Where is marketing going in 2023? | Boris on challenges in digital

In this article, I discuss, among other things:

1. Changes over 2021-2022 in digital marketing
2. Typical problems and challenges at different stages of the sales funnel
3. Qualitative data collection techniques in 2023

It's 2021. Apple announces new rules: app developers must communicate to users how their data is collected. What's more, Apple limits the availability of user data to advertisers.Shock? Doubt? Resignation? None of the above, as all eyes are on Meta. After all, the global giant has always deftly juggled personal data. This time the juggling doesn't go so easily.

The U.S. market is feeling the change so strongly that, according to a DigitalMarketer survey, as many as 67% of marketers surveyed will not include the Meta platform as a significant part of the marketing mix for the next 18 months.

Shock, doubt, resignation and, on the technical side, two more heavily restricted elements. Cookies and device identifiers. Without this duo, advertisers face a strong limitation:

• reaching out to people who have previously expressed interest in a particular company,
• delivering ads that are relevant and/or useful to users,
• Effective optimization of advertising for conversions,
• Accurate measurement and reporting of campaign results.

In addition to the pool of legal and technical restrictions, AdBlock is also included in the "Marketing 21" set. Often ignored add-on, of which, according to various reports, the number of users in Poland varies between 32% and 58%.In 2022, these changes are marked primarily by an increased awareness of data protection. To this, there is no shortage of response from platforms, of course, to the best of their ability. And how are the activities of digital marketing specialists changing? Some have already implemented the changes and are trying to implement advertising activities. Some are still exploring the terrain, using the techniques of the aforementioned juggling act. Regardless of how you feel about the (new) existing reality, the following tips are for you. In this article, you will find a handful of powerful insights that will strengthen your plans for 2023 and help you make some tough decisions.At the outset, it is useful to distinguish 3 main layers of action:

1. Technical readiness;
2. Simplified funnel and selection of tactics
3. Customer Experience After Purchase

Technical readiness

After Apple's restrictions, probably every advertiser on the Meta platform felt the change. First, the ability to check various data attribution windows was taken away, then expanded analytics for conversions by age, gender and locality in the ad panel (btw. by the end of 2022 this data should be visible again). Later, there was an announcement that Meta was undercounting account conversions by about 15%. However, lest advertisers lose hope, ex-Facebook resuscitated the 2012 solution with a new name Conversion API. The Conversion API allows direct connection from the server, which reduces dependence on cookies.

Unfortunately, this solution does not give us the opportunity to get around the restrictions. Because, in case the user does not allow tracking himself - the system will not include this person anyway. CAPI, on the other hand, to some extent guarantees us the quality of the data coming down to us. And this is a very key element in the current reality.To understand Conversion API well will use an analogy with the quality of our eyesight. Before the implementation of the restriction not to track user behavior from Apple, we saw almost everything. Sight was at the level of 95/100.After the implementation of restrictions, the level of our eyesight dropped by 25 points. And now we can put on glasses in the form of Conversion API and still only see at 70 points, but be sure we see quality data. Or stay without glasses, spoiling our vision (losing data) even more.Conversion API - should be the gold standard for your business. It is also obvious that:

• The domain and advertising account should be verified,
• Meta Pixel along with events must be well implemented and tested from a minimum of two different browsers,
• The advanced matching tool in the Meta Pixel setting is to be enabled.

Read more about CAPI's implementation here.

Simplified funnel and selection of tactics

Most digital professionals with whom I've had the pleasure of exchanging various views on online promotion - love conversion funnels (interchangeably: sales funnels). All in all, it's not surprising, since funnels precisely define each stage, structure promotional activities at each stage and set clear micro goals. Even taking the most well-known AIDA framework and translating it into specific advertising goals in the Meta panel - did the job.

The challenge we face in the current reality is that in most cases (especially SME companies) we can't afford to dilly-dally all the way through the funnel. The aforementioned AIDA has a minimum of 4 stages to manage, where at the end is the Action stage understood as sales/conversion.

