you may have had time to dive into Google Analytics 4 (or GA4). It feels different, right? For those who've relied on Universal Analytics (UA) for years, the transition to GA4 came with mixed emotions. 

Most people don't like change (especially marketers). But the good news is that GA4 has opened the door to new insights via predictive models that can help inform our marketing campaigns to engage and convert more users.

What Is GA4?

GA4 is the new version of Google data reporting (i.e., Google Analytics) that combines data from websites and apps to track the customer's journey (note, UA did not allow you to track data on your business app). 

How Does GA4 Differ from UA?

UA was created before the rollout of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) laws. Therefore, UA did not put much emphasis on protecting your users' private information and how that information is shared.

In comparison, GA4 provides a privacy-centered tracking tool to help us learn more about our customers' behaviors across multiple platforms without violating their trust.

Other unique characteristics of GA4 include the following:

• Implements Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) capabilities to collect information and provide predictive insights about your users' buying behaviors (e.g., purchase probability). 
• GA4 captures all measurements as "events" vs. "sessions" to give you a deeper understanding of user activities, such as how long it took to add an item to a cart and check out.
• The new GA4 lets you track cross-platform performance to see a snapshot of your users' shopping journey.
• Thanks to GA4's predictive models, marketers can now view suggested audiences to target.

Why Does GA4's Dashboard Look Different?

When most marketers first jumped headfirst into GA4, they saw a very different dashboard, which caused a bit of unrest. After all, no one likes to be on the tail end of a complicated learning curve. 

But with new analytical tools and capabilities come new ways to customize your dashboard to show metrics and create reports that align with your marketing goals and strategy.

GA4 allows you to create custom segments on particular events based on age, demographic, or location. Again, this requires a bit of a learning curve to find these metrics (as many of which are renamed) and create custom reports.

Can I Still Use UA?

We get it. Change is hard, so if you still prefer to use UA to track online traffic and behaviors, UA is still available. When installing GA4, Google experts recommend that marketers and agencies use GA4 in addition to UA to support their marketing efforts vs. replacing it entirely.

The reason was due to a couple of factors:

• GA4 was officially rolled out in April 2022, which meant the new exciting tools and features are only available going forward; therefore, if you need to look back at annual performance metrics (before April), you still need UA.
• GA4 still has kinks. Most things are a work in progress, and Google's tools are no different. As the Tech Giant continues to smooth out the technology and provide a seamless experience, it's fair to say it will take time, so having a backup (UA) will come in handy.

If you are still using UA, remember that Google plans to stop collecting data (i.e., hits) for UA starting in July 2023. Though this date may change, you must get familiar with GA4's tools and features.

What Are Some Drawbacks of GA4?

In addition to a tremendous learning curve in an industry that demands instant results and gratification, here are a few challenges of GA4:

Requires New Property

Your UA historical data does not automatically transfer over to GA4. As noted, any information your site captured before April 2022 is not available, so keeping UA right now is critical. Therefore, with GA4, you're starting from scratch unless you take the time to migrate the data (this requires technical expertise).

All Conversions Are Events

As mentioned, GA4 is event-based vs. session-based, which makes it fast and easy to track simple conversions like watching a video or downloading a PDF. For more complex conversions; however, you'll need to utilize other tools (such as Google Tag Manager) and have a more robust understanding of GA4.

No Views or IP Filtering

Unlike UA, which allows marketers to configure views to test and filter data, such as internal traffic, GA4 doesn't use views at all. Additionally, it limits the number of IP addresses you can block from your reports. 

Complicated Navigation

You'll probably notice a few unfamiliar dimensions and metric labels when trying to create a report. Why does this look so unusual? Because Google combines data from multiple platforms, you must be careful when selecting the correct dimensions to generate accurate findings; otherwise, your numbers will be largely unreliable. 

Some Standard Reports Are Missing

In addition to a complicated dashboard and navigation, GA4 does not include a few popular reports that provide essential data about our users, including behavior flow, and bounce rate.

Pro Tip: Behavioral Flow will now have to be built manually using Path Exploration whereas the metric bounce rate will have to be added from the Customized Report.

Ready or Not, the New Google Data Reporting Is Here!

Change is difficult, but it's important to remember that GA4 will provide us with more analytical (and predictive) insights into our users' behaviors than ever before. The real challenge is getting familiar with its dashboard and capabilities, so you can confidently find the correct data to inform your marketing strategy.

The good news. We can help! At East Shore Marketing, we offer advanced custom dashboard reporting solutions that help simplify all the incoming information, so you never feel like you're drowning in data.

