Facebook Ads: Are You Allocating As Much As Google AdWords?

Are you allocating a similar marketing budget on Facebook Ads as Google AdWords? Here’s how I look at it, at a high level… As of today, Alphabet (the parent company behind Google) has a market capitalization is $678.9 billion. Facebook’s market cap is $440.9 billion. $440.9 billion / $678.9 billion implies that Facebook is about 64.5% the size of Alphabet. Given Facebook’s size and scale, it’s perfectly reasonable to allocate 64.5% as much money on Facebook Ads. So, if you’re spending $100,000/month on AdWords, you may want to consider spending $64,500 on Facebook Ads.

This allocation is far from reality for many digital marketers. Why? A lot of the digital marketing leaders (myself included) grew up on Google AdWords. AdWords is ingrained in our minds. We know it, it works really well, and that’s where we have historically prioritized our budgets. And, AdWords is bottom-of-funnel so it’s easier to measure success from an attribution standpoint.

That being said, things have evolved. These days, I’m the greatest fan of Facebook around, and am constantly discovering new ways to drive success on this incredible platform. On the fun side of things, I have over 100,000 fans on my PPC Ian Facebook Fan Page. On the business / professional side of things, I manage dozens of Facebook pages and advertising campaigns for our local stores, delivering hyper-local content on a daily basis. I have learned that top-of-funnel social media marketing (with appropriate tracking) drives impressive results when executed properly. And, it keeps getting better. Instagram, for example, is a complete game-changer for Facebook advertisers.

Today, I’m excited to share an eBook I recently read that provides incredible insights for anyone advertising on Facebook. I’m talking about Acquisio’s Guide to Facebook Advertising Success, a collaboration with Vector Media Group. Following are some of my favorite takeaways, broken down by section. Rather than elaborating upon each specific insight, I’m listing them here so you can quickly look for them once downloading the eBook.

Strategy #1: Talk to Your target Audience

Facebook offers over 970 targeting variables.
Via data partnerships, Facebook offers some truly unique targeting options.
When targeting on Facebook, don’t go too broad. Stay focused. A few hundred people is a great target audience, but don’t go lower.
While nearly impossible manually, scale with personalization is possible with Acquisio Social.

Strategy #2: Craft Creatives That Convert

Literally let users see themselves in your photos.
90% of accounts don’t leverage CTA (call-to-action). Don’t be one of them!
CTR (click-through-rate) is critical for your relevancy score (Facebook’s equivalent to Google’s quality score). Always focus on CTR.

Strategy #3: Test Your Way to Traffic

Get rid of ads that are not working so they don’t drag down your entire account.
Download the free eBook to learn all about view-through vs. click-through conversions, and exactly how much value Acquisio and Vector Media recommend giving view-throughs. (In my opinion, this is one of the single biggest elements in scaling your Facebook budget.)
Learn how Acquisio Social can empower your advertising campaign with multivariate testing.

Strategy #4: Data Driven Decision Making

Learn about Facebook and Google Analytics integration.
Leverage Facebook data to empower your Google AdWords advertising and vice versa. Learn how Facebook can help power Google RSLA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads). Uncover how Facebook Custom Audiences can scale with help from your Google data (one of my personal favorite Facebook targeting frameworks).

Strategy #5: Bid on What Matters

Learn about the differences between CPC and CPM bidding. Find out which one works better on Facebook. (In my opinion, this is another one of the greatest lessons in this eBook. I have discovered a similar result via years of testing. Pay attention to this section as bidding is super important and different on Facebook.)
Learn about the different placements and which one converts the best.

I really enjoyed this free eBook. One of my favorite quotes: "With the knowledge and techniques shared in this eBook, there is no reason Facebook should be getting less spend than AdWords, Bing or your other channels, unless you have an attribution model to prove it!" I could not agree more. Whether you’re behind on your Facebook Advertising program or are a Facebook pro, I’m sure you’ll learn quite a bit from Acquisio’s eBook.

If you’d like to learn a little bit more about the companies behind this publication, here are some quick insights:

Acquisio is a performance media solution that enables digital marketers to optimize their search campaigns and report on social, mobile and display initiatives. With a focus on cutting-edge machine learning algorithms and also leveling the playing field for all advertisers (small, medium, and large alike), Acquisio is truly a robust platform. More than anything, they are a team of incredible professionals. In fact, their CEO (and personal friend), is quite involved in Charity and Giving, something that resonates with me personally. Way to go, Acquisio and Marc Poirier!
Vector Media Group is an award-winning digital agency located in NYC. Their full-service agency specializes in web development, design & branding, and digital marketing. While I just learned about Vector via this eBook, I’m quite impressed with everything they are doing and the content they are sharing with marketers like you and me. Thanks, Vector!

