Single Grain | Start Growing

Our event is live in 30 minutes! Come join us for a deep discussion with Eric and Jon

We're excited to host a fireside chat with Jon MacDonald, CEO of The Good Agency and author of Behind The Click. Jon and Eric will be diving into new innovations in the CRO space and classic psychology that drives CRO. They will discuss how to pair the two to create the most effective CRO strategies. More on the event below: https://lnkd.in/eD5ymEUJ

It has been a busy quarter here at Single Grain! We’ve welcomed 5 incredible new team members who are already bringing fresh perspectives to our work. Their innovative approaches and dedication to excellence are exactly what we look for in our growth-driven culture. But we’re not done growing yet! We’re on the lookout for more talented folks to join us, especially for these roles:   🛒 eCommerce Paid Media Manager 📊 Sr. Paid Media Manager 🔍 AD or Director of SEO and CRO Do you know someone who thrives on challenges, constantly seeks improvement, and isn’t afraid to think outside the box? We want to meet them! If this sounds like you, don’t hesitate – DM us or check our careers page: https://lnkd.in/gu-hd_8y

The key to SEO from our CEO, Eric Siu ✓ “Just be useful” It’s really that simple. #SEO #DigitalMarketing 

👨💻 CPC (cost per click) Trends 👨💻 📈 13% higher CPCs year over year on Google in Q1 of 2024 according to Search Engine Land.  💰 91% of industries saw increases in CPC on Google YOY.  📉 64% of industries saw decreases in CPC on Meta YoY. 🤑 Everywhere you look, you’ll see evidence that Google search ads are getting more and more expensive. There are a few factors that come into play leading to these increased costs:   🌐 ~60% of searches stay in the Google ecosystem according to SparkToro, so there’s less opportunity to have someone click to your site  💸 10% higher “floor prices” on Google according to the Department of Justice hearing 📱 More searches happening off Google on TikTok, Reddit, and other social sites means there’s increased competition for the searches made on Google 🥴 Broad keyword adoption allows more advertisers to match for each search made 🔎Does this mean you should switch to Meta for a cheaper cost per click and more traffic for less investment?? Not necessarily… 👀 We always recommend keeping a close eye on quality when running Meta ads since Meta’s AI can start finding people it believes are relevant to your business (but aren’t). Testing Meta ads and Meta’s AI is worth doing, but in a structured format, to ensure it’s providing you the quality you need to make sales. 🤔 So, while CPCs are lower on Meta, unless those clicks lead to a sale, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a worthwhile place to invest your marketing dollars. At Single Grain, we believe that there’s a healthy mix needed between social and search ads… and there’s always give and take with tracking a metric like CPC since it can impact your bottom line, but isn’t directly tied to it. Looking for ways to improve your marketing strategy? Work with us and we can help you find the best mix for your business: https://lnkd.in/eDYC8_xb

Let’s say you switch to a new agency for your Paid Media (such as Single Grain), and they introduce a new campaign structure for you in Google Ads (or Microsoft, or Meta). All of a sudden, performance starts to look a bit worse. 📉 What’s the first reaction you have? 😡😡😡😡😡 “This agency doesn’t know what they are doing.” Unfortunately, your ad account is being hit by the infamous “learning period” that all Google, Meta, and Microsoft algorithms have. What does this mean? Let’s break it down so it’s less of a “black box.” 🤔 What is a learning period? It’s the amount of time it takes for Google’s algrothium to learn WHAT you want it to do and to react to any changes you make in the account. Same goes for Meta and Microsoft. 🤷♂️ Is the learning period bad? Not necessarily. If you are implementing a new structure, trying to hit a new conversion action (such as moving from form fills to sales qualified leads), or if you introduce new ad copy, keywords, ads, or audiences, you will go into the learning period. AND that’s OK 👌 Once you cross out of the learning period, you will likely see improved performance (or else, why would you be making the change)? ⏳ How long is the learning period? This can vary depending on how long your path to conversion is. For some advertisers, it can be as little as 2 days, for others it may be as long as 2 months. On average, it tends to be around 1-2 weeks. 🙈 How can you avoid the learning period? It is unavoidable at times. However, you can mitigate it by trying to make changes gradually, no more than 10% at time. The platform will know what to with the 90% of your campaign you didn’t change and only have to relearn the 10%. Though, if you need a new structure, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and work through the learning period. Hopefully this helps alleviate some of the confusion around learning periods and provides you with some peace of mind the next time your paid media specialist mentions the “learning period” as a reason for volatility within your account you at least know what it is, about how long it will last, and what you can expect. Want to learn more about Paid Media? Check out the latest posts on our blog: https://lnkd.in/euUQBz7Y 

