MARKETING

The Ultimate Guide to Google Sheets

Published

2 years ago

February 2, 2022

Google Sheets is one of the best tools you can use to store data, track performance metrics, and create dashboards and reports.

But while it’s a wondrous tool with countless features and functionalities, it can be hard to grasp for beginners — especially if you need to create a marketing report or dashboard, fast.

Not to worry. If you’re looking to get started with Google Sheets, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll be looking at the benefits of Google Sheets and walking you through some of the basics so you can get up to speed quickly and efficiently.

What is Google Sheets used for?

Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet software that allows you to organize large amounts of data, create custom reports, automate calculations, and collaborate with others. It’s part of the Google Workspace suite of products.

Benefits of Google Sheets for Marketing

Saying that marketers are data-centric people is an understatement. Between return on investment, cost per acquisition, and more, they’re always looking at different metrics and reporting on progress.

It can be tricky to keep all of those numbers straight, though. That’s where spreadsheets come in handy. With a well-organized spreadsheet, marketers can quickly analyze robust data sets and make smarter, more informed decisions about their efforts.

Originally introduced by Microsoft in 1987, Excel was the go-to tool for years for building spreadsheets. But when collaborative, cloud-based tool Google Sheets was introduced in 2012, many users made the switch over to this new (free!) resource.

Let’s talk about the benefits of using Google Sheets for marketing purposes before we discuss more traditional options (like a standard Excel spreadsheet).

It’s cloud-based. Cloud-based spreadsheets are automatically saved, stored, and maintained via a remote server. That means that you can access it online from anywhere, any time. Plus: Google Sheets is also available offline.
It’s free. No expensive software required — Google Sheets is always 100% free.
It works across devices. Modern marketers switch between devices throughout the day — and Google Sheets accommodates that behavior. You can access and edit Google Sheet data from a wide variety of devices (like your smartphone, tablet, and computer).
Add-ons are available. We’ll get into the specifics of add-ons for Google Sheets a bit later, but the increased functionality and flexibility of these additional features makes this spreadsheet tool even more versatile and powerful.

You might be wondering: What’s the difference between Google Sheets and Excel? The short answer is: price, collaboration, and flexibility.

While Excel requires a software subscription (which costs about $130), Google Sheets is free for all Google account holders. In terms of collaboration, Excel requires you to save and send a new version when edits are made, while Google Sheets automatically updates a single shared file for all team members. And lastly, because Google Sheets has the ability to accommodate many different integrations, it’s often more flexible than a standalone software solution like Excel.

Common Google Sheets Terms to Know

Next, let’s get familiar with some of the language and common terms used when referencing data within Google Sheets.

Column: Columns are vertical cell sets.
Row: Rows are horizontal cell sets.
Cell: Cells are the single data points within a Google Sheet.
Range: Range refers to a selection of cells across a column, row, or both.
Function: Function refers to built-in operations for the Google Sheet that can be used to quickly calculate values, to manipulate data, and more.
Formula: Formulas combine functions, rows, cells, columns, and ranges to generate a particular end result.

How to Use Google Sheets

Now we’re ready to dive into the more advanced how-to’s and lessons on using Google Sheets.

Understanding the Google Sheets Toolbar

One of the very first things to do is master the icons located in the Google Sheets toolbar. Doing so will help ensure you’re getting the most out of its abilities and that you’re saving time with shortcuts. Take a look at the screenshot below to identify some of the basic icons and their purposes within the toolbar.

Image Source

How to Create a New Spreadsheet

When you’re ready to create a new spreadsheet, you’ll just need to follow a few quick steps to get started. Open Google Sheets and click “File” > “New” > “Spreadsheet”.

Once you create your new spreadsheet, you can start adding data. If you want to work with an existing spreadsheet from Excel instead, you’ll need to import that data into your new Google Sheet.

From there, your file will be uploaded and automatically converted into a Google Sheet.

Sharing and Protecting Your Data

Once your Google Sheet is set up and populated, you’ll want to think about how to share and protect your data. Data is automatically saved, so you don’t need to worry about that part. You can select who you share your file with and whether they have edit, comment, or view permissions. You can also protect specific data within your sheet so that those who have access can only edit certain cells.

To share a file:

Go to “File” > “Share” (or just click the blue Share button in the top right corner)
Enter the email address of who you’ll be sharing the spreadsheet with
Assign permission levels (such as “View only” or “Can edit”)
Click “Advanced” and select any additional privacy conditions needed

To protect data:

Navigate to “Data” > “Protected Sheets and Ranges”
Choose “Range” or “Sheet” (to protect an entire sheet)
Select the data you’d like to protect
Click “Set Permissions”
Choose to show an error warning to anyone who attempts to edit or customize editing permissions for certain people.