We'll also guide you through how to interpret GA4 reports to build effective marketing campaigns that target your customers and improve conversion rates.

To learn how we can help, reach out today for a consultation! 

Are third-party cookies going away? The short answer is yes, but the timing is a bit more complicated.

Google announced its plan to phase out third-party cookies in February 2020—with a projected roll-out date of 2022. However, the Tech Giant is pushing this deadline to late 2024, stating it wants to provide marketers more time to adjust their advertising strategies and get familiar with new privacy-centered tracking tools to target their audiences (more on that later!).

A Crash Course in Online Cookies

Whether or not you work in digital advertising, here's a quick refresher on online cookies, including how they work and what phasing out cookies means.

Online cookies are memory codes that recognize your users' online behaviors and remember their actions. 

Example: When a user visits your website, the site puts a cookie on his hard drive with a specific ID number. The site then uses the ID to track the user's session on the website, including items he may have saved in his cart, pages/products he viewed, his login info, etc. This is an example of first-party cookies.

So, what do third-party cookies mean?

Third-party cookies are a bit more complex. These are tracking cookies stored under a different domain than the site you're visiting. This means third-party cookies track a user’s personal data between websites, including your location, age, and interests. 

Example: Imagine searching for "women's winter boots" on Chrome. You'll probably view more than one website to check inventory, compare prices and reviews, and browse different boot styles. 

But suppose you decide to wait to purchase new boots. Within a day or two, you start visiting other websites you commonly use and notice ads for women's boots appearing on these sites. Kind of creepy, right?

The Trouble with Third-Party Cookies

For marketers, third-party cookies enable us to create custom ads that target audiences and appeal to their preferences, but it does come at a "privacy" cost to our users. 

Too often, this information is passed on or sold to advertisers more interested in making a sale vs. building a connection with their audience. And with third-party cookies, there is no way of knowing where all your personal information is going either, which can be scary to think about.

So, why are marketers afraid of Google phasing out cookies?

The reality is that all advertisers (both the good and the ugly) will lose a considerable amount of information about their target audiences. Remember that marketers use this info to create engaging ads that support users’ shopping experiences, bringing them news and deals that appeal to their interests vs. sending them random ads and hoping they convert. 

Therefore, the fundamental goal of online cookies is to create a personalized experience and direct users to your website. So, though the intentions are good, it, unfortunately, violates the user's trust, which diminishes one of the key segments of marketing.

Although marketers are worried about Google phasing out cookies and how they will lose their ability to track essential data to inform ad campaigns, we see this as an exciting opportunity. One that will allow us to build more trust with our users and find new ways to connect and engage them while also helping to protect their privacy.

Alternatives to Third-Party Cookies

Remember when we said Google wanted to provide marketers extra time to familiarize themselves with new tracking tools? 

Since its "phasing out cookies" announcement, Google has been working hard to build and launch new technologies that protect users' online privacy while still helping businesses advertise effectively with less invasive tracking tools.

A few examples include:

• Privacy Sandbox: This tool aims to create technologies that allow marketers to access certain information about their users without violating their privacy. In many ways, this will be the standard for websites on Chrome.
• Performance Max: This tool lets Google automate digital ads and campaigns for you based on the assets you provide and your defined goals.
• Topics API: This proposed feature of Privacy Sandbox is designed to help advertisers display relevant content and ads via interest-based categories founded on each user’s recent browsing history.

These tools are ideal for smaller businesses and utilize artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to track information, create algorithms based on group interests, and deliver relevant ads to target new customers.

In addition to these alternatives, experts believe first-party cookies will gain more momentum, particularly among larger businesses. Remember, first-party cookies track sessions on an individual website to help improve the user's experience.

Why We're Optimistic

Every good marketer understands that users only connect to a brand through trust. So, rather than relying on invasive tracking tools that leave customers feeling uneasy about your intentions, we now have the opportunity to regroup and re-strategize on using tools and algorithms that protect their privacy while still providing a personalized experience.

Is it more work and strategy? Of course! But it will allow us to dive deeper into our customers' wants and challenges to help position ourselves as their trusted guide and solution.

Need Help?

If you still need to build an alternative strategy for targeting your ad campaigns, we can help! At East Shore Marketing, we'll help you build an effective marketing plan that ensures you're prepared for the third-party phase-out and are making substantial connections with your target audience.

To learn more, contact us for a consultation! 

Email content marketing is possibly one of the most effective ways for brands to stay connected to their customers. It’s also a great strategy to create brand loyalty, as it allows you to build meaningful relationships with new and returning customers.

