Insights

Senior housing communities’ number one priority is to keep residents healthy and happy. We know how heavily the COVID-19 situation and its restrictions are weighing on you and your residents. We know how important it is to keep spirits high (theirs and yours!) during this difficult time.So how can you help residents and families who are missing their loved ones when personal visits are not allowed?

Virtual visitations! Today, we want to share a simple way to put this program in place.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you set up virtual visitation for those technologically-challenged residents who do not have access to cell phones or PCs:

1. Select several staff members—visitation directors—to organize the scheduling for the visits.
2. Provide a dedicated laptop or tablet to run the virtual visits.
3. Show them how to use Zoom (or the selected online software of your choice). At infinitee, we love using Zoom for our virtual meetings…we find it easy and reliable. Here’s how to set up / schedule a meeting with Zoom.
4. Use a shared google doc for the staff to organize and manage the calendar of resident "visits." Staff members can set up a calendar of virtual visits for residents by planning a time with their family members. It’s best to keep this all in one calendar. They may choose to have a calendar in Google, Yahoo or Outlook—all of which are compatible with Zoom events. (Once a meeting is scheduled through Zoom, it can be easily added to the organizer’s Google, Yahoo or Outlook calendar.)
5. If needed, have your team also instruct family members on how to join the Zoom meeting. If the resident’s family members don’t know how to use Zoom, send them this video. Here’s how to join a meeting with Zoom.

A few more suggestions:

• To make the scheduling easier, suggest recurring visits for each resident (same time, same day of the week) to automate the process. This can also be implemented easily when scheduling in Zoom.
• To share the good news with families, create a special email blast announcing the virtual visits. Share on social media, your blog, and your other communication channels.
• If you wish to give families more control, update your website to include an icon/message encouraging them to “schedule your virtual visits with your loved ones now.” This could either link to an email with the visitation director, or if you want to be more technically advanced, to scheduling software like Calendly (which is compatible with Zoom meetings). It would allow you to make slots available, and residents to choose the days and times they prefer.

We know that setting up something new can be tricky, and if you don’t get the hang of it quickly, we are here to help. We can customize a program just for you. Set up a quick chat with  Vince Vitti; he’ll be happy to speak to you and give you a hand.

Thank you - for all that you’re doing to keep our loved ones safe, healthy and happy!

We're in the midst of an unprecedented, global crisis and the impact COVID-19 is having on all our lives changes daily.

Were you prepared?

How are you handling your crisis communications?

What are others doing (effectively)?

These are all questions we’ve fielded from clients over the past few weeks and, odds are, you’ve asked yourself or been asked the same questions. Our team has been vigorously monitoring the marketing landscape, keeping a close eye on industry predictions, and working collaboratively with clients to help navigate their messaging and crisis communication strategies behind the situation. And, as a result of this, we have compiled these recommendations for the CCRC industry.

1: Member Communications and Planning

Clients and other CCRCs alike have implemented a number of precautionary operational measures throughout their communities - including the following communication tactics:

• Weekly operational updates to members and members' families via email.
• Onsite video stations to facilitate regular face-to-face communication between members and their loved ones. Implement an Activity Director to help organize and assist with scheduling these virtual visits.
• Finessed messaging on all mediums, including website, email and social media, to exhibit awareness and transparency throughout this pandemic.
• Daily correspondence via emails and printed newsletters to members that include a variety of activities to keep them occupied, uplifted and inspired - also falls under the new responsibilities of the Activity Director.

2: Crisis Communication: Pre-Planning

A general principle when dealing with a matter of public health and safety is to be proactive. You never want a situation where potential harm could have been avoided. Some best practices in crisis communication pre-planning are as follows:

• Develop relevant messaging now for both internal and external audiences pre-crisis and templates for post-crisis
• Identify your crisis team(s) and specific assignments and roles so that you're ready to act in a timely manner when the time comes
• Compile a list of contacts, both internally and externally, and share/post them across all relevant personnel, stations, and common areas for quick reference
• Outline a digital communications plan comprehensive of best practices and guidelines - making it available to all members, staff and families
• Make sure your team has the facts and is properly educated on COVID-19, and stays current on changing information as new developments break. Assign team leaders to this task and encourage frequent information sharing across crisis team(s).
• Stand together in a united front. Make sure the entire team is on the same page with frequent communications and regroups to put forward a united front regarding what you are doing, what the backup plans are and what your processes are, etc.
• Communicate openly and frequently. Keep members and families updated frequently with honest, relevant, authentic and consistent communications.
• Consistently convey key points:-Your communities are the right place to be at this time. Members are isolated from the general population and are SAFE.-You are open for business and operating as normal to ensure they are cared for.-Everyone is united to get through this together.
• Connectivity is a continued priority. You are focused on connecting members and families throughout this crisis through virtual applications, opportunities and other technologies (FaceTime, Zoom, etc.)
• Be seen as a trusted resource. Make sure members and families see you as a trusted resource and that you are a neighbor to them - here to help where you can. Share the details to further enhance their confidence in you for their continued health and wellbeing.
• Spread positivity daily. Let members, families and prospects know about the positive work you are doing every day and the impact it has on seniors. The work is important and so are the workers who continuously go above and beyond to make sure residents are cared for.

3: Crisis Communication: Illness Confirmation

Several CCRCs are taking the following stance when cases are confirmed:

• Communicate quickly and transparently. Time is not on your side in controlling information and the narrative. Therefore, a timely disclosure of facts to members, families, staff and the public is critical for your reputation.
• Prioritize internal communication. Communicate to members, families and staff first - nothing undermines your communication strategy more than when your inner community learns things from an external source. Ensure that there is a seamless and immediate way for these groups to receive information.
• Develop a cooperative rapport with media. Designate one media spokesperson, respect deadlines, prepare strict speaking points that allow you to control the narrative and reiterate the message you want to convey. “No comment” is not a good comment!
• Assume everything is public. Know that any internal memo to staff or members can, and likely will, get into the hands of the media. Treat all information as though it were public and be consistent and constant with your messaging across internal and external audiences.
• Plan for ongoing communications. Consistent and frequent updates will be expected and this simple act, while it requires discipline, goes a long way in garnering trust and quelling panic
• Respond to ALL inquiries on social media. While time-consuming, it is crucial to dispel misinformation and show that your organization is responsive and transparent.

Although these tips do not represent an exhaustive list, we hope that they help lay the foundation for a proactive crisis communication strategy and that you can implement them in the support and management of your community's reputation during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Stay safe, stay healthy...and remember, we’re #InThisTogether.

If you would like a copy of this presentation to share with your team, please complete the form below to access a PDF of these tactics.

Still have questions or want to know more? Set up a quick chat with Vince Vitti here and he’ll be happy to speak to you directly.

Today we celebrate all the heroes that impact our lives daily to fight one of the greatest Pandemic's our world has seen.

From healthcare professionals, caregivers, first responders and all of the thousands of essential workers who are tirelessly working to protect us and nurse our loved ones back to health - we say THANK YOU!

THANK YOU

to the national heroes that give their time, energy, and risk their own safety to ensure that our needs are met. And then get up and do it all again the next day. You are our front line forces against this pandemic and deserve more gratitude than we’ll ever be able to truly voice.

THANK YOU

to each of you fighting this fight from all corners of the globe. Your sacrifice and dedication is noticed and we are beyond grateful for all that you have done and continue to do to serve our nation, our loved ones and countries across the globe.

#InThisTogether

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that these are unprecedented and uncharted times for all of us. As we navigate the uncertainty and constantly evolving landscape from personal, professional and business perspectives, let’s all take a deep breath and remember that we’re #inthistogether.

Over the past few weeks, our team has been monitoring the marketing landscape, keeping a close eye on trends and industry predictions, and working collaboratively with clients across all verticals to help them navigate their messaging and crisis communication behind the COVID-19 situation. Needless to say, social media has been (and will continue to be) a huge part of this communication strategy.

Audiences are turning to social media for the most up-to-date news and business information, as well as personal interactions, lighthearted and uplifting messages, and a host of other activities as they look to fill their #WorkFromHome time during this period of Social Distancing.

Many experts are anticipating another 30-90 days of this new normal and, with that in mind, we wanted to share 4 tips for navigating social media during this time.