Organizing Data in Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a powerful tool that can hold a ton of data. That means the more data you have, the harder it becomes to find it — that’s when filtering comes in handy. Google Sheets has several filters that allow you to select the data you want to see and hide what you don’t.

How to Hide Data

Google allows you to hide entire rows or columns. This becomes useful when you want to restrict views for sharing, or when you’d like to control the amount of data you’re viewing at any given time. To hide a column, right-click the column you want to hide, then select “Hide Column”. When you hide a column, two arrows will appear on the previous and subsequent columns. Click these to restore the column to full view.=

How do I unhide columns in Google Sheets?

To unhide a column in Google Sheets, simply look for the arrow icons that appear in the column’s header bar. When you hover over one of the arrows, a white box framing the arrow will appear. Click either arrow to reveal the column.

1643805669 775 The Ultimate Guide to Google Sheets

How to Freeze Rows and Columns

Freezing will create a floating row or column as you scroll and keeps the data in those fields within your line of sight. For example, if you use the first row to label your columns, you can freeze that row so you don’t have to remember what each column is as you scroll.

To freeze a row, select “View” > “Freeze” > “1 row” (or up to X rows). google sheets hack: freeze row

How to Filter Data

What if you’d like to view all of the data in a single column that fits a certain criteria? Apply a filter. Filters allow you to select a criteria and how that criteria applies to your data. For example, you can filter your ‘Site Visits’ column to show all values greater than 1000, or filter your sheet for all cells that have the word “cat”.

To set up a filter, select “Data” > “Create a Filter.” Click the funnel icon that appears in the column, then choose to filter by condition, value, or alpha or numeric order. Your sheet will only display data that satisfies your criteria.

google sheets hack: creating filters

Learn about other filtering options below.

How to Setup and Use Google Sheets Offline

If you need to use Google Sheets offline, just follow the steps outlined here to turn on offline access to your spreadsheets.

Keep in mind:

You must be connected to the internet.
You’ll need to use the Google Chrome browser (don’t use incognito mode)
You’ll need to install and enable the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension.
Make sure you have enough free space on your device to save all your files.

From there:

Open Chrome and make sure you’re signed in.
Go to drive.google.com/drive/settings.
Check the box next to “Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline.”
To work on files offline from a computer, learn how to install Backup and Sync.

Advanced Google Sheets Tips

Now that you understand the basics of Google Sheets, let’s get into some advanced tips so you can start using Sheets like a pro. These tips are helpful to have in your back pocket … even if you don’t need them just yet.

Conditional Formatting and Heatmaps

Conditional formatting will automatically apply formatting to a cell based on a preset condition. For example, you can select to highlight a cell in red if the value entered is below 100 or reads “Error”.

Heatmaps work similarly in that they apply a color scale to cells based on a median criteria (values greater than the median will appear darker while values lesser will appear lighter). This helps you view values on a gradient and identifies areas of concern on which to focus your attention.

Array Formulas

Array formulas can perform multiple calculations at once and output a value based on those calculations. Whereas most formulas require you to perform each step independently (e.g. sum one row then add it to the sum of the subsequent row), arrays make calculations much more efficient. This helps when working with large amounts of data.

Macros

The Macros feature records a series of steps that you’d like Google Sheets to repeat on command. For instance, if you work with a new data set each month, and need to manipulate that data in the same sequence each time, then you can record a Macro, and have Google do the work for you.

10 Must-Know Google Sheets Formulas

When you’ve entered your data and you need to do some quick number-crunching, basic formulas can help you find the answers you need. Here are a few commonly used Google Sheets formulas to speed up your data analysis.

1. SUM

This formula adds all values within a selected range.

=SUM(range)

2. AVERAGE

This formula calculates the average of values within a range.

=AVERAGE(range)

3. FILTER

This formula returns a filtered version of the source range, returning only rows or columns which meet the specified conditions. This is helpful when segmenting data by year or month.

FILTER(range, condition1, [condition2])

4. FIND

This formula returns the position at which a string is first found within the text. The Find formula is case sensitive.

FIND(search_for, text_to_search, [starting_at])

5. COUNTIF

This formula returns a conditional count across a range.

=COUNTIF(range, criterion)

6. CONCATENATE

This formula allows you to combine values of multiple cells into one cell, e.g., first and last name.

