The acquisition deal included 14 million shares of Magnite stock and $560 million in cash. Meaning that Magnite paid three times the amount RTL group did initially acquire SpotX. In 2014 RTL group purchased a $144 million stake in SpotX and then spent an additional $145 million to acquire the entire company in 2017.

According to a recent study, Connected TV (CTV) households are expected to grow by 82% by 2023¹. With this deal Magnite hopes to gain a stronger foothold in the connected TV space. In 2020, SpotX earned $67 million in revenue from CTV-related business, the company’s total revenue for the year was $116 million

See Also: Facebook to launch a version of Instagram built for children under 13 .

Magnite’s recent success

Magnite’s stock has been doing quite well, it was up 13% in January. After the announcement of the deal, the stock went up 26%. The rise in its stock prices made it possible for Magnite to offer such a large cash amount for the acquisition. Magnite helps publishers sell space across their media and caters to apps, websites and connected TV channels. The deal with RTL group is a strategic move to gain a bigger presence in the CTV space. 

Magnite was formerly known as Rubicon. Towards the end of 2019 Rucbion merged with Telaria, a video management platform and was rechristened Magnite in June 2020.  

Talking about the acquisition Magnite CEO, Michael Barrett said, “The company’s vision is to build a highly scaled independent programmatic CTV and video ad platform.”

Client portfolio of digital publishers

Prior to the acquisition SpotX was one of Magnite’s competitors. Now the company will manage the inventory for many of the biggest device manufacturers, broadcasters and programmers. The client portfolio includes the likes of Disney and Hulu, Samsung, Roku, Discovery, ViacomCBS, Sling TV, Warner Media and more. 

CTV was already a growing market but the pandemic has accelerated it adoption in many households. Though Magnite has a diverse income stream, desktop and mobile form the bulk of its revenue, Connected TV is expected to be the way forward. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of this quarter. Until then both companies will continue to operate as separate entities.

Featured Image: Kids photo created by freepik –

Sources:

1. 2020, State of Connected TV Report 2020, The Association of National Advertisers and Innovid [online] available from:  [Feb 2021]

Previously the company has announced its plans to stop supporting third-party cookies on its Chrome browser by the year 2022. Google has now made it clear that it will not look for alternatives or replacement tools to track user behavior in order to serve targeted ads.

David Temkin, director of product management for adds privacy and trust wrote in a blog post, “Keeping the internet open and accessible for everyone requires all of us to do more to protect privacy – and that means an end to not only third-party cookies but also any technology used for tracking individual people as they browse the web.”

Read the full post here: Charting a course towards a more privacy-first web

Google further added that it would implement APIs to prevent tracking at an individual level in order to maintain privacy online. The company will use methods like clustering users into groups and data aggregation in order to increase privacy. Google has been testing these tools in its Privacy Sandbox in order to figure out a way to continue to serve ads online without encroaching on individual privacy.

The company will continue to support targeting users across its services which include YouTube, Gmail, and search. If a user is logged into their Google account, advertisers will be able to serve targeted ads on Google’s services.

See also: China’s Emotion Recognition Tech Receives Criticism

Currently, Google’s ad platform makes use of third-party cookies in order to serve targeted digital ads. Back in January, the company announced that it would eliminate the use of third-party cookies by the year 2022. Google is currently the world’s largest digital advertising company in terms of its share of spending.
Temkin explains in his posts that tracking methods no longer, “meet rising consumer expectations for privacy, nor will they stand up to rapidly evolving regulatory restrictions, and therefore aren’t a sustainable long term investment.”

Many of the company’s rivals and other members of the advertising ecosystems have been closely monitoring Google’s decisions. What Google decides to do will have a huge impact on the digital advertising space as a whole.

Featured image: Music photo created by master1305 –

More about Tictuck Technologies

Tictuk was found in 2016 and specializes in conversational commerce. Conversational commerce is a term that referred to e-commerce activities that are carried out using various mediums of conversation like chat. Technologies like speech recognition, AI,
etc are used to carry out these activities. Tictuk’s solutions allow users to place orders and interact with brands through existing social media and chat platforms. These include WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS, and Email. The solution also uses chat, web advertisements, and intelligent marketing technologies to power its marketing platform.

Tictuk’s solution reportedly integrates easily with existing POS and payments systems. It can be used for customer engagement in the form of deliveries, order pick-ups as well as dine-in. The acquisition of Tictuk expands Yum! Brands’ technology capabilities and will increase their ability to process digital orders. Customers will be able to order food from KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and other brands using social media and chat platforms they are already familiar with and using.

See also: SpotX Acquired by Magnite in $1.17 Billion Deal

What Yum! Brands and Tictuk leadership has to say

About the acquisition, CEO David Gibbs said, “As we navigate a consumer landscape reshaped by the events of 2020, we continue to intensify our focus on leveraging our scale and reinforcing our growth model with investments in digital and technologies
to enhance the customer and employee experience, strengthen restaurant unit

economics and enable our brands and franchisees to compete and win in a rapidly changing world.”