But getting started can feel overwhelming, especially if this is your first time launching an email marketing campaign. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of launching a company e-newsletter. Already have one? No problem! These tips can also help you revisit your current email strategy, as you discover ways to increase engagement and subscribers.

Step 1: Building the List

Before launching a successful e-newsletter, you first need subscribers. This task can seem daunting, but there are a few simple approaches to building your email list from scratch.

Website Sign-Up Form

You’ve probably seen this feature on other websites—and for good reason. When you make it quick and easy for users to sign up for your emails, you instantly start generating new subscribers, without much leg work. 

Pro Tip: If you decide to include a pop-up feature, avoid having this “ask” be the first thing users see when they enter the site. Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress allow you to stagger pop-ups, so they appear “after” a certain period of time or once the user has scrolled down the page. 

This is a smart email sign-up strategy, as new users may not be ready to give you their personal information until they’ve had time to get to know your brand and services. 

Social Promos

You can also promote your company’s newsletter on social media, where you already have a collection of followers. This is another easy way to build your list.

Blog Posts

If you regularly publish articles on your website, consider adding a call to action in each post that encourages users to sign up for your newsletter. If users already enjoy the content you produce, there’s a high probability they’ll want to stay connected to you via email.

Step 2: Choose Your Automation Platform & Brand Design

From Mailchimp to Constant Contact, Hubspot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud or Klaviyo, many email automation platforms exist. To help you decide, consider your industry, current CMS, and marketing goals.

Klaviyo, for instance, is typically recommended for eCommerce websites, but many platforms like Shopify have their own email automation tools you can use. Hubspot, on the other hand, offers an all-in-one marketing suite of services, including social media, website development, and email marketing. 

Once you decide on the right automation tool, you’ll need to create an email template for future campaigns that match your company’s brand messaging and design. 

Pro Tip: Email marketing is not an invitation to experiment with different colors, designs, or images that oppose your brand’s style guide. Instead, it should be an extension of your brand and work in tandem with other marketing channels, with minimal updates. Therefore, users should be able to tell if emails are from your company.

Step 3: Create a Content Calendar

Once you build your template, you’ll want to start brainstorming content ideas to feature in upcoming newsletters.  

When creating an email content marketing calendar, consider the following:

• How often do you plan to email subscribers?
• When should you publish the content that will generate the maximum engagement? 
• What type of tone should you use for emails (i.e., friendly and informal?)
• What kind of content does your audience find most interesting?

A common mistake businesses make with email marketing is recycling the same resources, articles, and news each month. Often this is a result of not having enough time to invest in your email marketing strategy.

Creating a content calendar that includes proposed topics, creative subject lines, and valuable resources to feature in each newsletter allows you to plan ahead while keeping your emails fresh, relevant, and worth the read!

Content calendars also help you keep emails consistent and on-trend with upcoming events (i.e., holidays, awareness months, and other topics that may appeal to your readers). Further, if you’re managing multiple marketing touch points, you can ensure all channels work together to engage users and maintain brand consistency. 

Pro Tip: When creating content for your email campaigns, try to include resources you don’t currently have on other platforms. This provides more exclusivity to subscribers and essentially rewards them for staying connected to your newsletter. 

Step 4: Send a Welcome Email

Businesses often overlook this step! When someone does a thoughtful deed, your first instinct is to thank them. So why not do this with your subscribers? After all, you’re excited and grateful they are taking the time to learn more about your company via your newsletter, so what better way to thank them—than by actually “thanking” them?

Welcome emails are created for new subscribers to greet and thank them. But they do a lot more:

• They confirm the user has given you the correct email address.
• They assure subscribers that they signed up successfully.
• They help users become familiar with your email template.

Quick Tip: It’s a smart idea to include a confirmation message to users once they have signed up. If you include a welcome message, notify them that an email was sent to their inbox.

You can also include a verification prompt to decrease spam or bots signing up for your newsletter.

Step 5: Start Tracking Email Performance

Once you begin regularly sending emails to subscribers, be sure to pay attention to the data your automation platform provides to keep track of the following:

• How many subscribers are active
• How many people have unsubscribed 
• How many “opens” your emails receive
• How many “clicks” you generate and what content is being resonated the most?

Regularly monitoring your emails’ performance can help you identify which content generates better engagement and which subject lines are getting ignored.

Pro Tip: Investing in A/B testing is another effective way to help you understand more about the style of content users want to read. For more information on how to start A/B testing, contact our team for help!

Get Started with Email Content Marketing

Whether you’re new to email marketing, or your current campaigns are not generating sufficient engagement, partner with East Shore Marketing to help you build an ROI-based content strategy.