You just spent $10k on a YouTube ad campaign 🤑🤑 You earned over 50,000 bonus organic views on your YouTube channel… notched a total of 500,000 video views on your ad… 🎥 and gained 200 new subscribers. 🙌 So did the campaign work? Was it successful? 🤔🤔 Well - as with anything in marketing - that depends. 1. *Who* did your ad show to? Did you hit your target audience?  2. Do you have an increased volume of brand searches? 3. How much of the product featured in the campaign did you sell?  4. Did your other channels (organic search, organic social, paid brand, emails, SMS, Meta, etc) become more efficient?  5. Did your time to close shorten in your sales cycle? As you can see, there’s no one way to measure success, and it will vary from industry to industry and from business to business. So, if you’re unsure that your YouTube campaigns are boosting your products or brand appeal, reach out to our team and let our experts take a look: https://lnkd.in/eDYC8_xb #YouTubeAds #YouTube #PaidMedia #DigitalMarketing

Running social media ads can be expensive… and this year is predicted to be more expensive than most. According to eMarketer, the spending forecast for social media ads in particular is expected to increase by 13.5% compared to 2023. Video ad spend is expected to increase by 21.2% in 2024. Why? 1. Inflation: While inflation in the US has only increased by 3.3% in 2024, it is still a rising cost that impacts those buying media placements.  2. Social Search: There is a large increase in people using social platforms, such as TikTok or Instagram, as a search engine to find the best new restaurants, get product reviews, or find the coolest activities for their trip. This increase in social searching, up over 450% over the last year, has been met with an increase in content from brands large and small and a corresponding increase on prices for ads.  3. Political ad spend: It’s an election year in the United States which means that there’s a lot of money going into political ads - over 12 billion dollars. That means a higher cost per click to reach the same audience due to the increased competition. 4. Influencer Marketing Growth: The influencer market is bigger than it's ever been - with 44% of advertisers investing more in creator content in 2024. Again, this means that there will be more videos in the market, increased competition, and higher prices.   5. Generative AI: Generative AI is making it easier than ever for people to create videos. This ease means more competition, and we all know what that means - higher prices. So what can you do about it? 1. Test new platforms. TikTok, which was once seen as a young man’s game, is increasingly starting to have pockets of older audiences which, if you target appropriately, can help you unlock more affordable ways to reach your target audience. Same with other platforms such as Pinterest or YouTube Shorts. It’s worth testing the lift of new placements outside of Meta to see if you can help create a stronger funnel for your content for a lower, or at least equal, investment. 2. Post organic content. Post organically, tie into platform trends, and use hashtags. See what takes off and then use that to inform your paid media strategy.  3. Test creatives. Improve your efficiency with more creative testing. Test early and often.  4. Invest in the top of the funnel. No one can search for you if they don’t know who you are. Make sure you’re getting in front of the right people with prospecting campaigns who will later search for you by name. Unsure where to start? Read more on our blog about creating the best video content for your brand to unlock the efficiency you need to improve your social campaigns, even within an increasingly expensive market: https://lnkd.in/ei3MkstW

We're making sure the recent Google leak doesn't sink your SEO in our upcoming webinar 🚣♂️ As you know, Google's recent SEO leak turned the digital marketing world upside down. It confirmed some suspicions but also dropped a few bombshells that could completely change how you approach SEO. That's why our CEO Eric Siu ✓ is hosting an exclusive webinar to break down the leak, piece by piece, and share the actionable strategies you need to not just survive but thrive in this new SEO landscape. Here's what you can expect: - The Leak's Impact: We'll go beyond the headlines and uncover the real implications for your SEO efforts. - Ranking Factors That Move the Needle: Forget the guesswork – we'll reveal the elements Google is really prioritizing. - Content & Keywords, Reimagined: It's time to adapt your approach to align with Google's new playbook. - User Experience as a Ranking Powerhouse: we'll show you how to harness the power of engagement metrics to boost your rankings. You'll walk away with a clear roadmap to update your SEO strategy and stay ahead of the curve. And the best part? You'll have the chance to ask Eric your burning SEO questions during a live Q&A 🔥 Spots are limited, so register to secure your seat. https://lnkd.in/grFafT6c