Managing Digital Advertising Campaigns for Small Enterprises

INTRODUCTION

Digital Advertising spending is growing rapidly worldwide. In the United States, total spending in 2020 is forecast to reach $ 151 billion (eMarketer, 2019), while European spending in 2018 exceeded € 55 billion (IAB, 2019). In Cyprus, one out of every five posts in Facebook’s stream are now advertisements.

Small companies in Cyprus show an increasing demand for online advertising services. However, they face a number of challenges in managing their online advertising spending:

• Audience Definition and Selection
• Messaging
• Channel Selection
• Calls-to-Action and Conversion
• Budgeting, Spend and ROI

Both Facebook and Google offer robust tools for self-managing digital advertising campaigns. These tools are free or low cost, and can be used by everyone with a basic understanding of software.

By participating in this training, you can achieve these objectives in-house, without relying on external consultants or agencies. If you are using an external advertising partner, you can manage their activities more closely, achieving more effective advertising spend and results.

TRAINING FEE

The cost of the training is covered by the Human Resources Development Authority of Cyprus (HRDA). Value-Added Tax may apply to your participation, and will be calculated by the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry based on the number of participants from your enterprise who will attend the training, and their gross salaries.

Please note that this training course is only open to small companies (up to 49 employees). 

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

Participants in the course will be expected to master the following knowledge and skills:

1. Understand the strategic media and advertising cycle;
2. Adapt this cycle to their own enterprise in the online environment;
3. Define online customer and other segments and audiences;
4. Define messaging for specific services that can be promoted or sold online;
5. Develop their online sales funnel, Calls to Action and messaging;
6. Develop online advertisements;
7. Place these advertisements using Facebook, Google, Instagram and LinkedIn;
8. Budget campaigns;
9. Monitor the results.

METHODS & TOOLS

The following tools will be demonstrated:

• MS Excel for budgeting
• Facebook Advertising
• Facebook Audience Insights
• Google Adwords Keyword Tool Finder
• Google Adwords: PPC
• Google Adwords: Display Network
• Google Console – Analytics and Backlink Tracker
• Google Analytics
• Youtube Advertising Framework
• Instagram Advertising (on Facebook)
• LinkedIn Advertising
• Video editing software

CONSULTANCY CONSULTATIONS

Each participating company will have a 1-day company consultation by the trainer. This visit is used to amplify and customise the training content. The in-company training will follow a structured framework and will be implemented together with each management team. Key elements of the visit include:

• To assess and evaluate the current situation in each participating enterprise including their marketing budget, marketing priorities and current online and standard advertising activities;
• To implement and reinforce, via practical methods and tools, the seminar content based on the needs of each enterprise;
• To support each enterprise in selecting the appropriate strategies, tools and methods in order to implement a results-based online advertising campaign;
• To support each enterprise to develop a Digital Advertising Action Plan.

TRAINER

The trainer is Philip Ammerman. Philip is an experienced consultant and entrepreneur active in digital transformation and tech start-ups. He has commissioned and managed major digital advertising campaigns, either on a stand-alone basis or in conjunction with wider advertising spend. He is highly proficient in Google and Facebook advertising.

AGENDA DAY 1

Strategic Advertising and the Advertising Life Cycle

• The strategic advertising cycle: audience definition; messaging; delivery; results
• The strategic adverting cycle online
• Introducing the Strategic Digital Campaign Plan

Audience Definition

• Understanding customer segmentation
• Using the Facebook Audience Network
• Using the Facebook and Google Mirror Networks
• Geographic, demographic, interest, language and other targeting factors
• Learning audience definition from competitors
• Workshop: Defining five key audience segments for each small enterprise
• Workshop: Assessing audience motivations and value

Message Definition and Medium

• Defining single messaging for each audience
• Defining a messaging campaign for each audience
• Choosing the online advertising medium: Facebook or Google (or alternatives); PPC or Display
• Reinforcing the message through non-sponsored means
• Reinforcing the message through offline and online activities: integrated messaging

Technical Copywriting across Message and Content

• Focus on Pay-per-Click Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, and Organic Ranking
• Principles of search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Optimising website pages and content for search
• Using Google Analytics, Google Trends and Google Console for current trends
• Using Google Adwords Keyword Tool Finder to select keywords
• Quantitative and frequency analysis of keywords in text

Setting up a Google Adwords PPC Campaign

• Choosing keywords
• Setting the budget
• Understanding ranking vs. competing advertisers and general ranking influence
• Campaign placement and launch
• Monitoring campaign results: Traffic, Ranking and ROI

Conversion Seminar and Workshop

Ensuring online readiness for conversion: what happens when a visitor lands on an enterprise website or social media profile? Each enterprise will develop the conversion process for at least two audiences or at least two different types of conversion.

a.  The online sales funnel: linear versus iterative selling

b.  Calls to Action

c.  Content and value per segment

d.  Measuring conversions and results

AGENDA DAY 2

Understanding Display Marketing

• Google Display Network / Other Advertising Networks
• Technical Standards for Digital Display Advertisements
• Channel and Messaging Selection
• Creating Static or Rotating Digital Advertisements
• Keyword Selection
• Budgeting and ROI

Workshop: Creating a Facebook Advertisement

• Facebook Advertising (including Instagram)
• Image selection
• Messaging
• Keywords, Demographics and Targetting
• Budgeting and ROI
• A/B Testing

The advert and campaign editing and setip can be continued during the Company Visit, so that companies will have the benefit of a completed, personalised video advert by the end of the programme (2-day training + visit).

Workshop: Creating a Google Display Advert

• Google Adwords Advertising
• Image selection
• Messaging
• Keywords, Demographics and Targetting
• Budgeting and ROI
• A/B Testing

The advert and campaign editing and setip can be continued during the Company Visit, so that companies will have the benefit of a completed, personalised video advert by the end of the programme (2-day training + visit).

Video Advertising

• Youtube and Vimeo Advertising
• Image and clip selection
• Messaging via text and narrative messaging
• Music and jingle selection
• Keywords, Demographics and Targetting
• Budgeting and ROI
• A/B Testing

Workshop: Youtube Video Advertising

Step-by-Step process for recording a message, editing, transforming into video and placement on Youtube. This process is particularly important for tourism, professional services and other business segments. It can be continued during the Company Visit, so that companies will have the benefit of a completed, personalised video advert by the end of the programme (2-day training + visit).

Reinforcing and Differentiating the Message

The digital advertising campaign needs to be reinforced and continued over time. This involves:

1. Reinforcing the message using earned advertising: Press Releases, social media sharing and other methods.
2. Continually reminding customers via relevance and innovation
3. Direct promotion via Email Newsletters
4. Advertising using Retargetting or Remarketing
5. SEO techniques using snippets and html coding
6. Offline methods: billboards, print or broadcast media interviews, print or broadcast media advertising, direct mailing.

The Digital Action Plan

• Defining strategic objectives
• Defining audiences, objectives, value, and message
• Choosing digital media channels
• Budgeting, Traffic, CTA and ROI expectations

Conclusions and Closing

Summarising the Digital Action Plan steps

Setting the stage for the company visit

Conclusions on key trends and statistics in online advertising, and relevance for Cyprus

Each day includes a morning and afternoon coffee break and lunch break.