CEO and founder of Tictuk Tomer Ben-Ezra said, “Omnichannel ordering creates new opportunities for relevant and intimate engagement with customers and gives brands the ability to reach a wider audience. By developing an ecosystem that synergizes
ordering technology with performance marketing and analytics, we are empowering brands to better serve customers and increase sales.”

Yum! Brands have already released Tictuk’s solution for approximately 900 KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut restaurants in 35 countries outside the United States. Tictuk will continue to offer its platform to its existing client as part of the acquisition
deal.

Also Read:

10 groundbreaking Y Combinator companies you must know about

Microsoft in Early Talks to Buy Discord for over $10 Billion

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Background vector created by macrovector –

Digital marketing trends in 2021

1. Importance of influencer content and live streams

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of people were staying at home. With people unable to attend live events or go out, there was an increased demand for content. One type of content that saw significant growth was live streams. Those who are starved for social interaction flocked to this video content format. In the year 2020, live streaming platform Twitch crossed 5 billion hours of watched time^[2]. Live streams can be of several types, online workshops, celebrity interviews, gaming, etc. It wasn’t just celebrities, social media influencers brought in a huge number of viewers for live streams. Thus highlighting the importance for brands to connect with influencers and tap their audience. Small businesses may not have the budgets to work with massive influencers with millions of followers but they can engage with micro-influencers in their niche and area.

See also: 3 Reliable Appointment Scheduling Apps for Small Businesses

2. Improve digital experiences and UGC

According to a survey of 15,000 consumers conducted by PWC, 1 in 3 customers will leave a brand after only one bad expereince^[3]. Customers today have come to expect high-quality experiences both online and offline. During the past year, online experiences came into greater focus as almost all consumers were interacting with brands via digital platforms in order to comply with stay-at-home orders. All of this has made it imperative for businesses to invest in their digital customer experiences.

Before making a purchase consumers would like to be reassured that they are making the right choice. They want proof that the product or service they are considering is worth the price tag. User-generated content (UGC) can help businesses accomplish this. Examples, of this type of UGC, are reviews, testimonials, ratings, etc. UGC helps increase the trust consumers feel towards a brand. Instead of waiting for users to come to their website, businesses can share this type of UGC on platforms where consumers are already hanging out. For example, video product reviews can be shared on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Brands can ask their consumers to share their opinions via their own profiles.

3. Voice and visual search

Voice and visual search have been around for a while. However increasing penetration of smart assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google has significantly increased the number of voice searches. Approximately one in every four homes in the US today has a smart speaker of some kind. Along with voice search, visual search is also gaining ground. Google Lens has become more common on devices and has made it easier for users to search what they see. What does this mean for businesses? This means that businesses must ensure that their websites are optimized for both voice and visual search. Ensuring your image sitemap and alt tags are up to date are examples of optimizations that can be done.

Small business web marketing strategies

2020 was a hard year for small businesses that could not continue operations online. The pandemic has made it clear that small businesses need to set up their online infrastructure and diversify the way their business runs. Below we mentioned three small business web marketing strategies for 2021

1. Optimize core web vitals

As mentioned above, quality digital experiences are essential for customer retention and new user acquisition. In May 2021, Google released its Page Experience Update. This update looks at new metrics that are collectively referred to as Core Web Vitals. The metrics are designed to measure a website’s load time, layout stability, and interactivity. These metrics will impact overall search rankings. Businesses can find more information about their website’s core web vitals via Google’s search console. By optimizing their website to score high on these metrics businesses can increase their chances of ranking higher on Google search results.

2. No more third-party cookies and increased privacy

Consumers are becoming more aware of how their behavior online is tracked and how their data is used. Many countries around the world are tightening their privacy laws and adding regulations to how big tech companies can use consumer data. Apple’s privacy-focused iOS 14 will also change the way consumers interact with mobile apps. One big change that small businesses should start preparing for is the decline of third-party cookies. Google has announced that it will be phasing out third-party cookies from its Google Ads platform and will not be developing any new technologies to track user behavior. The company will instead focus on privacy first advertising solutions. What does this mean for small businesses? The increased focus on privacy means that businesses will no longer be able to use niche targeting to show their ads to hyper-relevant audiences. Instead, businesses should focus on building their customer lists and create strong one-to-one relationships with customers.

3. Strong customer relationships

Small businesses should focus on creating strong relationships with their customers. The increased adoption of digital solutions due to the pandemic means that the digital landscape has become even more competitive and clutters. It will continue to get more difficult for businesses to cut through the noise and reach digital consumers. By building strong one-to-one relationships, small businesses can create loyal brand advocates. Invest in the right email automation tools so that you can personalize content for individual customers and deliver the best online expereinces.

The digital marketing and online consumer landscape are going through significant changes. Factors like the global pandemic, privacy concerns, closer evaluation of big tech companies by the government are all leading to a fundamental change in how the online marketing space functions. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay up to date with the latest developments so that you proactively prepare effective web marketing small business strategies.