From content planning and creation to email automation and A/B testing, we can help grow your email list and transform your subscribers into loyal brand ambassadors.

Ready to start building the best marketing email campaigns? Call or email us today to schedule a consultation. 

Suppose you’ve already invested some time and money into TikTok advertising. In that case, it’s normal to feel slightly frustrated—especially if your fanbase or engagement metrics aren’t being recognized by the ever-changing algorithm. 

Nevertheless, TikTok is still taking the world by storm, so it might be time to rethink your advertising strategy if you’re still not generating a profitable ROI.

How To Use TikTok to Promote Your Business

The last time we shared tips and insights about this social media platform, TikTok had already solidified its reputation as the “must-have” app among Gen Zers. But lately, this platform has drawn in more millennial users and even baby boomers with its emergence of new categories, trends, and hashtags that appeal to their interests.

The following are just a few examples of communities currently gaining billions of views on TikTok:

#granniesoftiktok 

#momlife

#familytime

TikTok has quickly transformed into a platform for people of every age group to come together to share quick tips, information, life hacks, and products on a variety of topics that range from kitchen must-haves to helpful parenting advice—passed down from generations.”

This knowledge-sharing trend has created a unique opportunity for businesses to promote their products as solutions to everyday dilemmas or annoyances in a new, fun, and engaging way. 

Okay, so where does your business fit into the equation? 

Before you can answer this question, you first need to understand who your target audience is. Since TikTok has now fully expanded to various generations, you’ll want to keep your advertising efforts focused on creating content that appeals to a particular niche (such as booktok, fashion, story times, animals, fitness, etc.) vs. trying to attract everyone on the platform. 

Tips for Growing TikTok Followers

A common mistake most businesses make when launching a branded TikTok account is trying to increase its followers vs. improving the number of “right” followers.

If you manage other social media campaigns, you know that trying to connect with everyone, regardless of their demographic, location, or pain points doesn’t generate quality leads or conversions.

Instead, you want to attract TikTokers who are already interested in the type of products or services you offer. This way, when you post content, they are likely to engage more.

Once you’ve identified your target audience, the next step is creating content that is interesting, engaging, and appeals to their specific niche.

Educate and Entertain

Content that aims to educate and entertain users consistently outperforms content that merely advertises a product.

The key here is to provide as much value to your audience as possible when it comes to creating TikTok ads and videos. This is why the first step of understanding who your audience is, what they like, and what they’re struggling with is so essential to your advertising game plan.

Therefore, when you start to plan your content, always ask yourself: 

What’s in it for them?

Here are a few other follow-up questions to consider:

• Does the ad show how my product or service makes their lives easier or better?
• Am I providing value to their day? 
• Am I teaching them something they don’t already know?
• Am I trying to make them laugh or invoke a happy memory?
• Am I posting content that is worth sharing?
• Does my content prompt response or action?

Connect with Other Brands

Don’t be afraid to get social with other TikTok users and content creators. Look for opportunities to collaborate with other brands, whether you start a hashtag challenge, participate in an existing trend, comment on other videos, or utilize duet or stitch features. 

Remember, staying social allows you to gain more exposure for your brand, in addition to making positive connections with other influencers. It also demonstrates to users that you’re not just here to promote your products or services. Instead, you’re here to share tips, join the discourse, and make a positive impact—which are all attractive qualities users want to see from brands.

The more social you become on TikTok, the more engagement you can expect from other users.

Leverage Cross-Channel Marketing

You likely manage multiple customer touch points, including a website, Pinterest, Twitter, or other social channels. So be sure you’re promoting your brand’s TikTok videos on these platforms by removing the watermark and updating the sound to ensure the video does not get penalized by the algorithms. It will also help reach audiences who may not be on all the same networks.

Promoting your videos on other platforms can also save the time and resources that you would typically need to create content from scratch. It also demonstrates to new users that your company is producing quality content all over the internet—keeping you top of mind!

A Final Note

Another essential piece of advice for growing TikTok followers is to leverage popular trends, sounds, and hashtags relevant to your brand. The trick here is to not go after EVERY trend, however. Instead, choose the ones in the niche you’re targeting participating in that will allow you to share value and add to the conversation!

Need Help Growing TikTok Followers?

We can help! At East Shore Marketing, our team can help you build a successful TikTok strategy that allows you to reach your target audience, connect with other influencers, and generate more engagement and sales.

By closely monitoring your TikTok performance, we can also help you identify which content produces the best engagement and which time of day you reach the most users.

Whether you’re new to advertising on TikTok or need help growing your fanbase, we’ll help you develop a strategy that generates a better ROI.

Ready to get started? Contact us today for a consultation.