Here’s what we’re seeing and have found to be most engaging, impactful and effective so far.

01. Do NOT go quiet.

During this time it’s important to stay active on social media and to adjust your social approach. Keep it upbeat, honest and authentic. Some of the top posts we’re seeing also layer in humor, where appropriate.

02. Be engaging in an organic way.

Everyone is looking for human interaction and a personal connection. Asking questions in post copy such as “what are some of the things you've been doing to stay productive while working from home?” not only engage your followers but also adds an important WE CARE element to your social messaging. On that same note, keep up with the national “celebrations”. For instance, National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week are the first two weeks of May. This is an important message and stance that all brands can take to show support to the healthcare industry and essential workers during this time.

Audiences across all industries need to know that they are not alone - even if we are all separated right now.

03. Virtual is the new norm - embrace it now.

Online usage and shopping has increased and is expected to steadily grow as we continue through this situation. This is especially important for our retail based clients but also has important applications for other industries as well.

If you’re a shopping center brand, use social media to create and sustain consumer engagement for online retail offerings and push dining options for your tenant mix. With curbside services and carry out quickly becoming the only out-of-home experiences for your consumers, they are craving details and opportunities to have a “normal” dining experience - even if it’s only to pick it up and return home. And chances are, your restaurants are getting very creative with their offerings so share that with your social following!

We’re also seeing a trend toward virtual tours, appointments, etc. for the senior living, multifamily, and commercial real estate industries as well to keep the sales funnel going during this time. The most important thing you can do to support your brand during this time is to be solutions oriented for your audiences but in an authentic way.

04. Create messaging that is on brand and purposeful.

It sounds obvious, right? The temptation is to react quickly but your brand identity is no less important now than it was pre COVID-19. Your messaging and content strategy needs to be purposeful and strategic but your audiences still need to know it’s YOUR brand. Consider creating templates for each post type, adjusting your weekly content categories, etc. and continue planning your content as you normally would have. The brands that do this well will stand out and rise to the top!

We hope that you can put some of these tips to use during this time. And if you have any questions or would like to chat with our team on how you can best implement any of these for your brand, we’re all a phone call or video chat way.

Stay safe and stay healthy!

#INthistogether

Summer internships tend to evoke polar opinions within people. You either loved yours or hated it. Maybe they offered you your first full time position or maybe you learned that the field that was your “passion” really isn’t all you thought it would be. I could drone on about the nuances, projects, and experiences that made my past summer so great but your eyes would probably glaze over.

So, instead, here are the top five reasons you should seriously consider the summer internship program at infinitee.

#1 The Environment

Both external and internal, the workplace environment breathes professionalism and fun! The infinitee office is located at Piedmont Center - where you are surrounded by greenspace, trails, and within walking distance of some great eats and venues. But it's not just the office that is great, it's the people and the culture within it. infinitee’s open floor plan within the office and cast of characters that inhabit it make it alive and an upbeat place to work.

#2 The People

The cast of characters I just mentioned are truly infinitee’s greatest asset. They have an incredible team - each with their own defining skills, passions and background. From Kelly’s charm to Vince’s razor sharp wit. Then you have Lynn’s motherly nature along with Marcia and Chelsea’s attention to detail. Micheal brings the creative heat to match the cool leadership that stems from Barbara and Jocelyn’s years of industry experience. All-in-all every employee has something powerful to bring to the table, and each and every one of them was more than willing to help me learn and grow.

#3 The Exposure

I was exposed to all facets of the business and agency operations during my internship. My official title and responsibilities had me working on new business development with Vince but my actual work took me much further. I was given the opportunity to sit in on sales meetings as well as creative design meetings. I worked in data analysis and in creative research. I went to client meetings and attended business expos. The ability to see so much through every lense is a priceless experience.

#4 The Development

At infinitee you're not just an intern, you're also a student. During my time there, I was often given a project, some overall direction and then told to run with it and make it my own. Afterwards, I would meet with Vince (or the team member who assigned the task), walk them through what I did and why, and then we would workshop the details from that point. The way he, and every employee, would give me autonomy and then follow it up with advice creates an incredible environment to grow your skills and an invaluable “real-world” experience.