=CONCATENATE(Value1, “ ”,Value2)

7. VLOOKUP

This stands for vertical lookup. This formula searches down the first column of a range for a key and returns the value of a specific cell in the row found.

=VLOOKUP(search_key, range, index, [is_sorted]).

Learn how to do a VLOOKUP in less than a minute.

8. SPLIT

This formula divides text around a specified character or string, and puts each fragment into a separate cell in the row. Use this when you want to break up first names from last names in a list of customers or prospects.

=SPLIT(text, delimiter, [split_by_each])

9. SUBSTITUTE

This formula replaces existing text with new text in a string. For example: You could replace a product name with a new one in a sheet of ad copy.

=SUBSTITUTE(text_to_search, search_for, replace_with, [occurrence_number])

10. PROPER

This formula edits text within a cell to title case so you don’t have to format each entry manually.

=PROPER (text)

For more formulas you can use in Google Sheets, use the search tool on the spreadsheet functions list and find the one you need.

Google Sheets Functions & Skills You Should Know

How to Create a Pivot Table

Select the cells with source data you want to use in your pivot table. Note: Each column will need a header.
In the menu at the top, click “Data” > “Pivot table.” Click the pivot table sheet (if it’s not already open).
In the side panel, next to “Rows” or “Columns,” click “Add” and then choose a value. Note: Sometimes you will see recommended pivot tables based on the data you’ve selected. To add a pivot table, under “Suggested,” select a pivot table.
In the side panel, next to “Values,” click “Add”, then choose the value you want to see over your rows or columns. You can change how your data is listed, sorted, summarized, or filtered.
Next to what you want to change, click the down arrow.

How to Remove Duplicates

Select the cell in which you’d like to remove the duplicated info.
Enter the function =UNIQUE(
Select the cells you would like to pull data from
Close the parentheses. Your function should look something like this: =UNIQUE(A:A)

How to Create a Drop-Down List

Next to “Criteria,” choose an option:
Click “Data” > “Data validation”.
Select the cell or cells in which you want to create a drop-down list. List from a range: Choose the cells that will be included in the list.
List of items: Enter items, separated by commas and no spaces.
The cells will have a down arrow. To remove the arrow, uncheck “Display in-cell button to show list”.
If you enter data in a cell that doesn’t match an item on the list, you’ll see a warning. If you want people to only enter items from the list, choose “Reject input” next to “On invalid data”.
Click “Save”. The cells will show a drop-down list. To change the color of a cell based on the option, use conditional formatting (refer to section above).

How to Make a Graph

Select the cells you want to include in your chart. To label your chart, add a header row or column.
Click “Insert” > “Chart”.
In the side panel, click “Data” > under “Chart type,” choose a chart.
To edit your chart, click “Customize.”

How to Merge Cells

Highlight or select a range of cells.
Right-click on the highlighted cells and select “Format Cells”.
Click the “Merge” button in the toolbar, then select the merge option you need.

How to Download Google Sheets

If you want to use Excel or another tool for analyzing data sets with your file, you can easily export the file. Go to “File” > “Download as”. Then decide which format you need.

If you need more help getting started, the quickest way to get a crash course in using Google Sheets is to access the free Google Sheets Cheat Sheet, which outlines the basics on:

Customizing spreadsheet data
Working with rows, columns, and cells
Sharing/collaborating within your spreadsheet
Saving and protecting your information
Utilizing key functions

You can also access the Tips Library for more advice on using Google Sheets.

Where to Find the Best Google Sheets Templates

Building new spreadsheets from scratch can be extremely time-consuming, so don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to. Instead, look for pre-existing Google Sheets templates that you can customize and use for your own efforts. Let’s look at a few different places where you can find ready-to-use templates for your marketing efforts.

1. HubSpot

where to find google sheets templates: hubspot

HubSpot’s library of Google Sheets templates is a gold mine of resources for the professional who needs to set up a spreadsheet quickly. In this library, you’ll find a template for any type of document you might need, including a business budget, competitive analysis, expense report, marketing dashboard, and more. You only have to plug in the numbers and personalize the fields. This option is a great fit if you’re looking for an individual template.

Otherwise, you might enjoy downloading HubSpot’s free template kits. The below bundles contain Google Sheets templates designed to supercharge a high-functioning marketing team.

Free Google Sheets Template Bundle: Don’t want to look through an entire library and download templates one-by-one? Download this starter kit to jumpstart your spreadsheet creation process.
Free Marketing Budget Templates: These customizable marketing budget templates are ideal for tracking your spending on product marketing, content, paid advertising, and more.
Free Editorial Calendar Templates: You don’t need expensive software to start planning your publication calendar. Use these templates to get started. They also sync with Google Calendar so that no post goes unpublished or accidentally passed over.
Email Marketing Planning Template: This email marketing planning template helps you conceptualize, refine, and schedule your campaigns to increase ROI and optimize your results.