Source:

1. D. Alaimo, Aug 2018, ‘87% of shoppers now begin product searches online’, [available online] available from: [accessed Apr 2021]

2. Dec 2020, ’61 Streaming stats you should know in 2021′, Restream, [available online] available form: [accessed Apr 2021]

3. T. Kulbyte, Mar 2021, ’37 customer expereince statistics you need to know for 2021′, [available online] available from: [accessed Apr 2021]

Featured image: Business photo created by rawpixel.com –

• Hair & beauty salons
• Medical practices
• Tattoo parlors
• Photographers
• Driving schools
• Spa services, etc

See also: 5 Must have Chrome OS Apps in 2021

What is appointment scheduling software?

Appointment scheduling software can be used by your clients as well as employees to book. reschedule or cancel appointments with your business via an online platform. Depending on the software you choose, the interface can be integrated into your website,
social media pages, or any other type of platform supported by the software.

You will be able to define the parameters that govern the ability of employees and clients to book or change appointments. You can define the time when your business is open and customize when specific services offered are available. The software
will prevent double or overbooking without the need for manual intervention. You will even have the ability to temporarily block certain services. For example, if you run a salon and your colorist is on leave, you can block people from booking appointments
with the colorist. Often the software will even allow you to customize the message that people see when they try to book a service or a time this is not available. Some appointment booking apps also have the ability to process payments or will integrate
with your existing POS system and payment gateway.

Thus, appointment scheduling apps and software are crucial for businesses that rely on bookings. They reduce the amount of time and effort required to manage complex schedules. Any negative consequences due to human error are minimized as your employees
will not be responsible for ensuring appointments are added to calendars or to confirm available slots, the software will do this in real time.

Benefits of appointment scheduling apps

Flexibility

Good scheduling software will have features that provide your business with flexibility. You will be able to customize how bookings work to suit your business’s needs. Do you want clients to be able to choose the service as well as who will be performing
the service? Should they be able to choose a location for the appointment? Do you want to block clients from changing appointment details 24 hours before the scheduled time? Customization allows you to create a solution that is tailored to your needs
without the expensive undertaking of developing your own software.

Reduce cost & increase productivity

Conventional appointment scheduling methods are time-consuming and resource-intensive. With the help of scheduling apps, a single person can easily manage bookings for your business. This allows you to reduce cost as fewer resources are required to manage
your business’s calendar. The time that employees save by not having to deal with appointment management will lead to increased productivity

Quality user experience

Scheduling solutions often support more than one platform. This means that your clients will be able to engage with your business through their preferred channel i.e social media, your website, or even a messaging service like WhatsApp. Clients will be
able to easily see what services you offer, what appointment times are available, and can book as per their convenience. A system that is well set up will allow users to also choose their preferences like location, the employee or doctor they want
the appointment with, the type of materials they want to use, etc. This creates a very positive user experience for clients. Your businesses will come across as professional and high quality. It lays the foundation for a strong customer relationship.

How to choose an appointment scheduling software

Step 1: Understand your requirements

Take some time and understand what you need from your appointment scheduling. Start from the basics, are you booking appointments for a virtual session or for a physical location. If you have a physical location, how many locations do you have? What do
you want to base your appointments around, services or service providers? For example, do you want people to be able to book a dance class and you have full control over which teacher will take that class, or do you want people to be able to book
a class with a specific teacher? What control do you want from the backend? Who will have access to manage the appointment system? Answering these questions is important because it will help you understand what features you need from your appointment
booking software As you go through these questions make a list of features that you need.

Step 2: Look for the right solution

Once you have a list of features that you need, you can look for software and solutions that have most of the features and are within your budget. Note, if you have a low budget you might have to compromise on what the booking solution is able to do.
A good tip is to read reviews by people who have actually used the service. They will describe what they were trying to do and what challenges they faced. If you are looking for similar functionality, you can eliminate tools accordingly. You should
shortlist between 2 to three options before you move on to step 3.

Step 3: Request a demo

If possible book a demo with the customer support of a solution, so that you can ask questions first hand. Explain what you want to do and let the support representative explain how it can be done. If booking a demo is not possible, contact their customer
support via email or chat, and list out your questions. This way you can get a clear idea of what functionalities will be available with each tool. Based on this information and the price, you can choose the option that delivers the highest ROI.

Step 4: Test your implementation

Once you have selected the right solution, implement it on your chosen platform: website, landing page, or social profile. It is very important that you test your integration to ensure there are no glitches and errors. Try booking an appointment yourself
and see what the experience is like. Check the emails you receive to ensure the communication is accurate and grammatical. Check the backend to ensure the information captured is correct.

3 recommended appointment scheduling apps

1. Simplybook.me:

Overview

This appointment booking system is designed for service-providing industries that accept bookings. It can be used on windows, android and iOS devices. Packages start at $10 per month and go up to $60. The higher packages allow for a higher number of bookings
in a month. You can select an appropriate plan based on the number of appointments your business has available in a month. There is a 14-day free trial which allows for 50 bookings.