#5 The Opportunities

To be transparent, this is more than your typical office monkey internship. infinitee expects you to do big things and so they give you big opportunities. In my time with the team, I was able to attend a Bisnow State of The Market conference in downtown Atlanta, help name a room in a multimillion dollar development, meet titans of the industry, and learn things that I would have never been exposed to otherwise. infinitee is truly a company that cares about its interns and their future. I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve given me but this testimony is a start.

If you want to learn more about 2020 summer internships, email kelly@infinitee.com.

For over 20 years, Pantone Color of the Year has played a leading role in product development and purchasing decisions across almost every industry. From fashion to industrial design, product packaging, home furnishings to art collections and even manufacturing, the current Color of the Year guides decision making and sets the standard for retail audiences across the world.

Needless to say, arriving at the annual Color of Year does not come without thoughtful selection and careful analysis. So...how does Pantone narrow down a decision as important as this one? Their color experts scout the world looking for new influences across the board— that’s how. Everything from popular travel destinations, art collections, lifestyle trends, even films in production, influence the decision. Anything and everything that has a presence in pop culture plays a role and impacts the final Color of the Year selection.

Allow us to Introduce 2020’s Classic Blue

Classic Blue. A deep, introspective and nostalgic color. When you think of blue, you might immediately be drawn to the sky, the ocean, a flowing river, landscape and serene environments in general. The color exhibits inner security and confidence. It’s loyal, responsible, honest, sincere and sometimes even a little reserved.

Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

This serene hue has already played a vital role in design decisions this year - even after only two months! From fashion trends that impact spring retail campaigns to branding / rebranding efforts, signage, print / digital designs and really all aspects of marketing, our team is looking to Pantone for color and design inspiration.

Apparel and Home Goods

The fashion runways of New York, Paris and Milan set the standard for retailer apparel decisions. Heading into March and beginning of spring fashion campaigns, we’re seeing BLUE play a leading role. The always classic, blue denim hit the runway and is showing up across retail floors as we speak. From vintage, to distressed and short and cropped, all shades and styles are must-haves for your spring wardrobe.

Our team of stylists paired fun and flirty denim-inspired looks for Spring in our client’s upcoming TangerStyle Spring collection.

Commercial Real Estate (CRE)

Building renovations and commercial design decisions also lean heavily on Color of the Year influences, what’s currently hot in the market, and what will resonate with tenants to create environments that both make a statement and promote efficiencies in the workplace. Our commercial clients routinely invest annual budget dollars into building enhancements that ultimately impact design and marketing. Take  Accesso for example. We recently helped launch a full-scale corporate rebrand for them - complete with the brand new tenant amenities program,  Accesso Club. A major part of the rebrand included color theory and selection. Accesso redefines the CRE norms and wanted their brand to reflect the different approach they take to their owner/operator role. And, as you can see from the creative, Classic Blue played a major role in the development of their new brand identity and trickled down to every layer of their tenant amenities programming for Accesso Club.

Brand Development

As 30+ year advertising and marketing pros, branding is at the forefront of our client services and is truly what we do best. We bring our clients’ stories to life through impactful design and creative storytelling, all of which stem from unique brand identities and POV’s. Harrison Development & Construction, a professional, custom home builder based in Metro Atlanta, came to infinitee for our retail flare and branding expertise when they wanted to rebrand their organization. And, you guessed it, at the forefront of the new visual identity and brand redevelopment - Classic Blue. It’s a color that draws inspiration and inspires confidence, everything we wanted to convey for the new Harrison Homes. Their team also happened to be partial to blue!

Whether you’re looking for a spring fashion fix, are designing (or redesigning) marketing materials for your brand, or taking on a home renovation project, draw inspiration from Pantone’s Color of the Year: Classic Blue. Until next year when the new color is introduced, we’ll be buzzing about classic blue.

Grand Boulevard, a $500 million, mixed-use lifestyle center in Miramar Beach, Florida, is perfectly nestled in the heart of South Walton –  just minutes from Sandestin’s exclusive resorts and the Gulf Coast’s world-famous 30A beach communities.