2. Google Template Gallery

where to find google sheets templates: google template gallery add-on

This free Google Sheets add-on gives you access to dozens of different templates right within Google Sheets. There’s no need to download an external document or make a copy from a publisher you might not trust. In this tool, you can access templates for project management, timekeeping, and budgeting. The only downside is that it’s hard to look at the previews of the templates, because the thumbnails are quite small.

3. Template.net

where to find google sheets templates: template.net

Template.net has a vast library of Google Sheets templates that you can easily preview and customize for your needs. While the library is not as marketing-specific, it still offers plenty for marketers to track their campaigns’ ROI, such as this social media marketing budget template. We recommend spending some time digging through this resource to find a template that works for you.

4. Blockspring

where to find google sheets templates: blockspring

Out of all the resources in this list, this one is the most unique. Why? Because these aren’t plain old templates where you can plug in the numbers and go. Blockspring’s templates are connected with third-party services to pull data into your spreadsheet. Instead of you having to manually link your spreadsheet to these third-party services, Blockspring’s templates do it for you.

For example, the template titled “Get content ideas on a topic using ‘Skyscraper’ analysis” uses data from Moz and Bing to get you a list of content ideas right on the spreadsheet — without you having to actually use either Moz or Bing. You only have to place the topic into the appropriate field, and the spreadsheet will populate on its own.

The only downside to using Blockspring’s templates is that you have to take a few extra steps for them to work. You have to download the Blockspring add-on onto Google Sheets, and then follow a few simple instructions to get the template up and running.

Haven’t found the Google Sheets templates that work best for you? Check out a few roundups we recommend:

The Best Google Sheets Add-Ons

To boost your efficiency in Google Sheets, consider using add-ons. Here are a few suggestions:

TapClicks

Pull your paid search and social advertising data into one spreadsheet, and turn them into beautiful reporting dashboards you’ll be proud to show your team managers and directors. This is a paid tool that starts at $29/month.

Google Apps Script

Google Apps Scripts offers a way to extend the functionality of your Google Sheets workspace beyond the basics. The cloud-scripting language allows you to create, edit, and read your Google Sheet through an integration with other Google apps. Recommended for advanced users and developers. Check out the documentation here.

DataEverywhere

Share data between Excel, local databases, Salesforce, and Google Sheets, without importing or exporting any files. That means that if you’re using Excel and want to automatically sync the data with Google Sheets, you can do so without needing to re-upload the document into Sheets.

XLMiner Analysis ToolPak

Do statistical analysis with functions. Because Analysis ToolPak was originally a Microsoft Excel add-on, this is a great tool for you if you’re getting into Google Sheets after being an Excel user.

Power Tools Add-On for Google Sheets

Streamline routine operations, such as clearing out duplicates and searching for specific values. You can also compare sheets, which is highly useful if you’re working off of two similar spreadsheets. This is a paid tool that starts at $29.95/year.

SuperMetrics

Create a business reporting system for SEM, SEO, web analytics, and social media. Not only does SuperMetrics turn a large amount of data into a more digestible format, but it also carries out automatic refreshes — so there’s no need to manually pull in the data every time you want to see a summary of your performance.

Clearbit Sheets

Create targeted email lists and qualify leads quickly. This add-on is a great option if you’re already familiar with a tool such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It fulfills a similar role, only the data lives on your own private spreadsheet, so there’s no need to sign in to LinkedIn every time you want to see prospect data.

Google Sheets is a Must-Have for Every Team

This quick guide to Google Sheets should help you get a running start as you leverage it for your marketing efforts. From more efficient tracking of different metrics to better planning around your content to easier collaboration with your team, this tool can help you make smarter, more data-backed choices that drive meaningful results for your brand.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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MARKETING

AI driving an exponential increase in marketing technology solutions

Published

1 day ago

December 6, 2023

Entireweb News Bot

AI driving an exponential increase in marketing technology solutions

The martech landscape is expanding and AI is the prime driving force. That’s the topline news from the “Martech 2024” report released today. And, while that will get the headline, the report contains much more.

Since the release of the most recent Martech Landscape in May 2023, 2,042 new marketing technology tools have surfaced, bringing the total to 13,080 — an 18.5% increase. Of those, 1,498 (73%) were AI-based.

