Tagged for Success - Tag Digital’s Newsletter - #3

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Tagged for Success, keeping you up to date with the latest in the event industry and updates across all paid marketing channels.

What can you expect in today's newsletter?

• Google Consent Mode – How will this impact your paid advertising?
• Google's Demand Gen – Uncover the potential with YouTube Shorts
• Does Short-Form Video belong on LinkedIn? Everything you need to know about LinkedIn's latest test of a dedicated tab for short-form video content...
• LinkedIn's Introduction of Predictive Audiences – Find out more about the replacement for Lookalike Audiences
• The Benefits of Emotional Triggers and Storytelling in Event Marketing – How to use storytelling to build an emotional connection with your audience

⛔ Google Consent Mode v2 ⛔

In our first newsletter, we shared that Google Consent Mode v2 will be made mandatory by March 2024 to continue target users in the EEA/EU/UK region.

This is an innovative approach for websites and advertisers to manage digital consent, ensuring user privacy is respected.

The deadline has passed, but why is this so important for event professionals running paid advertising campaigns that target EU countries?

If you don't have the latest consent mode implemented in your Google Ads, this will impact your campaign performance.

You won't be able to collect data for remarketing campaigns – this means you can't gather information on people who have previously visited your website.

What do you need to do now?

We would advise your website developer looks into implementing Google Consent Mode v2 as soon as possible to ensure optimised Google Ads performance.

Kristie C. has shared a blog with everything you need to know about Google Consent Mode, including 3 ways to check if it is set up correctly.

Alternatively, if you need any support with consent mode, our team is here to help.

🚀 Demand Gen Campaigns on Google 🚀

Demand Gen was introduced in 2023 by Google, an ad format that utilises your top-performing image and video assets. The ads are streamed across the most visual platforms, including Gmail, YouTube, YouTube Shorts, and Discover.

It is not commonly known that you can access YouTube Shorts with Demand Gen campaigns. You don't want to miss out on reaching this audience, there are over 50 billion global daily views on YouTube Shorts.

Demand Gen's priority is to generate interest, build brand awareness, and capture leads over generating conversions. 

Demand Gen campaigns are ideal for advertisers who want to serve visually-appealing, multi-format ads on Google’s most impactful surfaces available to any advertiser. (Source: Google)

YouTube is 2X more likely than any other video services and social media platforms to be used for researching products and brands, and viewers rated YouTube ads significantly (16%) more trustworthy, credible and honest than ads on other video and social media platforms.

What are the benefits of Demand Gen?

• Expanded Impact – Access to YouTube & Google's most immersive, visual touch points, you can reach up to 3 billion users.
• Tailored Ad Experiences – Audience-first creatives that drive demand. In just a few clicks and the help of Google AI, your most immersive, visual creatives will be served to the most relevant potential customers
• AI-Powered Bidding & Measurement – Fuel the marketing funnel and measure the impact. Optimise across the full funnel with 'max clicks bidding' to drive consideration goals like site visits.

🤳 New LinkedIn Video Feed 🤳

You may have seen a new tab on LinkedIn, similar to what you would expect to see on other social platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

LinkedIn are doing a limited test with a dedicated video tab directing users to a vertical, full-screen feed of short-form videos that they can scroll on the app.

The format follows other short-form video experiences, users can comment like, comment on, and share a video, as well as view the full post caption via ‘See More.’

This isn't the first time LinkedIn have tested features that you would know from other social platforms – previously, they added Stories, but discontinued this as it didn't resonate with the platform and their users.

Video-first creators will welcome this as another platform to share content on, however, other users may worry that this will change the dynamic of LinkedIn.

The LinkedIn feed can be overwhelming with the amount of content going out every day – this introduction to video could help break through this noise and utilise storytelling to build an emotional connection with your audience.

Video ads excel at telling a story and educating users about your brand and event, the focus on video would allow you to tell an authentic story.

We want to know what you think...Do you think this style of video will work well on LinkedIn? Let us know in the comments 👇

🎯 The Introduction of Predictive Audiences on LinkedIn 🎯

LinkedIn has announced an important change in its advertising tools with the retirement of LinkedIn Lookalikes and the introduction of Predictive Audiences.

In our first newsletter, we shared that LinkedIn were sunsetting Lookalike audiences, they have officially been replaced with Predictive audiences.

Lookalike Audiences allowed you to reach new users similar to your existing customers, it has been replaced by a more up-to-date, AI-driven approach.

Using advanced machine learning algorithms to analyse data, including user behaviour and engagement, to accurately predict who will most likely convert.

In response to data privacy regulations and the evolving digital landscape, platforms like LinkedIn and Meta are innovating to maintain effective targeting.

The shift from to Predictive Audiences on LinkedIn, and the introduction of Meta’s Advantage+ campaigns, are prime examples of this adaptation.

The use of advanced AI allows you to navigate the loss of third-party cookies, to ensure advertisers can still reach their ideal customers with precision.

Best Practices for Predictive Audiences:

• Know Your Audience: A deep understanding of your current customers or attendees is crucial. High-quality, first-party data from your CRM or event sign-ups provides a solid foundation for Predictive Audiences.
• Define Clear Goals: Aligning your predictive audience with your campaign’s objectives is key, whether that's maximising registrations, promoting awareness, or driving engagement.
• Quality Over Quantity: Ensure your data sources are accurate and up-to-date. A curated data list will enhance the AI’s ability to find relevant matches.

📣 Emotional Triggers and Storytelling in Event Marketing 📣

In the bustling realm of event marketing, the ability to forge an emotional connection with your audience is not just a nice-to-have; it’s an imperative.

With the saturation of markets and the ever-growing competition, standing out requires more than just a well-organised event.

It demands a strategy that touches the heart and stays in the mind: the powerful duo of emotional triggers and storytelling.

It’s a common oversight, especially in business-to-business (B2B) marketing, to undervalue the impact of emotional connections and storytelling.

This gap in strategy overlooks a fundamental truth: regardless of the context, we are all inherently human, driven by emotions and drawn to stories.

Embracing this within your event marketing campaigns can be transformative.

The Benefits of Storytelling:

• At its core, storytelling in marketing is about crafting narratives that resonate on a personal level, making your brand not just seen but felt.
• It transforms your brand from a mere participant in the market to a relatable entity with which your audience can connect on a deeper level.

Platforms like TikTok offer a unique opportunity to showcase your brand’s authenticity and engage with storytelling in a dynamic way.

TikTok encourages brands to embrace creativity, engage with trends, and get involved in content creation for their paid ads.

If you want to find out more about how you can apply this to your marketing strategy, read our full blog by Stephanie Bruce , Senior Marketing Manager.

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