As a long-time client of infinitee (19 years to be exact), we’ve had a front-row seat as Grand Boulevard has literally exploded in the market. We have also had the pleasure of helping to craft a reputation for the Center as the region’s premier, upscale, open-air destination for shopping, dining and entertainment.

(You can read more about Grand Boulevard’s Renaissance in the shopping center industry in this article from Shopping Center Business.)

Having set new benchmarks at every turn, and now with an impressive roster of world- and locally-famous chefs including Chef Emeril Lagasse, renowned and first-to-market national retail brands, and a robust Coastal Culture Arts & Entertainment initiative featuring the acclaimed South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival, 30A Songwriters’ Festival and more than 200 events annually, Grand Boulevard was ready to take its brand image to the next level in 2019.

Challenge accepted!

The new brand aesthetic for Grand Boulevard needed to reflect the beautiful coastal setting while maintaining an approachable look and feel, and also appealing to the upscale and affluent demographics of the South Walton area.

Our “elevated coastal” theme was brought to life and woven throughout each of our brand elements – starting with a new website featuring enhanced UI/UX, interactive directory & map, and a host of other features that provide users with an online glimpse at how distinctive Grand Boulevard truly is.

Once the brand identity was established, our team went to work sourcing professional talent and planning a first-of-its-kind photo shoot for Grand Boulevard. One day on-set generated three years worth of assets for the website, advertising materials, marketing and leasing collateral and a full library of other digital and social media needs.  

Playing up the experiential and lifestyle components of the Center, “A Grand Experience” became our campaign headline because it aptly and succinctly told audiences what to expect from their visit(s) to Grand Boulevard. Iterations of “Experience Shopping Along the Boulevard,” “Experience Dining… “, etc. were incorporated into the campaign to further drive home the breadth of experiences guests are able to enjoy. This also helped us diversify our digital campaign strategy by diversifying creative for local versus out-of-market audience reach and retargeting efforts.

The enhanced experience provided to Grand Boulevard’s audience via the website and brought to life through the campaign theme was also carried over into interactive eblast templates for use with consumer email marketing efforts.

Officially launching with the website this past October, the revitalized brand has been extremely well-received to date and will continue to be unveiled as we move into the new year and the collateral begins to appear in-market.

The 2019 rebranding efforts have set the stage for exciting new developments “Along the Boulevard” in 2020 and, while we can’t share those details just yet, you can bet that we’ll share them as soon we can!

‍

Santa’s not the only one making his rounds this year. A recent NRF Survey reports that holiday shoppers plan to spend 4% more this year, averaging $1,047.83 on gifts. And this number increases slightly among people 35-44 - reporting to spend an average of $1,158.63.

Whether you fall into the category of the 56% planning to buy online or the 53% planning to shop in store, you’ve got a budget, a list and a few weeks to finish up. And not to add fuel to the fire, but there is one less shopping week between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year!

To help, we’ve put together a few of some of our team’s favorite gift giving items for this Holiday Season. Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

1. A Gift for the Sports Fanatic

Michael Rivera, Creative Director

If Guinness offered a world record for Atlanta United’s greatest fans, Michael and his wife would win! As founding members, they never miss a game (unless under dire circumstances) and everyone around the office knows when it’s gameday. If you have a die-hard sports fan on your list this holiday, Michael recommends checking into their local sports teams for special holiday sales on tickets, merchandise or fan experiences. And, if you’re local, Atlanta United’s Holiday Ticket Pack are on sale now!

2. A Gift for the Traveler

Marcia Homer, Director Brand Management

Marcia is our office jet-setter. We all live vicariously through her InstaStories and world adventures. (#daydreaming) This Everywhere Bag from AWAY is her top choice for the traveler on your list and is designed to slide over the handle of any AWAY suitcase (or slide onto your shoulder). It also has a laptop pocket and waterproof umbrella pocket - making traveling to any location, for business or pleasure, easy and efficient!

3. A Gift for the Hard-Working Fitness Fiend

Vince Vitti, VP Business Development

Let’s face it...the 9-5 can get in the way of your fitness goals. And with the new year approaching those resolutions from this past year are bubbling back to the surface. Fortunately, Vince found a way to get his move on even while on new business calls. This TODO Foot Peddler Desk Bike is perfect for your fitness-focused friend (or yourself) and, even better news, it’s under $50! We fully anticipate several of these popping up around our office in 2020.