“But where did it land?” said Frans Riemersma of Martech Tribe during a joint video conference call with Scott Brinker of ChiefMartec and HubSpot. “And the usual suspect, of course, is content. But the truth is you can build an empire with all the genAI that has been surfacing — and by an empire, I mean, of course, a business.”

Content tools accounted for 34% of all the new AI tools, far ahead of video, the second-place category, which had only 4.85%. U.S. companies were responsible for 61% of these tools — not surprising given that most of the generative AI dynamos, like OpenAI, are based here. Next up was the U.K. at 5.7%, but third place was a big surprise: Iceland — with a population of 373,000 — launched 4.6% of all AI martech tools. That’s significantly ahead of fourth place India (3.5%), whose population is 1.4 billion and which has a significant tech industry.

Dig deeper: 3 ways email marketers should actually use AI

The global development of these tools shows the desire for solutions that natively understand the place they are being used.

“These regional products in their particular country…they’re fantastic,” said Brinker. “They’re loved, and part of it is because they understand the culture, they’ve got the right thing in the language, the support is in that language.”

Now that we’ve looked at the headline stuff, let’s take a deep dive into the fascinating body of the report.

The report: A deeper dive

Marketing technology “is a study in contradictions,” according to Brinker and Riemersma.

In the new report they embrace these contradictions, telling readers that, while they support “discipline and fiscal responsibility” in martech management, failure to innovate might mean “missing out on opportunities for competitive advantage.” By all means, edit your stack meticulously to ensure it meets business value use cases — but sure, spend 5-10% of your time playing with “cool” new tools that don’t yet have a use case. That seems like a lot of time.

Similarly, while you mustn’t be “carried away” by new technology hype cycles, you mustn’t ignore them either. You need to make “deliberate choices” in the realm of technological change, but be agile about implementing them. Be excited by martech innovation, in other words, but be sensible about it.

The growing landscape

Consolidation for the martech space is not in sight, Brinker and Riemersma say. Despite many mergers and acquisitions, and a steadily increasing number of bankruptcies and dissolutions, the exponentially increasing launch of new start-ups powers continuing growth.

It should be observed, of course, that this is almost entirely a cloud-based, subscription-based commercial space. To launch a martech start-up doesn’t require manufacturing, storage and distribution capabilities, or necessarily a workforce; it just requires uploading an app to the cloud. That is surely one reason new start-ups appear at such a startling rate.

Dig deeper: AI ad spending has skyrocketed this year

As the authors admit, “(i)f we measure by revenue and/or install base, the graph of all martech companies is a ‘long tail’ distribution.” What’s more, focus on the 200 or so leading companies in the space and consolidation can certainly be seen.

Long-tail tools are certainly not under-utilized, however. Based on a survey of over 1,000 real-world stacks, the report finds long-tail tools constitute about half of the solutions portfolios — a proportion that has remained fairly consistent since 2017. The authors see long-tail adoption where users perceive feature gaps — or subpar feature performance — in their core solutions.

Composability and aggregation

The other two trends covered in detail in the report are composability and aggregation. In brief, a composable view of a martech stack means seeing it as a collection of features and functions rather than a collection of software products. A composable “architecture” is one where apps, workflows, customer experiences, etc., are developed using features of multiple products to serve a specific use case.

Indeed, some martech vendors are now describing their own offerings as composable, meaning that their proprietary features are designed to be used in tandem with third-party solutions that integrate with them. This is an evolution of the core-suite-plus-app-marketplace framework.

That framework is what Brinker and Riemersma refer to as “vertical aggregation.” “Horizontal aggregation,” they write, is “a newer model” where aggregation of software is seen not around certain business functions (marketing, sales, etc.) but around a layer of the tech stack. An obvious example is the data layer, fed from numerous sources and consumed by a range of applications. They correctly observe that this has been an important trend over the past year.

Build it yourself

Finally, and consistent with Brinker’s long-time advocacy for the citizen developer, the report detects a nascent trend towards teams creating their own software — a trend that will doubtless be accelerated by support from AI.

So far, the apps that are being created internally may be no more than “simple workflows and automations.” But come the day that app development is so democratized that it will be available to a wide range of users, the software will be a “reflection of the way they want their company to operate and the experiences they want to deliver to customers. This will be a powerful dimension for competitive advantage.”

Constantine von Hoffman contributed to this report.

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MARKETING

Mastering The Laws of Marketing in Madness

Published

2 days ago

December 5, 2023

Entireweb News Bot

Mastering The Laws of Marketing in Madness

Navigating through the world of business can be chaotic. At the time of this publication in November 2023, global economic growth is expected to remain weak for an undefined amount of time.