Image in this post © Acquisio

Free Webinar: Top Digital Marketing Trends In 2017

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Jan 15 1

Digital marketing is moving rapidly and evolving faster than ever. That’s why it’s really important to take a holistic look at your 2017 strategy now, while the year is still young. As a digital marketing and business leader, it’s not enough to follow and adopt the latest strategies. You need to predict the future and invent those strategies that will transform your industry.

I try to brainstorm new business strategies every single week. Sometimes, I brainstorm while running. Other times, I brainstorm while reading. At times, ideas just come to me in my sleep. Frequently, great ideas come to me while collaborating with others. The collective intelligence in our industry is quite high! Today, I’m thrilled to share a collaborative brainstorming opportunity that could take your 2017 business strategy to the next level.

It just so happens that Acquisio is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at 1PM EDT covering the 2017 Digital Marketing + Local Landscape.

Acquisio is one of my favorite companies in the digital marketing industry, and one of the most impressive performance marketing platforms around. More than anything, their team is impressive. I know that Acquisio’s webinar will be impressive and offer new and exciting perspectives on the future. My advice when attending: Put your own spin on the ideas. Allow the collective intelligence of the webinar to shape new and unique strategies that apply to your business.

In Acquisio’s webinar, you’ll get to hear from their CEO, Marc Poirier, a personal friend of mine and thought leader in our industry.

Also, you’ll get to hear from several esteemed leaders in online marketing including Brad Geddes. Brad is a really impressive marketer, and I had the honor of meeting him a few years back when he moderated my SMX East panel.

Being free and only 45 minutes in length, I highly recommend taking out time from your busy day to enjoy Acquisio’s free webinar. I view this webinar as a high-leverage investment in yourself and your company. And, while we’re on the topic of 2017 predications, please make sure to check out my recent G5 interview to learn my very own 2017 predications. I wish you all the success in the world in 2017 and beyond!

Image of Acquisio webinar © Acquisio

Planning Your Digital Marketing Strategy For 2016

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Jan 25 0

Want to look really good while driving tremendous results for your organization? I highly encourage bringing new, innovative strategies to the table. While I still owe you all my personal 2016 goals, I’ll give you a preview: I’m challenging myself to think outside the box more than ever this year. I’m dedicating one day each week to brainstorming, reading, strategizing, and idea generation. As an example, I recently spent an entire day on My People and Networking Strategy.

Today, I want to share an incredible resource that is certain to take your 2016 digital marketing strategy to the next level. I’m talking about Acquisio’s 2016 Digital and Local Marketing Predictions. If you’ve been reading PPC Ian for a while, you know that I’m big on eBooks and whitepapers. Acquisio’s guide is precisely the type of thought leadership that I incorporate into my own brainstorming days each and every week. And, it’s published by one of my favorite digital marketing organizations of all time, the programmatic marketing solution that over 400 agencies trust on a daily basis.

Inside Acquisio’s free 2016 Digital and Local Marketing Predictions, you will find:

28 pages of thought-provoking insights.
14 expert opinions on what 2016 holds for digital and local marketing, each with a unique theme.
Insights from my personal friends Marc Poirier (CEO and Co-Founder of Acquisio) and Brad Geddes (Co-Founder of AdAlysis and moderated my SMX Panel).
Clever, innovative ideas that are sure to challenge your own digital marketing strategy. And, a few controversial themes.
The latest on audience targeting, my personal prediction for 2016 (more on this below).

So, you may be thinking, what’s my personal prediction for 2016? I see 2016 as the year of programmatic personalization. What does this mean?

Building upon my Engagement-Based Marketing Segmentation, I view 2016 as the year savvy digital marketers truly define their audiences, on a granular level. I see marketers doing this with audience management technologies (data management platforms, or DMPs).
I see marketers programmatically communicating with these audiences across all possible touch points (website, desktop, mobile, search, display, social, email, call center, TV, direct mail, more) in an incredibly consistent and personalized manner.
I see marketers crafting messages, story lines, and widgets that are adaptive and valuable.
I see this programmatic personalization system learning automatically (machine learning) and also manually (marketers improving the system based on insights).
Once companies have the fundamentals in place, audiences will becoming more and more segmented/granular.