4. A Gift for the Dog Lover

Chelsea Schmidt Wiley, Senior Brand Manager

The holidays are the perfect time to get the Dog Lover on your list something truly unique and something that they wouldn’t buy for themselves…or their fur babies. The Furbo Dog Camera actually tosses treats and allows you to essentially FaceTime with your pet while you’re away. Yes, please! Another unique idea for your pet-loving person is a DNA test from Wisdom Panel to find out what their adorable adopted pup’s breed is. You guessed it, Chelsea had her pups tested and it turns out they’re 100% adorable!

5. A Gift for Someone Who Can’t Be Home for the Holidays

Ezgi Yersu, Senior Digital Designer

Ezgi is our Turkish Princess (she’s seriously so glamorous) whose family is still in Turkey. Fortunately, she gets to spend the holidays abroad but not everyone can make the annual trek to be with loved ones at the holidays. If you have someone on your list that can’t be with family this holiday season, Ezgi suggest mailing them something that makes them feel like they are home (i.e. their favorite holiday food or an ornament or traditional seasonal decor item)! With a little Googling and Pinterest research, the possibilities are endless.

6. A Gift for the Trendsetter

Ashlan Riess, Brand Manager

Fashion has a face around the infinitee office and it’s Ashlan Riess. She’s what fashion goals are made of! For the fashion icons on your list, Ashlan’s obvious first recommendation is a gift card to Tanger Outlets, our long time client and friend.

(#shamelessplug) Tanger makes gift-giving easy and you can save big on the latest styles from famous designer brands. For even more savings join TangerClub for exclusive members only savings and exciting Tanger perks all year long. You even get a free gift for you when you sign up!

7. A Gift for the Engaged Couple or Newlyweds

Aylin Orhan, Junior Designer

Aylin is our resident bride-to-be and when she’s not powering through inspiring creative designs, she’s planning her big day. For those of you with engaged friends or newlyweds on your holiday list this year, here is Aylin’s recommended source for great gift ideas from brides.com. There are so many great ideas she couldn’t pick just one, but some of her favorites are the personalized cutting board, monogrammed decanter and personalized dipped ceramic pitcher. Happy shopping and no judgement if you find something for yourself on this list. We did!

It hasn’t been long since Facebook was under fire for privacy issues and under even more pressure to do something about it. New policies, adjustments and settings have impacted, and continue to impact, advertisers just as much as users.

Advertisers are facing an ever-changing landscape as Facebook continues to roll out new regulations, placements, and rules. This forces media buyers to remain flexible to quickly adapt to what they can and cannot do - and more so forces business’s operations to do the same.

So how do we do it at infinitee? We manage paid social for a number of clients in various business verticals, all with different objectives. Obviously no two campaigns are the same, but we’ve seen success with the tactics we will share in our new 4-Part Series on Facebook Advertising Trends.

Our first trend is First-Party data. Read on to see what you could start doing today for maximum impact!

Trend #1 of 4: First-Party Data

The first thing Facebook changed is how advertisers can use third-party data in campaigns. Before, Facebook’s API monitored Facebook usage and categorized users by a number of things - content you were interested in, what you spent time on, businesses you engaged with/followed, demographics, etc.

Now that’s changed. In order for Facebook to know any of that, users have to submit it in their profile and ad preference settings. Very few have done this virtually making third-party targeting irrelevant and severely limiting scale.

So, how do you keep your ads highly-targeted? We recommend a three-pronged approach:

1. Leverage First-Party Data for Facebook Custom Audiences

CRM Data - Ingest your company’s customer lists - shopper database, prospect list, partner list, tenant list, any and all email lists you may have specific to your campaign - and Facebook will map your email addresses with Facebook users for precise targeting. More importantly, use this list to exclude people! If you’re looking for new people to add to your shopper database or to follow your page, exclude your current list of followers so your dollars are spent on new users.

Pixel Data - Utilize Facebook’s events and conversions as much as possible! Create an event for every action taken on your site - a purchase, pageview, contact form submission, etc. This data is invaluable to scaling your ad campaign and also telling Facebook what to optimize for.

