6 Advertising Challenges Brands Could Face in 2022

Did you know that 90% of searchers haven't made their mind up about a brand before starting their search?  This is one of the main reasons that online advertising is so competitive. That ever-increasing competition is just one of the challenges that brands face when they do online advertising (and we'll dive into this more below).  Yet, advertising is a vital component of any business's marketing strategy. So, you might be wondering, "What are some other advertising challenges and how can we overcome them?"

1. Reaching the correct target audience

The adage goes that advertising (and marketing in general) is about reaching the right audience, with the right message, at the right time. But reaching the right audience is getting harder and becoming a challenge for advertisers.

2. How much is "enough budget"

Another challenge that advertisers will face in the future is allocating enough budget. Budget is usually a challenge in the marketing and advertising world of small to midsize companies, but this challenge will begin to impact larger companies as well.

3. Scalability

Of course, another advertising challenge that brands face is scalability. You'll need to run online campaigns that can grow with your company.

4. Competition

online advertising is competitive. That competition makes it challenging for brands to reach the right audience in the right way.

5. Relying on only 1 marketing channel

Online advertising doesn't exactly feel like an option at this point. However, a huge challenge in the advertising industry is to rely on one marketing channel.

6. Downplaying the power of emotions

In recent years, we've seen a wave of nostalgic and emotional content playing a large role in the advertising industry. While you might think this is just a trend that's going away, think again.  "Appealing to customers by using solely logic and forgetting the essential role emotion plays leaves a lot of money on the table. Ultimately people buy products and services because they feel like it's the right thing to do". "Emotion has been scientifically proven to drive decision-making behavior. Bottom line, when properly executed, this leads to more and more conversions, sales, and revenue."

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Does your business need a website? 5 Benefits of a Website

Since the 1990s, few things have remained timeless societal staples.

Learning about web development is kind of like drinking from a fire hose. Google “coding,” and you’ve turned the hose on full blast. This guide serves as a slow drip to get you acquainted with and intrigued by the world of web development. It’s by no means a comprehensive manual.

If your business is reasonably successful, you may come up with many reasons why an effective website isn’t all that relevant for you. Sure, you understand the need to have some web presence, but you might not believe that an effective website is going to make that big of a difference for your particular business — especially if you’re already plenty profitable.  What do you think? Do you need a website to run a successful business?  This article discusses reasons why having a business website is a wise investment and why you sometimes don’t need a website.

Does your business need a website?

The answer is YES!  If you have a business, you should have a website to avoid losing business to competitors that already have one.  Furthermore, are you sure you can’t sell your product online? COVID-19 has altered the retail landscape, with millions of shoppers online looking for everything from books to clips to houses to natural gas and more. So while you dither, your competitor has likely seen how effective a website can be for their business.  You definitely don’t want to be left behind.

What if I own a Facebook page? 

It's good to have a Facebook page, but don't neglect the importance of a website. Below are some of the reasons why Facebook might not be the best solution and should not be used in isolation.

• A website is more credible
• Attention is fleeting on Facebook
• You won't enjoy the benefits of SEO

Having a website boosts your credibility, increases your visibility, and improves lead generation. It’s your property; therefore, you have absolute freedom about how you want it to look and what you want to promote. It’s an excellent place to highlight positive reviews and answer any questions potential customers might have about your business.

5 Benefits of a Website

1. Makes you look professional

Anyone can create a company page on Facebook; it’s free and can be done in a jiffy. This low barrier to entry takes away much of the credibility of a business social media page. Customers don’t know who’s behind a Facebook page, where they are, and whether it’s all a scam.  On the other hand, creating a business website is not free and indicates that you’re relatively serious about your business. Therefore, a business website makes you look more professional and credible.

2. Essential step for your customers

An effective website is where you want your audience from different channels to end up. It’s on the website that you’ll inspire action from your potential clients.  Your website is like a physical shop—people walk by it until they come in to look at what you offer. So even if they don’t buy something the first time they walk in, they might buy something on subsequent visits.

3. Increases your visibility

Without a website, your business is virtually invisible to these people. With COVID-19 pushing the global market even more digital, your business will become invisible to those that matter unless you invest in a website.

4. Essential for local businesses

Many small business owners don’t see the need to invest in an effective business website. However, they’re currently missing out on an incredible source of revenue.

5. Offers social proof

What your customers say about your business can determine whether others patronize you or not. So while review websites like Yelp are good, your website is the best place for people to get more information about your business.  Displaying your best testimonials on your website is an effective way to establish trust and social proof. What is more, publishing your best reviews on your website ensures that third-party review sites don’t minimize the good things people say about your business.

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5 Ways on How to Revive an Old Blog Article for SEO

Blogging is not a major piece of artwork. Blogs are a combination of timely and evergreen content.  Timely content focuses on trends, news articles, and pop culture events, while evergreen content stays relevant and provides value for a long time. It is rare to update timely content simply because it’s old news; however, there is value in updating and reviving old evergreen content.

Is there a benefit to updating old content?

The benefits of updating old blog content are providing a better user experience and increasing SEO opportunities. Website visitors expect quality content. They want to know that your content is fresh and up-to-date. Frequent updates enhance their experience and the quality of your website. These updates also increase opportunities for SEO by driving more traffic to your blog, boosting your rankings, and generating more backlinks.

Leveraging old blog posts and their established place on the web can extend the life of your best content. It is especially beneficial when your content has reached a traffic plateau — a period where your growth rate is stagnant.  