Regarding my personal prediction, you can see that things get incredibly complex quickly. It’s all possible, however, with the right programmatic technologies, like Acquisio.

I wanted to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Acquisio for the amazing throught leadership. Now, a question for the you: What’s your 2016 marketing prediction? Make sure to write it down, and set the bar high!

Image in this post © Acquisio

An App A Week

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Oct 11 0

There’s a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and YouTube phenomenon named Tai Lopez. Have you heard of him? If you watch YouTube, I’m sure you have seen at least one of his pre-roll video advertisements. He’s in his garage with his Ferrari and also a multitude of books and bookcases. Tai encourages his listeners to expand their horizons by reading a book a day. He argues that reading brings knowledge and knowledge drives power. As someone who doesn’t read as much as he should (I spend my free time writing), Tai’s message struck home with me. He encouraged me to elevate my reading game, although I’m going to shoot for a book per week instead of per day. Thanks for the motivation, Tai!

Today, I want to do my version of Tai’s message, specifically for digital marketing professionals. I want to encourage everyone reading to install and explore at least one new app every single week. Mobile is at the forefront of everything we do. The better you understand the latest in mobile apps, the quicker you will grow.

In my opinion, the best employees are those that spend some time learning and experimenting during their off-hours. Look how competitive the advertising landscape has become these days. Even with budgets in the millions, you have to be one of the best marketers around to really win the game. It’s even more difficult being competitive when you’re on your own, have next to zero budget, and have no team. The scrappy moonlighter is forced to come up with the most innovative ideas ever, and this is precisely why you always need to be learning in your off-hours. This is when you will generate some of your best ideas, and make some of your greatest advances forward.

In your quest to learn a new app each week, I’m not talking about video games! I’m talking about real apps, those that can add value to your business or expand your horizons as a marketer and technologist. Pick popular apps and new apps. Pick social media apps and productivity apps. Even if you feel like you’re the last person on earth to try an app and you’re embarrassed you waited so long, just go for it! (I was in this very situation with the app I just installed, Instagram.)

Don’t just install the app, but spend some serious time engaging and learning the app. Do your best to maximize the app, treating your personal account as if you are running a business. (Hopefully you are running a business. As long as your side business does not take away from your job and as long as you don’t spend too much time on it each week, the lessons you learn will truly propel your full-time employer and corporate career.)

This past week, I’m thrilled to say that I finally got on Instagram. While it’s honestly a little embarrassing to admit I waited so long, I’m also trying to illustrate a point here. While I probably should have learned Instagram a long time ago, better late than never. It’s not about where I was yesterday, but where I am today. I’m always learning. Just like reading a new book, learning a new app is an empowering and powerful experience.

Please make sure to connect with me on Instagram, and check out my photos. As you can see, I didn’t just install the app and forget it. I’m taking Instagram seriously and trying to maximize and learn everything I can about the platform. While I don’t expect every app I install to be so much fun, I found that Instagram is one of the most addictive social media platforms in existence. I also found that the community on Instagram is so willing to support one another.

What have I learned on Instagram in my first week? A whole lot. In fact, when my good friends at Acquisio offered me an opportunity to guest post, I decided to write an Instagram guide for newcomers, like myself. I highly recommend reading on and checking out my guide on How To Get Started On Instagram. Thanks, Acquisio, for the opportunity! (For those that don’t know, Acquisio is one of the most powerful performance marketing platforms around. They also happen to have a stellar blog, and I’m lucky to guest post from time-to-time.)

Image of Acquisio Blog © Acquisio

Advanced Strategies For Digital Marketing Job Seekers

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Sep 23 0

I’d like to share advanced tips on how you can land your next digital marketing job. Before we get into the tips, however, I’d like to share some background trends that directly affect the job market.

Background Trend 1: The Economy

We are certainly progressing in the economic cycle. We are almost 7-years into the economic upswing that started on January 1, 2009 when the S&P 500 bottomed at 797.87. Fast forward to September 23, 2015 and the S&P 500 is at 1,938.76, an increase of 143% from the low. (Data compliments of Yahoo! Finance.) Currently, the S&P 500 is hovering around all-time highs.

