Best Free Online Marketing Guide For Online Entrepreneur

Google has threatened to pull its search engine out of Australia, but the government is refusing to back down. The Drum explores what this means for advertisers, publishers and consumers. The impact of Google pulling its search engine out of Australia because of the country’s proposed mandatory code of conduct for tech platforms, would be seismic for publishers and advertisers and would impact the general population significantly. The Centre for Responsible Technology has found that Google accounts for 51% of all online advertising in Australia while the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) notes that over 90% of online searches currently occur through Google. Google has already blocked Australian news sites from its search results for about 1% of local users, officially announcing this exercise as a test run, with the intention to provide a preview of the effect a change like this could deliver, should the code become law in its current form.  ...

With just three months to go until Google rolls out its highly publicised Core Web Vitals (CWV) update, a new study by digital marketing agency Impression has revealed that one-third of marketers are still in the dark about what the update is, or what it means for them. Google announced the change to its ranking algorithms back in 2019 and has since been educating webmasters on the necessity of fast load speeds and positive user experience in being treated favourably in the search engine results pages (SERPs). While many of those working in the SEO industry are in agreement that the changes are positive for web users, the potential impact to businesses who fail to make improvements to their websites prior to the May rollout could be hugely detrimental to their online visibility and therefore a risk to their ability to earn clicks and revenue. Dave Cain, previously digital marketing manager at Boots and current senior digital marketing manager at Arriva Group, provided the executive...

30-second summary: Unprecedented times leading to new consumer behavior. New consumer behavior demands new ways of engagement. It’s only with a 360-degree view that finding new customers and growing the ones you have is possible. Get a modern data stack to help you do that faster and more reliably. “We are in unprecedented times.” Haven’t we all heard that a million times this past year? It’s clear that this unique period in history is having a profound impact on every part of our lives, and  one area that’s seeing strong growth coupled with fascinating new trends is the retail and ecommerce space. With so many people working, studying, and living at home, the retailer – customer engagement model has been completely transformed. However, the need for a solid, holistic view of the customer remains consistent. It’s only with a full 360-degree view of the customer — from initial consumer awareness to a smooth checkout process to cultivating a loyal, long-term relationship —...

30-second summary: We spoke with Seismic’s VP of Market Growth, Heather Cole, to get her thoughts on what B2B sales enablement will look like in 2021. Even before COVID, B2B buyers were showing a preference for a largely remote selling process. Gartner research from 2019 revealed that just 17% of buying activities involved buyers actually meeting with suppliers. Platforms like Seismic help companies facilitate the distribution of marketing and sales content across distributed sales teams who must also sell remotely. Looking ahead, Cole’s advice to businesses in the go-to-market ecosystem is to adopt the seller mentality of continual outreach with a focus on helping customers better understand the new digital world. The pandemic changed everything about how salespeople interact with prospects, with lockdowns and social distancing requiring sales teams to rely on selling technology while connecting remotely. Remote selling will likely continue throughout most of 2021, ...

Oral-B, Gillette, Febreze and Bounty are not necessarily the first brands that spring to mind when you think about innovation, but under the watch of P&G’s chief brand officer Marc Pritchard, these brands have been reinventing the consumer experience over the last year through new product launches, inclusive design updates and sustainability initiatives. That’s because since 2019, long before the pandemic reared its head, Pritchard has been asking his brand marketing teams – some of which are custodians of household products that are hundreds of years old – to think like startups.   In January 2020, Pritchard took to the stage at CES in Las Vegas (remember real-life conferences?) and charted out the FMCG giant's new marketing playbook, which he said was centred around “leading constructive disruption in innovation and brand building”. At the time, he spoke about a willingness to quickly switch strategies to meet the demands of a society under pressure; almost pre-empting the ...

As the sixth most valuable brand in the world (Forbes, 2020), Coca-Cola needs no introduction. Founded in 1886, it’s an iconic company full of history and a familial vibe, which it has managed to maintain – an impressive feat for an organisation that has a presence in over 160 countries globally. Digital Visioneers is supporting Coca-Cola’s digital transformation and cultural change by staying transparent and inclusive, seeking for progress rather than perfection. This is the digital arm of Coca-Cola Europe, responsible for how the brand communicates and engages with consumers. Digital Visioneers is also leading the e-commerce revolution. Through this interview, Damien Bernard, head of people at Digital Visioneers, tells us about his journey into the world of HR, the rise of mental health initiatives, tips for success and an often forgotten fact about HR teams. Damien Bernard   Loading... The road less travelled “If you’re looking for inspiration for people mov...

This is an extract from The Drum’s Future of Media briefing. You can  subscribe to it here  if you’d like it your inbox once a week. According to my calculations, January is nearly concluded. One step closer to some form of normality. Time passes fast in lockdown. But what do the next few months hold in store? This week, we've been busy  running our annual Predictions festival  - online, naturally - with workshops spanning how brands can handle being cancelled to mastering CTV buying and the one that I hosted and is obviously the best, how to  nail marketing personalisation. On that note, Spotify tells me I consumed 29 days' worth of podcasts in 2020. You've probably been listening to a lot too, which brings me neatly to this week's lead story... The podcasting goldrush Every other week my inbox tells me a big tech company has thrown some money into podcasting.  Amazon is the latest. So we've taken a look at why big tech companies have ...