However, certain rules of marketing remain steadfast to guide businesses towards success in any environment. These universal laws are the anchors that keep a business steady, helping it thrive amidst uncertainty and change.

In this guide, we’ll explore three laws that have proven to be the cornerstones of successful marketing. These are practical, tried-and-tested approaches that have empowered businesses to overcome challenges and flourish, regardless of external conditions. By mastering these principles, businesses can turn adversities into opportunities, ensuring growth and resilience in any market landscape. Let’s uncover these essential laws that pave the way to success in the unpredictable world of business marketing. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to integrate these insights into your career. Follow the implementation steps!

Law 1: Success in Marketing is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Navigating the tumultuous seas of digital marketing necessitates a steadfast ship, fortified by a strategic long-term vision. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Take Apple, for instance. The late ’90s saw them on the brink of bankruptcy. Instead of grasping at quick, temporary fixes, Apple anchored themselves in a long-term vision. A vision that didn’t just stop at survival, but aimed for revolutionary contributions, resulting in groundbreaking products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

In a landscape where immediate gains often allure businesses, it’s essential to remember that these are transient. A focus merely on the immediate returns leaves businesses scurrying on a hamster wheel, chasing after fleeting successes, but never really moving forward.

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A long-term vision, however, acts as the north star, guiding businesses through immediate challenges while ensuring sustainable success and consistent growth over time.

Consider This Analogy:

Building a business is like growing a tree. Initially, it requires nurturing, patience, and consistent care. But with time, the tree grows, becoming strong and robust, offering shade and fruits—transforming the landscape. The same goes for business. A vision, perseverance, and a long-term strategy are the nutrients that allow it to flourish, creating a sustainable presence in the market.

Implementation Steps:

Begin by planning a content calendar focused on delivering consistent value over the next six months.
Ensure regular reviews and necessary adjustments to your long-term goals, keeping pace with evolving market trends and demands.
And don’t forget the foundation—invest in robust systems and ongoing training, laying down strong roots for sustainable success in the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.

Law 2: Survey, Listen, and Serve

Effective marketing hinges on understanding and responding to the customer’s needs and preferences. A robust, customer-centric approach helps in shaping products and services that resonate with the audience, enhancing overall satisfaction and loyalty.

Take Netflix, for instance. Netflix’s evolution from a DVD rental company to a streaming giant is a compelling illustration of a customer-centric approach.

Their transition wasn’t just a technological upgrade; it was a strategic shift informed by attentively listening to customer preferences and viewing habits. Netflix succeeded, while competitors such a Blockbuster haid their blinders on.

Here are some keystone insights when considering how to Survey, Listen, and Serve…

Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty:

Surveying customers is essential for gauging their satisfaction. When customers feel heard and valued, it fosters loyalty, turning one-time buyers into repeat customers. Through customer surveys, businesses can receive direct feedback, helping to identify areas of improvement, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

Engagement:

Engaging customers through surveys not only garners essential feedback but also makes customers feel valued and involved. It cultivates a relationship where customers feel that their opinions are appreciated and considered, enhancing their connection and engagement with the brand.

Product & Service Enhancement:

Surveys can unveil insightful customer feedback regarding products and services. This information is crucial for making necessary adjustments and innovations, ensuring that offerings remain aligned with customer needs and expectations.

Data Collection:

Surveys are instrumental in collecting demographic information. Understanding the demographic composition of a customer base is crucial for tailoring marketing strategies, ensuring they resonate well with the target audience.

Operational Efficiency:

Customer feedback can also shed light on a company’s operational aspects, such as customer service and website usability. Such insights are invaluable for making necessary enhancements, improving the overall customer experience.

Benchmarking:

Consistent surveying allows for effective benchmarking, enabling businesses to track performance over time, assess the impact of implemented changes, and make data-driven strategic decisions.

Implementation Steps:

Regularly incorporate customer feedback mechanisms like surveys and direct interactions to remain attuned to customer needs and preferences.
Continuously refine and adjust offerings based on customer feedback, ensuring products and services evolve in alignment with customer expectations.
In conclusion, adopting a customer-centric approach, symbolized by surveying, listening, and serving, is indispensable for nurturing customer relationships, driving loyalty, and ensuring sustained business success.

Law 3: Build Trust in Every Interaction

In a world cluttered with countless competitors vying for your prospects attention, standing out is about more than just having a great product or service. It’s about connecting authentically, building relationships rooted in trust and understanding. It’s this foundational trust that transforms casual customers into loyal advocates, ensuring that your business isn’t just seen, but it truly resonates and remains memorable.