What does all of this mean? Investors are starting to get cautious. While the economy always marches forward, it’s not always in a uniform, straight line. That forward march is marked with peaks and troughs. As you get close to a peak (many think we are getting close now), investors tend to remain cautious. They tend to park cash on the sidelines in anticipation of uncertain times and potential future deals.

In my opinion, employers are a class of investors. Instead of investing in stocks, they invest in people, projects, and technology. Companies have a fixed investment budget, and that budget may be getting a little more cautious than it was a few years back. Of course, this does not apply to all situations, I’m speaking more in general. Also, it’s worth noting that this generalization is really difficult to apply to Silicon Valley tech scene that always seems to march onward and upward!

Background Trend 2: Our Profession

Digital marketing has matured as a career path. Back when I started in 2004, nobody had heard of digital marketing. It was the Wild West! I’ll never forget that it was nearly impossible to explain my job to others.

In the last 11+ years, a lot has happened. Our profession is the darling of job seekers everywhere. There are a lot of digital marketers out there. The talent pool is strong, and getting stronger every single day. I equate it to getting into Stanford. While it was incredibly, incredibly difficult getting into Stanford when I applied and attended, I’m sure it’s even more difficult now. The trend is towards more competition.

The Solution: Differentiate Yourself

Now, let’s say you’re in the market for a new digital marketing job. Are you going to let these trends frighten you? Are you going to give up? As someone who just started a new job a few months back, I personally encourage everyone reading to pursue your dreams. Your dream job may be your current one. Or, it may be something completely different!

How can you stand out in today’s dynamic job market? I just wrote an incredibly thorough guest blog post on this very topic over at the incomparable Acquisio blog! Please head on over and read my post on Ways To Stand Out In the Digital Marketing Job Market. I hope you enjoy the post!

Acquisio Summit: Don’t Miss Out

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Jul 12 0

In the world of digital marketing and business overall, I’m a tremendous fan of conferences. Conferences provide the ideal opportunity to network, meet new people, see new places, and learn new things. There happens to be an amazing conference just around the corner, the coolest of the summer: Acquisio Summit 2015.

If you’ve been reading PPC Ian for a while, you know that I’m a tremendous fan of Acquisio. Their co-founder and CEO, Marc Poirier, is one of the kindest and smartest people in the digital marketing industry. Acquisio offers an incredibly high-powered performance marketing solution, one that automates around 90 percent of the work so you have time to focus on the real strategy. In short, they are amazing, and a platform you absolutely must audition.

At the beautiful Hyatt Regency in Montreal, conference attendees have access to preferred room rates. With Acquisio Summit spanning Wednesday July 29 – Friday July 30, it ends just in time for you to enjoy a weekend of music at the world-famous Montreal Osheaga Music Festival.

Getting down to business, what can you expect to learn at Acquisio Summit?

The mobile and local PPC environment
Automated campaign management at scale
Bid and budget optimization
Acquisio’s open platform and partner ecosystem
New features and releases

Want to share the conference with your boss, and get approval to attend? Upon navigating the conference website, I was really impressed to see that Acquisio shares a helpful tutorial on How To Justify The Conference To Your Boss. Just remember to move quickly because the conference is just a few weeks away!

Need even more justification? It is my great pleasure to announce that Acquisio is extending a special 10% discount to PPC Ian readers. Simply enter the code "PPCIAN" and you will get 10% off your Acquisio Summit pass.

My Favorite Digital Marketing Career Tips

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Oct 19 0

I’m a huge fan of the digital marketing career path and have been truly lucky over the last ten-plus years. I’ve grown all the way from SEM Coordinator at a startup to Vice President, Customer Acquisition at a large, publicly-traded company. And, I’ve had the true honor of helping many others build long-lasting, thriving careers in digital marketing too.

Career Development

When my good friends at Acquisio offered me the opportunity to guest post on their amazing blog, I just had to write all about my top lessons learned from a career standpoint. Check it out: Digital Marketing Career Lessons Learned. In my guest post, I went all out! It’s a really long post, packed with tips. I’m always learning and growing. The tips in this post are those that are top-of-mind right now, and I hope they help in building your career.

While you’re over at Acquisio, I highly recommend subscribing to their blog and checking out their performance marketing platform. Their blog and technology are among the best in our industry.