The good

All plans come with essential features, like setting up website bookings, admin apps for easy management, the ability to cancel and reschedule appointments, and configuring email and browser notifications. The tool also allows you to add up to three additional
features to your package at additional cost. This way you do not have to upgrade to a higher plan because you need a particular feature, businesses can keep costs low by signing up for the starter pack and paying for required features alacarte. There
are many integrations available like WordPress and Zapier.

The bad

The way the system is designed you cannot configure pricing per hour. You will only be able to set a static price for each service. So if your pricing is based on the duration of a session this may not be the right solution for you. The initial setup
will be more complex and it will be difficult to add and manage service add-ons that are time-based.

2. Setmore:

Overview

This online scheduling platform is designed for small businesses and is very easy to use. The platform supports Windows, Android, and iOS devices. There is a free plan that includes 100 email reminders and can accept payments via square. To be able to
accept payments via Stripe and for additional features, users will need to purchase a 5$ Pro or 9$ premium plan. Set more works in the following markets: India, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States.

The good

Setmore is very easy to use and very reasonable compared to alternatives. Setting up the booking page is not very complex and does not require technical knowledge. Customers will also find the platform easy to use and it has a friendly interface. Business
owners can design fun and colorful icons for each service to customize their booking pages.

The bad

The platform does not allow businesses to have a booking buffer. For instance, if you want to ensure that bookings can only be made 24 hours before the appointment time, then this cannot be configured on the app. You can limit bookings to only take place
during working hours but you cannot add buffer times. It also does not allow you to add multiple addresses on the booking page, which can be a problem for businesses with multiple locations and create confusion for customers.

3. Appointlet:

Overview

Appointlet is a robust solution for online appointment bookings. It can be used by businesses of all sizes and allows them to set up a booking interface on their website, a landing page, or via email. Users can set up two-way sync with Google Calendar
and Microsoft Office 365, thus the latest availability information is available. For businesses looking for a solution to book virtual meetings and sessions, Appointlet also integrates with GoToMeeting, Join.me, and Zoom. There is a 15-day full-feature
free trial. Once the trial ends, users can choose to continue with the free plan or upgrade to the premium plan for 10$ a month. The premium plan allows businesses to whitelist the solution and remove all Appointlet branding. They will also get access
to additional integrations like Zapier and Stripe that are not present on the free plan. Additional features like being able to customize booking messages, manually confirm bookings, etc, are also only available on the premium plan.

The good

The support is responsive and knowledgeable and will inform you if something is not possible via the solution. The pricing is affordable and the free plan includes plenty of useful features. The solution is very robust and the integration with Zapier
and other software increases what this solution is capable of. The solution is highly customizable and works for organizations of all sizes.

The bad

The solution currently does not have a Facebook integration. The ability of users to customize the email notification is limited. Users must choose between the free and the premium plan. There is no middle option. This is not a significant issue as the
premium plan is quite affordable. UI of the booking interface has received some criticism and could be improved. Management of bookings can only be done via the web app, there is no android or iOS specific application.

Subscribe to the whitepapers.online newsletter for more articles like this. Learn about new developments in technology and how you can leverage them for your business.

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Calendar vector created by pch.vector –

Sources:

1. A. Eira, n.d. ’74 Basic Appointment Scheduling Statistics: 2020/2021 Data Analysis & Market Share’, Finances Online [available online] available from: [accessed Apr 2021]

More about Wistia

Wistia is a world-leading video software and marketing company. It was founded in 2006 by Chris Savage and Brendan Schwartz. The company creates marketing software, video series, and educational content to support businesses that want to use videos to grow their business and brand. The company has over half a million business clients around the world and employees over 100 people.

The state of video in 2021

The report analyzed data Wistia has collected over the past five years about 44 million videos hosted on its platform. The report’s findings and insights are based on data from over 500,000 accounts. The report is divided into five main sections:

1. Video creation
2. Video length
3. Video engagement
4. Video consumption
5. Interactivity & conversions

See also: Microsoft shuts down Cortana for iOS and Android

Key takeaways about video marketing in 2021

Businesses are uploading more videos

According to the report, the number of videos being uploaded to the platform has increased year over year since 2016. 2020, saw the highest growth with an 80% increase in video uploads compared to the previous year.

Businesses are embracing longer videos

The report examines the length of videos uploaded to Wistia’s platform. Short-form videos lead in volume, with over 4.8 million videos uploaded that were shorter than 30 seconds. However, 30-60 minute long videos lead in terms of growth. The number of long-form videos uploaded to the platform grew by 140% when compared to 2019 and 446% when compared to 2016. This indicates that more businesses are taking advantage of long-form content like educational series.

Consumers are watching a lot more video

Wistia tracked the number of minutes consumers spent watching videos on their platform. The number has increased from 3.5 billion minutes in 2016 to 12.2 billion minutes in 2020. A significant 249% increased. The number of minutes watched grew year over year, however, the highest growth was seen in the year 2020 when total minutes watch increased by 88% compared to the previous year.

A clear conclusion one can reach from the report is that 2020 was a big year for video. The pandemic forced businesses and consumers around the world to change how they interact. Many businesses had to go digital. Marketers are using videos to engage with employees and customers who are spending more time at home. You can download the full state of video 2021 report here.