Remarketing - Likely the most successful targeting tactic out there (and that applies to more than just Facebook). Remarket people who visit your website, a specific page, product, etc. with a specific ad. If they visit the deals page, show them ads with coupons. If they visit a floorplan, show them photos of that layout. Relevancy is key. If they’ve purchased something before, remarket them again - just apply some exclusions so it’s not for the same thing.

Engaged Users - Not all Facebook campaigns aim toward conversion and that’s okay. Brand awareness and content engagement are still important KPIs for some campaigns. When that’s the case, serve ads to users who are likely to engage with your ads - they actively view your videos, engage with posts, follow you, etc.

2. Build Lookalikes

This is probably the most important part. Once you have your Custom Audiences created, build lookalikes from them. A lookalike audience is a way to reach new people who are likely to be interested in your business because they are similar to your

best existing customers. (re: Create a Lookalike Audience).

You can build a lookalike audience from every custom audience you create - and that’s exactly what we recommend. There are 1 billion people on Facebook - a billion. The best way to find who’s most likely to like you is by finding people who are most like those that already do like you! And Facebook’s lookalike audiences do just that. We’ve seen Facebook take a list as small as 1,700 users and expand the pool to 1M potential people based on their interest.

3. Use Ad Sets to See What’s Working

You’ve got custom audiences and lookalike audiences - but how do you know what’s working? What’s moving the needle? Which one is getting me more leads, more purchases, more engagement?

We strategically set up our Facebook campaigns by Ad Sets to see what’s working best. There are a few schools of thought on the best way to do this and, frankly, it comes down to what will answer the questions you’re asking the most. If you’re interested in what targeting capabilities are working best, set up your Ad Sets by targeting - CRM List, CRM Lookalike, Engaged Users, Engaged Users Lookalike, Remarketing, Remarketing Lookalike, etc.

If you find yourself asking something else - perhaps what age group, location, region, etc. is most interested in my ads - organize your Ad Sets that way and combine your audiences (custom and lookalikes) into a “master audience”. There’s no wrong way to do it - just set it up so at the end of your campaign you get the answers/insights you’re looking for.

One more quick tip - Ad Set budgets are going away soon and you will only be able to set maximum and minimum budgets. If you know you have a certain Ad Set that is substantially smaller than others, but has to get some love from the budget, make sure you set a minimum spend so Facebook doesn’t allocate all of the dollars to the larger groups.

Have questions about how to use your first-party data or simply want to chat through the best strategies for your campaign? Give us a call at 404-231-3481 and let’s get started.

Don’t forget to check back next week as we uncover Part 2 of 4: Special Category Advertisers.

Last week we discussed First-Party Data as our first trend in Facebook Advertising. Click here in case you missed it.

This week we dive into another trend that several of our clients (and maybe you) fall into - Special Category Advertisers - and what this means for your social campaigns.

Trend #2: Special Category Advertisers

Special category advertisers… dun dun dun. Earlier this year, Facebook released its special ad category option in Ads Manager and it has severely impacted three industries: Housing, Employment and Credit advertisers. This new feature restricts ad targeting options and prevents advertisers from using lookalike audiences to prevent discriminatory ad practices. So what does that mean?

It means it’s hard to reach the right users if you fall into one of these categories. You can no longer target by age, gender, zip code, multicultural affinity or anything describing your characteristics - in addition to lookalikes. You can only use things like behavior, which is your first-party data noted under Custom Audiences in Part 1 of 4 last week.

But that’s not all - Facebook is really cracking down here. You may be a B2B multifamily lender running a lead generation ad for content downloads. You’re not leasing apartments or mentioning anything about that. To get content downloads, you have a pretty specific list of people you’re trying to serve ads to - somewhat account based marketing but limited within Facebook compared to LinkedIn. If your ad copy or imagery uses the word multifamily, Facebook is likely not going to approve it unless you remove all targeting, which is not the purpose of your ad. It’s incredibly important that everyone on your creative team is well-aware of these three categories to produce creative that will be approved.