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For instance, let’s talk about Oprah! Through vulnerability and honest connections, Oprah Winfrey didn’t just build an audience; she cultivated a community. Sharing, listening, and interacting genuinely, she created a media landscape where trust and respect flourished. Oprah was known to make her audience and even guests cry for the first time live. She had a natural ability to build instant trust.

Here are some keystone insights when considering how to develop and maintain trust…

The Unseen Fast-Track

Trust is an unseen accelerator. It simplifies decisions, clears doubts, and fast-forwards the customer journey, turning curiosity into conviction and interest into investment.

The Emotional Guardrail

Trust is like a safety net or a warm embrace, making customers feel valued, understood, and cared for. It nurtures a positive environment, encouraging customers to return, not out of necessity, but a genuine affinity towards the brand.

Implementation Steps:

Real Stories: Share testimonials and experiences, both shiny and shaded, to build credibility and show authenticity.
Open Conversation: Encourage and welcome customer feedback and discussions, facilitating a two-way conversation that fosters understanding and improvement.
Community Engagement: Actively participate and engage in community or industry events, align your brand with genuine causes and values, promoting real connections and trust.

Navigating through this law involves cultivating a space where authenticity leads, trust blossoms, and genuine relationships flourish, engraving a memorable brand story in the hearts and minds of the customers.

Guarantee Your Success With These Foundational Laws

Navigating through the world of business is a demanding odyssey that calls for more than just adaptability and innovation—it requires a solid foundation built on timeless principles. In our exploration, we have just unraveled three indispensable laws that stand as pillars supporting the edifice of sustained marketing success, enabling businesses to sail confidently through the ever-shifting seas of the marketplace.

Law 1: “Success in Marketing is a Marathon, Not a Sprint,” advocates for the cultivation of a long-term vision. It is about nurturing a resilient mindset focused on enduring success rather than transient achievements. Like a marathon runner who paces themselves for the long haul, businesses must strategize, persevere, and adapt, ensuring sustained growth and innovation. The embodiment of this law is seen in enterprises like Apple, whose evolutionary journey is a testament to the power of persistent vision and continual reinvention.

Law 2: “Survey, Listen, and Serve,” delineates the roadmap to a business model deeply intertwined with customer insights and responsiveness. This law emphasizes the essence of customer-centricity, urging businesses to align their strategies and offerings with the preferences and expectations of their audiences. It’s a call to attentively listen, actively engage, and meticulously tailor offerings to resonate with customer needs, forging paths to enhanced satisfaction and loyalty.

Law 3: “Build Trust in Every Interaction,” underscores the significance of building genuine, trust-laden relationships with customers. It champions the cultivation of a brand personality that resonates with authenticity, fostering connections marked by trust and mutual respect. This law navigates businesses towards establishing themselves as reliable entities that customers can resonate with, rely on, and return to, enriching the customer journey with consistency and sincerity.

These pivotal laws form the cornerstone upon which businesses can build strategies that withstand the tests of market volatility, competition, and evolution. They stand as unwavering beacons guiding enterprises towards avenues marked by not just profitability, but also a legacy of value, integrity, and impactful contributions to the marketplace. Armed with these foundational laws, businesses are empowered to navigate the multifaceted realms of the business landscape with confidence, clarity, and a strategic vision poised for lasting success and remarkable achievements.

Oh yeah! And do you know Newton’s Law?The law of inertia, also known as Newton’s first law of motion, states that an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion… The choice is yours. Take action and integrate these laws. Get in motion!

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MARKETING

Intro to Amazon Non-endemic Advertising: Benefits & Examples

Published

3 days ago

December 4, 2023

Entireweb News Bot

Intro to Amazon Non-endemic Advertising: Benefits & Examples

Amazon has rewritten the rules of advertising with its move into non-endemic retail media advertising. Advertising on Amazon has traditionally focused on brands and products directly sold on the platform. However, a new trend is emerging – the rise of non-endemic advertising on this booming marketplace. In this article, we’ll dive into the concept of non-endemic ads, their significance, and the benefits they offer to advertisers. This strategic shift is opening the floodgates for advertisers in previously overlooked industries.

While endemic brands are those with direct competitors on the platform, non-endemic advertisers bring a diverse range of services to Amazon’s vast audience. The move toward non-endemic advertising signifies Amazon’s intention to leverage its extensive data and audience segments to benefit a broader spectrum of advertisers.