For the latest Martech news subscribe to whitepapers.online.

Also read:

Wipro acquires Ampion in a $117 million deal

UK-based Fintech Gro Raises $7.1 Million from Northzone VC

Featured Image: Background photo created by rawpixel.com –

See also: 3 Website Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses in 2021

Types of events

Events can be categories in many different ways. Based on their purpose, size, location, targeted audience, etc. Let’s look at two broad categories: offline and online events.

Offline Events

Most people are familiar with these types of events. They take place at a physical location and may or may not have a digital component.

1. Networking get-togethers
2. Conferences
3. Seminars
4. Celebrations & Parties
5. Trade shows
6. Awards
7. Festivals

Are some examples of offline events. When promoting offline events, marketers need to ensure that they create an effective online interface for the event. It’s not enough to only make sure that the location is properly prepped and set up. There should
be an online destination that those interested in attending can visit. This destination should have all information pertinent to the event. Like the time, cost, speakers, etc. If you do not have a website, a Facebook event page is an excellent way
to quickly create an online destination for your offline event. If you do have a website, you should do both. Create a landing page for your event on your website as well as a Facebook event page. Ensure you include a link to your website on the Facebook
page.

If you already have a Facebook page, that’s excellent. Your page followers will act as a built-in audience for your event. You will need to create an event in your Facebook event’s calendar. This will make it easy for people who come to your page to find
out about upcoming events.

Online/Virtual Events

These types of events take place online or in virtual environments. Because of stay-at-home restrictions brought on by the global pandemic, there was a significant increase in the number of virtual events organized in 2020.

1. Conferences and summits
2. Webinars
3. Online trade shows
4. Music concerts
5. Career/Job fairs
6. Roundtable discussions, etc

are some examples of virtual events.

Though not all events can be held virtually, a larger segment of people has realized the value and benefits of virtual events. Virtual events are less expensive to put together. Less time and effort are required to organize such an event. Thus organizers
can put in more effort and resources towards even promotion. Since the events are hosted online, there are no logistical limitations to who can attend these events. They also leave behind an extremely low carbon footprint if any. The downside of these
events is that it can be harder to keep people engaged. Attendees will not experience the event with all of their senses, they will only be able to rely on their eyes and ears. Organizers do not have a lot of control over the environment from which a person is attending a virtual event, hence there could be outside distractions that interfere with the attendee’s experience of the event. Despite these limitations, virtual events will continue to grow in 2021.

Strategies to promote an event on Facebook:

Whether you are organizing an online or offline event, the first thing you need to do is create a Facebook event. Please refer to Facebook’s guidelines if
you have not done this before. Once you have created your Facebook event, below are some strategies you can use to promote the event and get good attendance.

a) Strategies to promote your Facebook event 

1. Pay and play

Facebook has built-in advertising features to promote events. You can use these features to promote your event page. When you are done creating an event, you will automatically see a pop-up that encourages you to boost your event. If you have already
created your event, you can find the same options by clicking on the ‘Promote’ button at the top of your event page. Select the option to ‘Boost your event’. You will then be asked to create your ad. You need to fill in your event description, upload
an image and select an Ad Category. It’s a good idea to have your description and image ready to go beforehand. Facebook will show you a preview of what your ad will look like, once you are happy, you can move on to selecting your audience.

If you have a good following on your Facebook page and are happy with the engagement you receive, you can choose Facebook’s lookalike feature for your audience targeting. Facebook will show your event ad to people who are similar to those already following
and engaging with your page. Alternatively, you can define your audience on metrics like location, age, etc. The last step is to choose for what dates you want your ad to run and how much money you want to spend. Click on ‘Boost Event Now’ when you
are happy with your settings.

2. Increase the visibility of your event

If you do not want to spend money to promote an event on Facebook, there are other things you can do to increase your event’s visibility on your page. This will only be effective if you have some engagement on your existing page and a relevant audience.
Start by placing the ‘Events’ tab right next to the ‘Home’ tab of your Facebook page. Next to the existing tabs on your page, you will see the option ‘More’ with a dropdown. Click on that and then select edit tabs. Drag ‘Events’ to the top of the
list, right under ‘Home’. Once you have done that you should also pin the event to the top of your main page. Even though you have created a separate event page, you should also show the event on your main business page. Create a post on your main
page about the event, make sure you include all important information and a link to the event signup page. After posting, click on the three dots at the top right of the post and pin the post to the top of the page. Post status updates about the event
from your main page. Make these updates interactive and fun, share behind-the-scenes images, teasers, and enthusiastic text. These small steps will help ensure your event has the highest visibility possible.