What are the implications of this? We should change our approach to funnels or thinking of them in terms of elaborate activities designed to generate interest and warm up potential leads. Yes, it does not negate the need to "warm up leads," but in my opinion, in a world of constraints, we should first take care of the quality of the data we get.Visualizing the approach to funnels or the concepts on which we base them, I think we should move from the model on the left to a simplified version of the model on the right:

The above models differ not only in the number of stages that need to be taken into account. Here, the change also occurs in post-sales activities, which are so often forgotten (or even overlooked) by brands.

The overriding thought that should accompany you when designing a simplified funnel is to minimize or remove all possible distractions on the path to purchase.

Unfortunately, but in the quest to collect as much data as possible, we push aside such simple things as page load speed, good practices and the limit of pop-ups, complicated lead forms and the long process, sometimes mandatory registration of an account on the site. Not to mention the limited number of payment gateways and delivery options, which is quite often very expensive.

Here are some common problems encountered during the discovery phase:

• Awareness: lack of well-targeted, relevant advertising that connects consumers to new brands, products, services or store locations.
• Information gaps: lack of product ratings and reviews to help people make informed purchasing decisions.
• Technological optimization: ads that lead to poor landing page quality, long loading times and content that is not optimized for mobile devices.

Typical problems that occur at the stage of ransaction finalization (Purchase):

• Availability: no products in stock and no information on which store locations have them available.
• Buying: unclear shipping costs, too many clicks to get to checkout, or no option to buy online and pick up in store.
• Payment: a method of completing transactions that is not optimized for mobile devices, limited payment options, and delays or errors in transactions.

Typical challenges of the post sales stage (Post Purchase):

• Implementation: slow delivery, poor order tracking and disappointing product quality.
• Support: poor customer service, difficult return procedures, lack of feedback channels, and delayed or limited customer service.
• Re-purchase: no loyalty programs, no purchase history, no re-engagement plans, and no upgrade or sale options.

As you can see, the whole thing will not be managed only by ad campaigns in the Meta Ads account... And that's exactly the point! We need to get out of the siloed thinking that the paid social specialist's area of responsibility ends where the ad account interface no longer reaches. Quickly introducing open thinking along with studying the user path, simplifying it and clearly communicating recommendations for changes will be reflected in the results of your campaigns.

O these are some hard tips for collecting qualitative data that are definitely worth testing:

• Good old Lead Generation campaigns. Unfortunately, but the limitations I described above have had quite a negative impact on the quality of the Lead Gen ad target in the Meta Ads environment. Lead acquisition costs have risen sharply in almost every industry, and the quality of leads delivered has dropped dramatically. On the other hand, in the summer of 2022 Meta announced a road-map of activities to improve both the quality of conversions and leads delivered. One of the stops was to clean up the interest pool and add some new ones related to B2B marketing. After some testing with my team, I can say that the trend in terms of the quality of acquired data is positive. But it is not yet at 2020 levels.

• Campaigns targeting Messenger or Whatsapp. Such campaigns are worth combining with a chatbot, which you are able to design on no-code platforms, for free. A well-thought-out and automated path takes the hassle out of communicating with multiple users at once, and the auto-fill function (as with lead generation campaigns) makes it easy to share valuable data with the advertiser.

• Instant Experience advertising format. In my opinion, this is a highly underrated format in Eastern Europe. This is probably due to the fact that it only shows up on mobile devices, and it is quite powerful. With IE, you can design a mini landing page that opens within the Facebook app. This format allows both video and catalog product creatives. At the end of the day, it can be a lead form.

In conclusion, we should pay close attention to the growing trend of awareness about data privacy. If you care about receiving quality data from the side of the advertising platform - don't limit yourself to only campaigns with a conversion goal.

Use smarts, tiger instinct and look at digital marketing broadly. Study user paths, check the technical readiness of the landing page, think about simplification along the funnel. So that you focus on 3 stages. These are the ones that will give you first of all not quantitative but qualitative data.

PS. If the issue about funnels seems too complicated for you or you want to elaborate a bit more on the topic, I invite you to my Facebook Ads PRO training. I'll walk you through the issues of marketing models, user paths, site traffic maps and how to approach and understand funnels. Learn more here.Have additional questions about digital efforts? I invite you to join the conversation On my LinkedIn profile.