Acquisio Gives Back To The Kids

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Sep 28 1

I’m a tremendous fan of the digital marketing career path. Those of us who work hard in digital marketing are able to build truly exciting and rewarding careers. I’m also a tremendous fan of giving back. When you have built a rewarding career, you’re in the driver’s seat to give back. Nicole and I recently participated in (and donated money to) the 20th Annual Lupus 5k, for example.

Today, I wanted to highlight a company that has truly gone above-and-beyond, Acquisio. Each year, my good friend Marc Poirier, Co-Founder and EVP of Business Development, participates in the Make-A-Wish Foundation 48-Hour Ride. This year, Marc personally raised $10,945. In total, Acquisio raised $37,702. Simply amazing!

I wanted to take a moment to congratulate Marc and the entire Acquisio team. They are true leaders in our industry from a technology standpoint, and also a generosity standpoint. Their hard work will truly make a difference for the kids. Do you have any team charity events planned? No matter how big or small, no matter whether you are donating money or your time, every little bit counts! And, it’s a great vehicle for team building!

If you’d like to contribute to Marc Poirier’s Make-A-Wish campaign, you can still do so! I was actually a little bit late this time, and my donation went through just fine. Please consider donating to Make-A-Wish, make a difference in a kid’s life today!

Make-A-Wish

Acquisio Bing Ads Promotion Ends Soon (7/31)

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Jul 27 0

I’m a huge fan of diversification. Whether we’re talking about investments, digital marketing, or life in general, it’s all about diversifying away risk. Are you newer to digital marketing? Do you allocate all of your digital marketing budget to Google AdWords? This is how most people start, and makes total sense. However, as your business grows (or even if you’re in a happy steady state and are looking to lower risk), you may want to consider branching out beyond Google. The best place to start, in my opinion: Bing Ads, the platform that powers Yahoo! and Bing.

Today, I want to feature a special promotion from my good friends at Acquisio, a leading performance marketing platform. I have been great friends with the Acquisio team for a number of years. They are amazing and offer one of the best digital marketing technologies around. Acquisio is leveraged by advanced marketing operations, and is the platform of choice for digital marketing agencies. Also, they offer client services from industry experts. Combining a solid technology platform plus seasoned digital marketing client services support is the winning combination for success in today’s complex online marketing landscape.

Like yours truly, Acquisio believes in the power of diversification. They are confident that Bing Ads is a great opportunity for digital marketers. In fact, they are so confident that they are offering up to $2,500 Bing Ads free advertising. Make sure to head on over to Acqusio to learn more and, if interested, move quickly. This particular opportunity ends July 31, 2014 at 11:59 PM EST.

Here’s why I’m such a fan of this particular promotion:

Bing Ads works! I have been a long-time advertiser on Bing Ads and its predecessors (such as Microsoft adCenter, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and Overture) since the early 2000s.
In many verticals, Bing Ads tends to be less competitive than Google. (True, search volume is lower on Bing Ads, however the lower level of competition makes it easy to drive high quality traffic to your business.)
Just like Google, Bing Ads offers world-class technology and support. They have a great desktop editor application, cutting-edge features, and a super support team (powered by Yahoo!).
Acquisio is an amazing technology platform and company. I have learned so much from them over the years (via their speaking at industry conferences, personal friendships, and their industry-leading whitepapers and eBooks). Aside from the free money, this is simply a great opportunity to work with very smart people in building your Bing strategy. The value you extract from this opportunity should far exceed the simple monetary benefit.
Have you been considering Acquisio as the platform of choice to power your digital marketing operations? This is a great time to audition their platform while taking advantage of a sweet deal.
Every dollar helps. I’m a very frugal digital marketer. I drive the best possible results with the lowest possible spend. I’m scrappy. I have found that the scrappy, frugal approach works wonders for any business. I very rarely pass by free money, and here’s your opportunity to get some free money. You have to spend money to get the free credit (check out Acquisio for more info on the details), but free money is free money. And, if you wanted to test Bing anyways, why not get free money and special support from an incredibly successful platform and client services team?
It’s all about testing and diversification. If you’re not on Bing Ads, you really should be, in my opinion. Leverage this opportunity to diversify your digital marketing mix.

Thanks, Acquisio, for sharing such a special deal!

This promotion is being run by Acquisio. Restrictions may apply. Please make sure you check out Acquisio’s website (and contact them) to learn the full details.
Image in this post © Acquisio