3. Promote on Facebook groups

Facebook groups are an excellent way to reach a large group of like-minded individuals. You can share your event on groups that you think would genuinely be interested in your event. However, it is very important that you think carefully before you share
your event groups. You do not want to come across as spam or that you are only in the group to promote your event. If these groups are relevant to your business, you should join them and actively contribute. That way when the time comes to promote
an event, it won’t come across as self-promotional and you will know enough about the group, its members, and culture to know whether or not you should promote your event there. If not done properly, this strategy can backfire and turn users away
from your brand. So proceed with an abundance of caution.

b) Create content that says something

A common mistake made when promoting an event on Facebook is creating the wrong type of content. Even promoters will often simply create a graphic that mentions the date and time of the event or posts that count down to the day of the event. Though this is important information to convey to people who are attending your event, email would be a more appropriate channel for this communication. The problem with this type of content is that it does not say anything, it does not add any value for people who will see it on Facebook. Think about it, if you are someone who does not know about an upcoming event, and has not decided to attend it, would you care or engage with a post that talks about when and where the event is taking place? Why would your audience care? 

In order to effectively engage with your audience and boost event attendance, you need to create content that adds value for users. Instead of posting when and where your event is taking place, share tips and tricks with your audience. Create content that explains how people will benefit by attending the event. Ask questions that your audience will find interesting. For example, if you are drumming up interest for a fundraiser to support cancer research, you could create a short video debunking common myths associated with cancer. Share stories from cancer survivors. Share information about the latest research findings. This will encourage people to engage with your posts and increase the visibility of your event.

2. Content from the event 

While the event is taking place, share pictures and videos. This will allow people who were interested in the event but could not attend to engage. Share backstage videos and images. Every person attending the event will be posting and sharing their own content, by showing images and videos of areas that attendees do not have access to you will be creating something unique and of value. Make sure you have a central hashtag that every posting is utilizing. This will make it easier for people to find the content related to your event. Engage with people that are posting. You should also take some time to comment on and share the content that people attending the event are posting. This will help you create stronger bonds with the community.

3. Content after the event

Timing is key when it comes to post-event content. People will be most interested in seeing content about an event soon after it is done, as time passes interest will decline sharply. Hence, the sooner you post the better. If you have a live audience and have taken pictures of them, upload those first. People like to see their own pictures and are more likely to share and comment on such pictures. Share key highlights and takeaways and encourage discussions about what happened at the event among the community. 

c) Some more tips to promote a Facebook event

1. Use different content formats

Facebook allows you to share content in different formats. You can share a link from a blog post on your website. You can create an image album or share a single graphic. you can create polls and upload stories. Some people use Facebook to look at stories when they have a few minutes between meetings, others like to read articles from their news feed.
By using all of the content formats available you will be able to maximize your engagement. Keep in mind that you don’t want to spam your audience. So limit your posts to one or two a day. 

2. Use Facebook insights

Facebook will share insights on the performance of your content and posts. Make sure you are paying attention to these insights and make adjustments to your content strategy accordingly. If you see that content performs better on a particular day or during a particular time period, you can take advantage of that. You will also get information on the demographics of your audience. You can use this information to tailor content that will be most appealing to your audience.

3. Quality with quantity

Even if you are posting multiple times a day, you need to ensure you maintain the quality of your content. You don’t need to have large budgets to create quality posts. Make sure you have a clear aesthetic for your page and follow it for all your graphics. Any text content that will be posted, should be properly proofread for any grammatical or spelling errors. You can use free resources like Canvas, Freepik, Unsplash, etc to get quality images and assets that will make your content look professional. If you have the budget, it is always good to engage the services of a graphic designer to create your visual content.  

Source:

1. Jan 2021, C. Newsberry, ’47 Facebook Stats That Matter to Marketers in 2021′, Hootsuite [available onine] available from:  [accessed
Apr 2021]

Feature image: Calendar photo created by rawpixel.com –

Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has had a staunch mobile-only approach. The company intentionally prevented users from being able to upload content via their computers. The goal was to encourage people to post content created on mobile devices. However, over the years this has caused a lot of frustration amongst users who prefer using their desktop devices. Paluzzi shared images that showed a new upload window, users can drag and drop images in the window to post them on the app. Once the image is uploaded, users can zoom in, crop to standard Instagram square, landscape, or portrait sizes. Once cropped, users can edit and add filters to their images exactly as they do on the mobile version. In the final step, users can add the location, caption, alt text, and tag people. Paluzzi clarified that the feature was being tested internally and there was no clear timeline as to when it will be made available to general users. Instagram has not made any announcements or statements regarding the features or the leak.

See also: Google Inks deal With SpaceX to deliver Starlink Internet

Other news from Instagram

Add pronouns to your profile

Last week Instagram announced via its Twitter account and @Creators profile that users would now have the ability to add pronouns to their profiles. The feature is currently available in a few countries with plans to add more. The latest update will allow users to add up to 4 pronouns to their profiles or users can choose not to display the field. Most Gen-Z users today already include their preferred pronouns in their bio, it seems Instagram has taken notice and added pronouns as an optional field.

Facebook’s Instagram for children receives severe backlash

Last month we covered a story that Facebook had shared plans to build a version of Instagram targeted at children under the age of 13. Attorneys General from 44 states in the United States have sent a joint letter to Facebook urging the company to abandon its plans due to concerns regarding privacy and the effects of social media on young people. Currently, Facebook does not allow users under the age of 13 to sign up for its services like Facebook and Instagram. However, many underage users still join these platforms by simply lying about their age during signup. A spokesperson for Facebook said that the company would work with regulators and lawmakers as its plans regarding the new service continue to evolve. The company has currently not announced when it will launch the planned service.