Endemic vs. Non-Endemic Advertising

Let’s start by breaking down the major differences between endemic advertising and non-endemic advertising…

Endemic Advertising

Endemic advertising revolves around promoting products available on the Amazon platform. With this type of promotion, advertisers use retail media data to promote products that are sold at the retailer.

Non-Endemic Advertising

In contrast, non-endemic advertising ventures beyond the confines of products sold on Amazon. It encompasses industries such as insurance, finance, and services like lawn care. If a brand is offering a product or service that doesn’t fit under one of the categories that Amazon sells, it’s considered non-endemic. Advertisers selling products and services outside of Amazon and linking directly to their own site are utilizing Amazon’s DSP and their data/audience segments to target new and relevant customers.

7 Benefits of Running Non-Endemic Ad Campaigns

Running non-endemic ad campaigns on Amazon provides a wide variety of benefits like:

Access to Amazon’s Proprietary Data: Harnessing Amazon’s robust first-party data provides advertisers with valuable insights into consumer behavior and purchasing patterns. This data-driven approach enables more targeted and effective campaigns.

Increased Brand Awareness and Revenue Streams: Non-endemic advertising allows brands to extend their reach beyond their typical audience. By leveraging Amazon’s platform and data, advertisers can build brand awareness among users who may not have been exposed to their products or services otherwise. For non-endemic brands that meet specific criteria, there’s an opportunity to serve ads directly on the Amazon platform. This can lead to exposure to the millions of users shopping on Amazon daily, potentially opening up new revenue streams for these brands.

No Minimum Spend for Non-DSP Campaigns: Non-endemic advertisers can kickstart their advertising journey on Amazon without the burden of a minimum spend requirement, ensuring accessibility for a diverse range of brands.

Amazon DSP Capabilities: Leveraging the Amazon DSP (Demand-Side Platform) enhances campaign capabilities. It enables programmatic media buys, advanced audience targeting, and access to a variety of ad formats.

Connect with Primed-to-Purchase Customers: Amazon’s extensive customer base offers a unique opportunity for non-endemic advertisers to connect with customers actively seeking relevant products or services.

Enhanced Targeting and Audience Segmentation: Utilizing Amazon’s vast dataset, advertisers can create highly specific audience segments. This enhanced targeting helps advertisers reach relevant customers, resulting in increased website traffic, lead generation, and improved conversion rates.

Brand Defense – By utilizing these data segments and inventory, some brands are able to bid for placements where their possible competitors would otherwise be. This also gives brands a chance to be present when competitor brands may be on the same page helping conquest for competitors’ customers.

How to Start Running Non-Endemic Ads on Amazon

Ready to start running non-endemic ads on Amazon? Start with these essential steps:

Familiarize Yourself with Amazon Ads and DSP: Understand the capabilities of Amazon Ads and DSP, exploring their benefits and limitations to make informed decisions.

Look Into Amazon Performance Plus: Amazon Performance Plus is the ability to model your audiences based on user behavior from the Amazon Ad Tag. The process will then find lookalike amazon shoppers with a higher propensity for conversion.

“Amazon Performance Plus has the ability to be Amazon’s top performing ad product. With the machine learning behind the audience cohorts we are seeing incremental audiences converting on D2C websites and beating CPA goals by as much as 50%.”

– Robert Avellino, VP of Retail Media Partnerships at Tinuiti

Understand Targeting Capabilities: Gain insights into the various targeting options available for Amazon ads, including behavioral, contextual, and demographic targeting.

Command Amazon’s Data: Utilize granular data to test and learn from campaign outcomes, optimizing strategies based on real-time insights for maximum effectiveness.

Work with an Agency: For those new to non-endemic advertising on Amazon, it’s essential to define clear goals and identify target audiences. Working with an agency can provide valuable guidance in navigating the nuances of non-endemic advertising. Understanding both the audience to be reached and the core audience for the brand sets the stage for a successful non-endemic advertising campaign.

Conclusion

Amazon’s venture into non-endemic advertising reshapes the advertising landscape, providing new opportunities for brands beyond the traditional ecommerce sphere. The blend of non-endemic campaigns with Amazon’s extensive audience and data creates a cohesive option for advertisers seeking to diversify strategies and explore new revenue streams. As this trend evolves, staying informed about the latest features and possibilities within Amazon’s non-endemic advertising ecosystem is crucial for brands looking to stay ahead in the dynamic world of digital advertising.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on all things Amazon, but if you’re looking to learn more about advertising on the platform, check out our Amazon Services page or contact us today for more information.

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