So to recap, if you fall into the Special Ads Categories, take the following into consideration:

1. Set realistic expectations - understand the limitations of special category advertising and accept the risks upfront that results may not be as strong as you are looking for, especially with direct response. Reconsider if Facebook is the right platform for your media campaign.
2. Adjust your targeting - utilize your first-party data as much as possible and create Custom Audiences to be as precise as possible.
3. Understand creative limitations and stick to them - design creative with what you know will get approved first. This will expedite Facebook’s active learning phase and allow for optimizations quicker. If not, campaigns could get delayed in turn delaying your results and conflict with your expectations.

If you fall into a special category advertiser and want to talk about your campaign needs, give us a call at 404-231-3481, x114 and we’ll work through it together! You are not alone and it helps to connect with people who already have some “lessons-learned” to share.

As a reminder, our 4-Part Series on Facebook Advertising Trends continues next week with Facebook Search Ad Placements. You don’t want to miss that one.

Welcome back! So far we have covered the value of First-Party Data and how to use it, as well as Special Category Advertisers. Our third Facebook Advertising Trend is new to everyone - we’re talking Facebook Search Ad Placements.

Trend #3: Facebook Search Ad Placements

Ads in Facebook Search Results are now open to all advertisers for a select group of topics! This unit appears in Facebook Newsfeed Ads and across its marketplace, giving you a way to reach users who are looking for something you offer! All Facebook data nerds are rejoicing.

In early February, eMarketer released data that suggests an increase in Facebook’s U.S. net digital ad revenue share to 22.1%, up from 21.8%, also finding Google declined from 38.2% in 2018 to 37.2% in 2019. (Yes, Google search is still king but this is something to watch.)

Some things to note:

• Search Ads are in addition to Newsfeed Ads. You cannot place Search Ads without a Newsfeed Ad.
• They are clearly labeled with a Sponsored tag and can be static or carousel. This is especially beneficial for a product ad - for example, you’re searching for shoes and receive a carousel ad of different shoes.
• Unlike Google AdWords, you cannot target by specific keywords. (Perhaps this will come in the future.) Instead, search ads will show up when relevant to a specific business. This means it’s incredibly important to have your business page as updated as possible with specific information about what you do and offer. Make sure relevant keywords show up somewhere on your page to get the most out of Search Ads.

There’s still little information about Facebook Search Ads, but we will continue to update you as we experiment ourselves. For more information, we like this article by MediaPost.

Next week we tackle the last part of our 4-Part Series on Facebook Advertising Trends: Creative. (Personally, this is one of our favorites because it shows the work we had such a blast putting together!)

Welcome to the conclusion of our 4-Part Series on Facebook Advertising Trends. In case you missed the previous trends, we’ve linked them below:

Part 1/4: First-Party Data

Part 2/4: Special Category Advertisers

Part 3/4: Facebook Search Ad Placements

Now we move onto one of our favorite things to talk about - creative and specifically we’re talking Stories Creative.

😍

2 Examples of Stories Creative for Tanger Outlets

Trend #4: Stories Creative

Facebook and Instagram Stories are rising to the top of the most effective ad placements - after all, it’s about the only ad option to click off Instagram. MediaKicks details 5 stats that show the impact story creative has:

1. Facebook Stories reached 150 million daily active users in 14 months.
2. Stories are growing 15x faster than newsfeed sharing.
3. Only 10% of Facebook’s 1.45 billion daily active users have adopted Facebook Stories (so #1 is going to get bigger).
4. Popular apps (think Spotify, Soundcloud and GoPro) directly integrate with Facebook Stories.
5. There are 10 country-specific slang Facebook Stories filters (which is more than Snapchat) indicating international market share.

Because of this, it’s incredibly important to create separate assets for your stories including video and static. These should be vertical placements where the copy/CTAs are above the “see more” URL and arrow in Instagram Stories especially. Media buyers can manually edit placements and upload a custom image or video for these stories in Ads Manager before launching a new campaign. Trust us - having the right creative makes a huge difference.

Click here for spec sheet. (Honestly, we recommend just bookmarking this page.) And remember, the 20% text rule still exists! Make sure your ads don’t have more than 20% text in the image and test your creative before uploading here.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our 4-Part Series on Facebook Advertising Trends and and that some of our insights and takeaways are applicable to your campaigns. As always, we’re here to chat and welcome the conversation.