Feature image: Twitter | @instagram

The decision comes after an incident in the Target parking lot in Brookfield Wisconsin on May 7th where a man pulled a gun during a fight over Pokemon trading cards. The re-sale value of Pokemon cards in particular has increased exponentially. The company said, “The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA, and Pokémon trading cards within our stores, effective May 14. Guests can continue to shop these cards online at Target.com.”

See also: Pokimane announces hot tub stream for birthday

Why has the value of trading cards increased?

During the pandemic as Gen X and Millenials were stuck at home they started playing Pokemon cards again, a game they grew up with. The renewed interest in the cards led to an increase in their value. At an auction a few months ago a US first edition base set from 1999 sold for approximately $400,000. In 2019, the asking price for a single original Charizard card in mint condition was $16,000. In January 2020, the card sold for $300,000. In October last year a live stream deal to purchase a sealed first edition box of Pokemon cards, reportedly valued at $375 thousand, ended in disaster as the set turned out to be fake.

Influencers, rare cards, and unboxing NFTs

Popular social media influencer Logan Paul has significantly contributed to the rise in popularity of the cards. In March this year paul hosted a live stream event where he opened 12 holographic cards that are valued at $2 million. Along with unboxing these rare cards, paul also creates NFTs (non-fungible tokens) of him unboxing the cards. NFT are digital assets that can also function as collectibles. In February he sold $5 million worth of NFTs.

The Pokemon Company vs card scalpers

The Pokemon Company recently released expansion packs Chilling Reign and Eevee Heroes for the Pokemon Trading Card Game. The release was chaotic and caused a lot of frustration among fans as most of the packs were purchased by sellers using bots and scripts. They were sold out within seconds and fans were unable to purchase any product. The company has apologized to the community and in a statement said, “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to customers who were not able to purchase items. We will give top priority to delivering the desired products to our customers, continue to strengthen our production system, and promote the reproduction and shipment of missing products.”

In order to combat scalpers, The Pokemon Company (TPC) has decided to implement a lottery system when selling Pokemon cards online, “In response to this situation, we will carefully consider the sales method again so that customers can purchase safely, and we will not sell the following target products at Pokemon Center / Pokemon Store, but will sell them by lottery at Pokemon Center Online.”

May experts and critics believe that the Pokemon card trading market is currently overinflated and as the hype dies down there will inevitably be a crash. As of now, the value of these cards has exploded.

Also read:

Microsoft Build 2021 is coming on 25th to 27th May

Space-X Will Accept Dogecoin as Payment for DOGE-1 Lunar Mission

Featured image: The Pokemon Company International

Sources:

1. May 2021, H. Sullivan, “US Target stores to stop selling Pokémon cards after rising value prompts threats to staff

“, The Guardian [available online] available from:  [accessed May 2021]

2. May 2021, B. Koepp, “The Pokemon Company is taking drastic measures to stop Pokemon card scalpers”, Dexerto, [available online] available from:  [accessed May 2021]

3. Oct 2020, A. Bland, ”

How live-streamed $375k deal for Pokémon cards ended in disaster”, The Guardian [available online] available from:  [accessed May 2021]

The Problem of Fake Reviews on Amazon 

In 2016 Amazon banned incentivized reviews in an attempt to protect the integrity of customer reviews. However, paid reviews have continued to be a problem on the website. Recently, cybersecurity experts SafetyDetectives discovered evidence of an organized operation for fake reviews on Amazon run out of china targeting their European and US websites. Over 200,000 people are involved in the operation that generated approximately 13 million positive reviews. Reportedly the FTC has also been pressurizing Amazon to take action against sellers posting fake reviews on their platform. The timings of these incidents that Amazon took action, not in the interest of protecting customers but as damage control to protect their public image.

See also: What is cyber vetting? Is it legal? Is it ethical?

What happens now?

In a statement to PC Mag, Amazon said that they have, “clear policies for both reviewers and selling partners that prohibit abuse of our community features, and we suspend, ban, and take legal action against those who violate these policies.
Our objective is to ensure customers see authentic and relevant reviews so they can make better-informed purchasing decisions. To do this, we use powerful machine learning tools and skilled investigators to analyze over 10MM review submissions weekly, aiming to stop abusive reviews before they are ever published.” 

Most users of the website will not notice the absence of the merchants that Amazon has removed. The company directs people to use the ‘Report Review’ feature for reviews they suspect are fake. Whatever the motivation for their action might be, it seems Amazon has taken a stand against fake reviews, it remains to be seen however if this leads to a net positive impact on the platform.