Traffic to your post also comes from backlinks. It takes time to acquire backlinks to new content. Alternatively, old content is less likely to receive new backlinks because the information is outdated. Updating old blog posts can help you keep the backlinks your page has already received and acquire new backlinks by reinforcing the value and authority of your content with current information.

How to Revive an Old Blog Article for SEO

Update old content can drive organic traffic to previously successful but declining posts, and boost the ranking of content sitting on page 2 of the SERPs. For blog posts that are not ranking at all due to high-volume keywords and keyword difficulty, consider a complete overhaul to rewrite and restructure the content.

1. Target new keywords

How old is your blog post? Depending on its initial publish date, one of two things could be true. One, you were targeting keywords based on keyword difficulty and search volume at that time. Two, you didn’t have the SEO knowledge to implement keyword research.  Search volume indicates how many people are entering a keyword into a search engine. This metric, commonly referred to as Monthly Search Volume (MSV), anticipates how much traffic is available for that keyword. Evaluate search volume with keyword difficulty. Keyword difficulty is a measure of how difficult it is to rank on the first page of a SERP for a specific keyword. Neither keyword difficulty nor search volume can solely determine your target keywords.

2. Update the on-page SEO

Updating and implementing your SEO strategy on an old blog post takes place in a few key areas. You will need to update and optimize your:  

• SEO Title Tag 
• Meta Description 
• Article Title 
• Subheadings

3. Update the content

The bulk of your updates will happen in the body content. Begin by rewriting your introduction. Continue by updating the rest of the content as needed. It will be done in two steps — removing out-of-date content and adding current information.  When removing out-of-date content, start with information that no longer applies. Let’s revisit the keyword “androgynous style” from before. Imagine a fashion blogger writing a piece this year on androgynous style and its style icons from the last ten years.

4. Focus on the links

Using links to revive an old blog post is a significant way to boost SEO. Links can boost your ranking on a search engine results page and increase the credibility of your post. Update your links in two steps.  First, search for broken links. Broken links are dead ends that take visitors to a 404 error page. If a reader clicks on a link, it’s because they want more information. If they find a broken link, it immediately diminishes the quality and credibility of your content and increases their frustration. Remove, repair, or redirect any broken links.

5. Add and optimize new images and videos

High-quality blogs have high-quality visuals. Adding images and videos brings us back to the two benefits of reviving an old blog post — providing a better user experience and increased opportunities for SEO.

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5 Things Gen Z Will Spend Money On for 2022 and Beyond

Although many in Gen Z are earning their first paychecks, entering college, or just joining the workforce, studies show that the generation shops and spends money much differently than its millennial predecessor.

What statistics are showing

When it comes to the total share of spending, Gen Z accounts for an estimated five percent in the U.S., according to Afterpay’s 2021 Next Gen Index. However, that number is expected to grow 10% by 2030, as most will be entering the workforce.  With every age group, generation Z’s spending habits declined at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the Afterpay report reveals that Gen Z recovered faster than older generations.  So what are they doing right now? Well, they’re shopping more online.  A 2021 Consumer Culture Report by 5WPR found that Gen Z is now spending 43 minutes more per on online shopping than they did before the COVID-19 outbreak.  They (77%) say online shopping allows them to discover products from new or small companies they wouldn’t find in person. Only 38% say they prefer in-store shopping.

5 Things Gen Z Will Spend Money On for 2022

1. Electronics and Tech

Gen Z will occasionally splurge on technological experiences that help them have fun, such as video games. In fact, a 2019 study found that two-thirds of Gen Z men say gaming is a "core component" of who they are.  While you might worry that Gen Z isn't worth marketing to because they won't splurge on your products, this age group certainly can be persuaded to make larger purchases that offer fun experiences or improve their daily lives.  

But, even though they will invest in higher-priced products, Gen Z will still need thorough convincing before pulling out their wallets. It's incredibly important for brands targeting Gen Z to create content that demonstrates why the age group needs their product, how the product could solve daily boredom or woes, and why it's better than a competitor's.

2. Discounted Goods

Eighty percent of Gen Z surveyed in 5WPR’s report say they will wait for an item to go on sale before buying it.  Why is Gen Z so conscientious about their spending habits? Mounting research suggests that the age groups' thoughts on money link directly to the economic era they were raised in.  While millennials grew up in more stable financial times, most of Gen Z's earliest memories took place during the U.S. recession. Much of this generation grew up in highly budgeted households or saw how their families were impacted by economic troubles.  Meanwhile, a large percentage of millennials, as well as those in other age groups, are able to recollect times where their economy was booming.

3. Health and Wellness

In 2019, a survey found that Gen Z was more concerned with mental and physical health than older generations. Today, that still rings true.  Health and wellness is the second-highest category Gen Z spends on, according to 5WPR’s 2021 consumer report mentioned earlier.  In fact, this group seems to be leaders in the wellness movement building over the past few years, which promotes awareness surrounding mental health, ethical food sourcing, other related wellness issues.

4. Small Businesses

Since January 2020, small business spending has increased more than 260% for Gen Z on Afterpay, 80% higher than Millennials.  This conscious effort likely stems in part from the recent pandemic, as many small businesses struggled to survive.  In a June 2021 survey conducted by Sendinblue and CITE Research, 46% of Gen Z consumers said they purchased more from small businesses than pre-pandemic.  Most were driven by the ability to build a strong bond between consumers and contribute to the local economy.

5. Education

Another key component of generation Z’s spending habits is education.  While millennials are one of the most highly educated age groups, Gen Z is on track to have the highest level of education.  

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