Snapchat launched its first ad ever on October 17th for Universal’s movie, Ouija. The ad appears in recent updates and disappears after being viewed or within 24 hours. To see the ad, users press and hold the image, similar to viewing snaps from their friends. In their blog Snapchat seemed almost embarrassed and apologetic that they have started running ads "to make money”.“This is the first time we have done anything like this….it’s going to feel a little weird at first but we are taking the plunge.” Snapchat continued, "We want to see if we can deliver an experience that’s fun and informative, the way ads used to be, before they got creepy and targeted."At this point, Snapchat has so much inventory and choice in advertisers that they can easily run ads that are valuable to both advertisers and consumers. Personally, I think they need to watch what they say now, as they will most likely begin to target based on users’ behavior so they can maximize inventory. I do, however, like their interest in placing “content” in the form of ads in front of users. Marketers that focus on creating entertaining, relevant content that happens to also build brand will be the most successful in social media.Below is a sample of the ad -
Want more tips and tricks for how to dominate social this year with Data, Creative and Amplification? Download our 2016 Social Media Survival Guide.
This past Wednesday 10/22 I had the fortunate opportunity of attending the Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) Conference. Here’s a quick summary of the top 7 things that marketers can benefit from today.
Closing the LoopTwenty years ago Internet marketers made the promise that the web would close the marketing loop from ad exposure to purchase. Facebook continues to show its commitment to answering this question. By working with an advertiser’s loyalty database, Facebook can create two groups: one that sees ads and another one that does not. By matching the email address used in Facebook and the loyalty program, marketers can then measure how much one group purchased versus the other. Digital media has always provided obstacles to such a test as users have multiple browsers on multiple devices (computer, phone, and tablet) so it’s been impossible to obtain a clean test of a non-exposed group.Click and CTR Don't = SalesIt’s no surprise that clicks don’t equal sales but the most interesting thing I learned is that optimizing to clicks is actually detrimental to sales. Clickers are 10x more expensive than non-clickers and 90% of the buyers of a product do not click on ads. . Brands should optimize toward known online conversions and/or to “Reach" of a highly targeted audience. Agencies and brands need to drop their addiction to clicks.Custom Audiences RulesUsing "owned data" is proving to be the best source to generate results, i.e. targeting groups created from website visitors, newsletters, app users, and loyalty databases, etc. The more marketers can expand their “owned" media databases, the better. The conversion rates for owned media and look-alikes are significantly more effective providing faster and more efficient results. The creation of App Campaigns with social sign on is one of the best and quickest ways to increase owned data.Reach & FrequencyOnce you identify your best customers, run reach plays to target them and people who look like them. Facebook’s Reach Tools have proven to be very powerful in maximizing ad exposure to core audience targets and delivering results.VideoVideo continues to be a major priority for Facebook. Video views grew by more than 50% on Facebook from May through July, and since June there has been more than 1 Billion video views per day. The new auto play feature is now available across all videos in the U.S. and is dramatically increasing the length of view, most likely because people can see the video playing before clicking on it to start the audio. In creating videos, the first 3 seconds is critical as people decide very quickly on whether to watch a video or to keep scrolling through their newsfeed.MobileMobile is hot and getting hotter. 85% of the time on Facebook is spent on mobile and about 50% of its users only use Facebook on a mobile device which explains why 1 in every 5 minutes on mobile is spent on Facebook. 66% of Facebook’s total ad dollars is from mobile and its new Local Awareness Ad units should be a major hit for brick and mortar advertisers. There is also a current dichotomy of time spent in mobile vs. dollars allocated. 25% of our media time is in mobile but only 11% of our media dollars are spent there, i.e, mobile is highly efficient as supply outstrips demand.