Why customer reviews are important for businesses

The importance of online reviews cannot be overstated. A survey of over 2000 US consumers by Podium found that 93% of respondents were influenced by online reviews in their purchasing decisions[1]. People want to hear from real consumers and understand their experiences. Mentioned below are factors that highlight the importance of reviews for businesses:

Online reviews are social proof

Customers are more likely to make a purchase if people around them think it’s a good idea. In brick and mortar stores we can see the impact of having qualified sales personnel on the floor. Sales executives are able to connect with customers on a human level and can nudge them towards making a purchase. This need for us to have our purchase decision still exists when we are shopping online. This is why customer reviews are important. They fill the need for online shoppers to have social proof that a product is a good choice. Often these reviews will echo the thoughts customers are having, ‘its a little expensive but..’ or ‘I wasn’t sure how much I would use it but…’.   This helps allay the concerns an online buyer may be feeling and they are more likely to make a purchase.

Ratings and reviews build trust

Customers pay attention to the number of starts a brand has online. They are generally suspicious of brands with less than four stars. A steady stream of positive reviews can help your business build trust with audiences. Interestingly, having too many starts can be a bad thing. There is a common saying that you can’t satisfy everyone. Online shoppers seem to believe this and expect at least some people to have negative or less than perfect experiences with a brand. They are suspicious of brands that have five stars as this can come across as manipulated, and fake. 

Reviews impact revenues

If you are still wondering why customer reviews are important, this should cinch the discussion, reviews impact a business’s bottom line. Customers will spend 31% more on a business if it has excellent reviews. 72% of customers will trust a local business more if it has positive reviews. A negative review can cost a business approximately 30 customers [2]. What people say about a business online matters, it impacts the business’s perception, image, trustworthiness, and ultimately, whether or not people will buy from them, which impacts the bottom line.

What’s happening at Amazon is not unique to the company. For as long as online reviews have existed, people have tried to manipulate and game the system. The biggest downside of online reviews is that it is very hard to authenticate them. Both negative or positive reviews may be motivated by reasons that have nothing to do with the product itself. The way most marketplaces and review websites are currently set up, it is still very easy for sellers to manipulate their ratings and reviews in order to get better visibility. This raises the question, if they can be manipulated so easily should why reviews continue to be important for a business?

How should businesses manage online reviews?

It will take a long time for purchasing behavior online to change. Customers today rely on online reviews to judge the quality of a product and how trustworthy a brand is. We may question why are reviews important for a business but that does not change the fact that currently, they have a huge impact on online shopping behavior. Below are things that businesses need to do, in order to effectively manage their online reviews.

Ask for feedback

In order to build an authentic positive persona for your business, you will need to be proactive. Ask your loyal customers to give you feedback. Make it easy for them to do so. Send them a link to your Yelp page, Google Business List, or Facebook page and ask them to leave their honest opinion. If you host a special event or make a sale, just mention you would appreciate an online review. Most people you ask will not actually take the time to give you a review but if you ask enough people, and are consistent, enough people will do it and help you gain a good online reputation.

Thank positive reviewers

You should let customers know that you appreciate their compliments. If possible send them a personal message thanking them for their review. If a private message is not possible, only then thank them in a public forum. For platforms like Twitter and Facebook, you will not have a choice but to thank reviewers publicly. Do not hound customers and ask them to join your mailing list. Keep it simple, introduce yourself, thank them and move on. Absolutely do not offer positive reviewers any benefits like discounts, or gift vouchers, this can be interpreted as an incentive for the positive review, Most websites have rules against such behavior and can penalize you for it. It will be devastating for your brand’s credibility if people start to believe that you are paying for reviews or that your online reviews are fake.

Address negative reviews

Do not ignore negative reviews. Ensure you reply to them in a timely manner. If your business has made any mistakes acknowledge them and apologize to the customer for their poor experience. If possible, mention what action you are taking to prevent such a situation in the future. If there is any misinformation in the review, correct it. Take the discussion offline if possible. If restitution is necessary, offer it to the customer. Online users expect a certain number of negative reviews for every business. In fact, they are suspicious of businesses that have nothing but glowing reviews. As long as the number of positive online reviews exceeds the negative reviews for your business, you will be in good shape.

An authentic voice for your business

Choose one person within your organization to handle reviews. This person should have a certain degree of authority and the ability to make decisions as required. Should a customer get a refund, do you offer a discount, does any action need to be taken within the business? These are decisions this person should be able to make. The other reason you want one person addressing reviews is so that your business has an authentic voice. Having the same person reply to all reviews will help create a consistent brand identity for your business. It’s important for your responses to sound human. Allow the person responding to reviews to write in their own conversational tone. They do not have to be formal and use corporate language. Encourage them to speak as they would to their friends.

The landscape for reviews is due for an overhaul. As more users become aware of the issue with fake reviews and demand more transparency from platforms, the way businesses handle reviews might evolve. As it stands right now, by being strategic, consistent, and human, businesses can create a positive online persona that will lead to increased sales. Subscribe to whitepapers.online for regular updates from the world of technology.

Featured image: Music photo created by rawpixel.com –

Sources

1. Jan 2017, “Online Reviews Stats & Insights”, Podium [available online] available from:  [accessed Jun 2021] 

2. Apr 2021, “”, Invespcro.com [available online] available from:  [accessed Jun 2021]