After a long, arduous year, the Covid-19 vaccine now holds the key to our recovery. But for life to return to ‘normal’ (remember pub crawls and buffet dining?) widespread adoption of the vaccine is crucial. For many, however, vaccination is a touchy subject. Many anti-vaxxers are adamant that there is no way in hell they’ll go anywhere near it, and there are also concerns over resources - are there enough doses to go round? Who’s going to inject them?… and where? From the moment a UK grandmother became the first person in the world to be given the jab back in early December, it has taken a Sisyphean effort to get the vaccination rolling.  But beyond big pharma companies and healthcare providers, brands from Facebook to Walmart, Boots to Superdrug are determined to do what they can to get the world vaccinated. The Drum assesses what brands have done so far, and the role they should play at this time of international crisis.  “All hands on deck”  “You don...

A newfound wave of optimism is sweeping through global marketing leaders, according to the CMO Council. A survey showed two-thirds expect to boost marketing spend through 2021 and a majority have ruled out the need to downsize or re-structure for the time being.   A focus on tech and automation  Having spent much of 2020 in managed decline, marketers are now chomping at the bit to resume a growth trajectory, with a CMO Council audit of 200 members finding that 65% aim to boost spending through 2021. The sunny outlook highlights a clear direction of travel, with just 10% expecting to implement further cuts and 24% still unsure. Behind this rosy disposition is a heavy investment in marketing technology, with 70% of respondents turning to automation to improve efficiency. A broad consensus has emerged that the key to future success will be sourcing and harnessing customer data insights to implement more effective campaigns. Confidence has become so widespread th...

30-second summary: COVID-19 put increasing pressure on brands to operate at a higher level with less resources including reduced paid media budgets. Data-driven engagement and personalization can drive the necessary improvements for user engagement metrics to make up for these inefficiencies. Setting up new personalization tactics can seem intricate but with a strategic approach, it can be an easy way to increase page views on a restricted budget. Understanding how each customer shops and meeting them where they are to create a completely unique and custom fit experience will make a retailer’s website stand out, decrease media spend, reduce bounce rates and increase ecommerce revenue. As 2020 comes to a dramatic end, brands are looking to cut costs wherever possible to combat the tremendous operational difficulties faced this past year. A recent report by Totem Media highlighted that  80% of traditional brick and mortar stores reported losses this year, and as a result, p...

30-second summary: Has the pandemic swung the pendulum from mobile back to desktop? Or, should marketers be focused on building out their presence on both? In B2B settings, your website still matters a lot; ensure you optimize for engagement on every screen size. Continuously test and learn. Look carefully at your site usage statistics to get an overall sense of when and for what visitors are landing on your pages. Don’t forget internal audiences as key consumers of your website content, too. Remember when a website was the center of the universe? Way back when, before everything became an app and everyone did the bulk of their casual browsing on their mobile phone. Back at the birth of HTML5 and the promise of one site for every platform. Websites seemed to be the biggest project every marketing department took on every 24-36 months (or every time a new CMO was hired). Then everything went mobile. Phones and tablets had us all thinking about new layouts, responsive design, ...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come on in leaps and bounds since Alan Turing first asked, “Are there imaginable digital computers which would do well in the imitation game?” in his 1950 paper ‘Computing Machinery and Intelligence’. In the 70-odd years since, computers have gone on to defeat chess grandmaster champions (IBM’s Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov in 1997), successfully complete the DARPA Grand Challenge in 2005 (race for autonomous vehicles over 100km in the Mojave Desert) and win against humans at Jeopardy! In 2011. AI use in digital marketing is rising steeply While these milestones highlight AI’s rapid progress, the technology is now starting to make a real-word impact. When it comes to digital marketing, the enormous potential and central role AI can play is clear. In fact, according to Salesforce’s sixth edition of the State of Marketing report , the vast majority (84%) of marketers now report using AI, up from just under a third (29%) in 2018, a huge 186% adoption in...

With the turn of the year, marketers are aspiring to reach even bigger heights in 2021 to keep up with the demand to enhance their customer data capability, following the rush to do it in 2020. Customer data and its use is the biggest differentiator in business and marketing particularly now. It is no accident that the companies doing best globally are the ones who have the best customer programs. From Amazon’s dominance of retail, Facebook's dominance of screen time, Apple’s loyalty (and now subscription services), Google’s constant connections to how vertical unicorns like AirBnB, Peloton and Uber all tie you to a persistent account.  The benefits are far-reaching. Recurring revenues and lifetime customer value are part of the success. In a marketing world where consent is key, having a strong CRM program is the best way to gain consent and with it, comes the data use data for marketing. The direct to consumer revolution even means that customer data is disrupting the FMCG spac...

The Drum Awards for Marketing reward brands and marketing teams that truly understand their customer.  Open to teams of any size that can prove their campaigns have had a measurable effect, the awards encompass categories including FMCG, Not for Profit, Brand Development or Extension of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, Diversity and Inclusion Company of the Year and Marketing Agency of the Year. These awards are truly global, and open to teams and companies from anywhere in Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa or the Americas. Our jury also sees brands from all over the globe come together to decide who is the best in class including The Walt Disney Company, Accor Northern Europe, Bumble, UNICEF USA, TikTok, Britvic, Diageo, Hearst, Brompton, Duolingo, Aesop, Schlotzskys, General Mills, Google, Activision Blizzard Esports and hangAIR Global. The deadline for entries is Wednesday 31 March .  Who’s who? Below are 16 of this year’s jury m...