Pillars of Facebook Remain the SameFacebook is known for frequently changing direction, so it was comforting to hear that their three core pillars are the same from last year and they plan to keep them constant for several years. Those pillars are People, Deep Engagement and Proven Results. The core competitive advantage is: People. In other words, target ads to people and not to cookies. Cookies are dying mainly because they do not work on mobile devices. Summary of Actionable Items
Want more tips and tricks for how to dominate social this year with Data, Creative and Amplification? Download our 2016 Social Media Survival Guide.
The most exciting news in social last week was Facebook's formal announcement of its Audience Network, which now allows all Facebook advertisers to extend their ads to mobile App's. Advertisers will also be able to take advantage of the targeting intelligence of Facebook to reach potential customers.Facebook has essentially created a mobile ad network to generate higher reach and increase revenues. Think Google AdSense, which brings Google's Search Intelligence to publishers, and made up 22% of Google's revenue in 1Q14.Here's a quote from one of Facebook's engineers, Tanya Chen,
“The Audience Network shows people the right ads by extending Facebook’s targeting to third-party apps,” Chen goes on. “This means the ads match the interests of people, just as they do on Facebook. It also means people are more likely to engage with the ads.”
Current ads that are available to run are:
And, the ads can run in 3 creative formats:
I think the core benefit to advertisers is that the Audience Network extends the reach of a target audience. In essence, target audience segments should now have a longer life span and won't burn out so quickly. In addition, executing a buy across the mobile app network is also easy as it uses the same ad specs as newsfeed ads.Want more tips and tricks for how to dominate social this year with Data, Creative and Amplification? Download our 2016 Social Media Survival Guide.
In the first part of this series, Kyle showed you his process of taking mouth-watering images of food. With a little bit of retouching, we can turn these images into strong content for the social space.
FILE MANAGEMENTEach photo shoot produces more than a thousand raw images, making strong file organization during image editing an important step. Properly naming files and saving to relevant folders makes finding images simple, even years later. I organize into client folders, and separate my working files by RAW, Working, and Final.
EDITINGThe first stage of my actual retouching is done in Camera Raw. This is where I focus on getting the general look of my image where I want it. I start with general edits, focusing on white balance and bringing out detail in highlights and shadows. With food photography, I’ll often add a bit of contrast and clarity, to help the food or drink pop more from the background. This is especially helpful if we have a variety of colors and tones blending in the backgrounds from the restaurant environment.Once my image looks close to what I want in Camera Raw, I’ll export a full resolution PSD and save to my “Working” folder for more detailed edits.
My final editing phase is combing through each image to remove any distractions. Often, there won’t be much left to do, but this last phase nicely rounds out our images as professional content for social. When photographing food, we’ll often have to clean up crumbs and flaws in the table, and clean up excessive condensation on drinks. Our goal is to keep the food looking natural, but presented in a clean and appetizing manner.Once I’m happy with how the image looks, I’m ready to export. We save one for web at 72ppi and another in high resolution in case they ever need to be printed.
CREATIVE FOR SOCIAL POSTSA lot of the photo work we do at Socialtyze is repurposed in multiple social environments. We often pair these images with text for promotions, quote cards, Twitter chats and social covers.It’s important to design for the right social space. For Facebook, keep timeline posts in a square format to avoid content being cropped or shrunk down in newsfeeds. Similarly, design Twitter posts at 1024x512. This will ensure all content is seen, even when users don’t open the image all the way. You can view our sizing guide for all platforms here.Keep social posts simple and clear. Remember that users are scrolling through an endless feed of content, so you’re fighting for their attention. We aim to keep text short and bold to draw this attention. Give it room to breathe in the negative space, and use colors that feel natural to the image.Also remember that many people are viewing your work on mobile phones. Before I send an image off for approval, I check that it’s still clear on my phone.If an image is used for advertising within Facebook, be sure to keep any text under 20%. To be sure, create a 5x5 grid over the image, and make sure all the text fits within 5 of those boxes.At this point, your fans will surely be craving all that mouth-watering food.Want more tips and tricks for how to dominate social this year with Data, Creative and Amplification? Download our 2016 Social Media Survival Guide.
Since the dawn of social media, the foodie, and foodie post has become a staple in everyone’s News Feed staple. The popular saying “You eat with your eyes,” is now truer than ever, and could even be reworded to “You eat with your Instagram.” #Foodporn has gone mainstream with over 36 million instances. These tantalizing images you see in your feeds also helps drive sales to the brands they represent, and it is for this reason that the brands, and their social photography is more valuable than ever.At Socialtyze we are lucky to partner with a handful of clients in the casual dining and QSR verticals. Developing social content for these brands means bringing their menu to life in a way that connects and drives engagement across all social networks. It also means scale - with multiple posts going out daily, a food brand can gobble up 300 images in 2 months. Meeting this demand requires dozens of photo shoots in a variety of challenging locations, and it also means making sure each shot has an impact. Using that experience, I created this guide to help you craft your own successful foodie posts.
All NaturalThe recipe for a successful food post changes with each client but there are a few techniques that consistently drive engagement. Diffused natural is the secret ingredient to getting food images to shine. Shooting under a canopy outdoors or in front of a window with a diffuser provides an interesting light for your food to shine.
Backlight SuccessWhile we’re at it - make sure the food is between you and the light. Keeping the white balance honed in on the foreground will make sure the food looks soft, balanced and will highlight all the subtle details that appear in the dish. The rim lighting created with this technique will also give your food an elegant frame and.
Double TakeWhen you’re shooting social content for a brand - it’s important to understand their execution. Often times the food shots we create are later edited to highlight a promotion for the restaurant. To prepare for that use case, I typically will shoot the dish twice; once filling the frame and again with a big frame crop (usually above 60%). I want to make sure the angle I have will hold up after the design team has began working their magic.
StagingShooting food affords a pretty cool flexibility that most photography doesn’t - anything can become a stage. I’ve used patio floors, window sills, podiums, park benches and other non-traditional spaces as photography spots. The tightness of the shot lets me focus on the food and transform the unconventional location into an interesting back drop. Experiment and try shooting in random locations - I think you’ll be surprised.
The LensOn the subject of tight shots - there’s only one lens I count on for my food photography. The Canon 100mm 2.8L Macro lens is my work horse for foodie clients. This lens allows me to operate within inches of the food and lets all the little details shine. The prime lens means crystal clear shots and the open aperture gives me the flexibility to add bokeh or give the image a unique depth of field. The creative flexibility and the utility of the short focal length make this the perfect food photography lens.
Camera SettingsSocial posts perform best when they are light and bright. In the camera that means as wide as possible without losing your dish. Most of the time I shoot in the f/5 to f/8 range. For top-down shots (pizza, pasta) or a tall dishes (hamburgers, sandwiches) I can shoot as wide as f/3.5 and the food will stay sharp. Complex entrees or multi shot dishes may require f/10 or higher.
Angle of AttackThere is not one perfect angle for shooting food. Different dishes have a complexity that warrants understanding and adapting to. Big dishes like pizza and flatbread look more interested when cropped in the lens. People are used to seeing an entire pizza from a higher distance, when you crop half the pizza out of the frame and get closer to the toppings, it becomes a more unique and enticing proposition. Burgers and beverages look great when you get low and shoot up, making them larger than life. With social content, the images are often smaller and square - use that to your advantage. Round items contrast well with the Instagram square. Facebook and Twitter cover photos are both very wide and short - framing for this unique proportion will ensure your images look great in their final destination.There is No RecipeWith food (and really all photography) - the best shots are the least expected. Move around, grab different angles, shoot in different places. There is no perfect recipe, but hopefully some of these techniques will be useful to you in your next shoot.Part II - EditingIn part two of this blog, Geoff Roseborough will show some tips on processing and editing images for the social space.Want more tips and tricks for how to dominate social this year with Data, Creative and Amplification? Download our 2016 Social Media Survival Guide.
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