Update: According to a recent article published by The Drum Google is scrapping the need to eliminate third-party cookies on Google Chrome. They are changing tactics that now includes “a one-time prompt that enables users to set preferences that will apply across Google browsing experiences.”

Here’s what Anthony Chavez, vice-president of Privacy Sandbox had to say “We are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice. Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time.”

Is Google’s Hand Caught In The Cookie Jar?

What date is it? What year is it? 2024, right? Well, Google needs to catch up. 

Way back in January 2020, Google announced its plans to eliminate all third-party cookies on its Chrome Browser “by 2022.” 

Then, in June 2021, Google announced that third-party cookies would be phased out from 2023 onwards.

Was that the end of it? Nope. In July 2022, Google once again declared that it would postpone the deprecation of Google Analytics cookies on Chrome — the worldwide web browsing market leader —  until the end of 2024. 

As of April 2024, Google’s cookie deprecation plans have been scuppered yet again. This time, they’ve kicked the can down the road, promising it will happen in early 2025.

In this post, we’ll discuss the status of the tech giant’s 3rd-party cookie deprecation and how to navigate the upcoming changes. 

Should You Accept Cookies?

It’s a daily occurrence—if not hourly—when an item, news article, or product hits your feed, the ubiquitous cookie consent banner pops up. To accept, or not to accept? That is the question.

That depends on your preferences for convenience, personalized web experiences, and how you feel about your privacy. Here are some considerations:

Convenience and Functionality: Cookies often enhance a website’s functionality by allowing it to remember your login details, preferences, and what’s in your shopping cart. Accepting cookies can provide a smoother and more customized browsing experience, reducing the need to re-enter information and helping websites operate efficiently.

Privacy Concerns: There are concerns that accepting cookies — especially third-party cookies — can compromise your privacy because it essentially allows sites to track your online activities. If privacy is a priority for you, you might opt to reject or limit cookies — especially third-party cookies — using browser settings or privacy-focused browser extensions.

On the other hand, Michael Sprague — CTO of GeistM — always clicks yes. He views a cookie as a crumb that allows a server to remember a browser, not a person. Originally invented to enhance browsing, Sprague posits that Google and a few other bad actors complicated things.

Sprague doesn’t view cookies as a violation of privacy.

“The mechanism is much like having — and appreciating — your deli guy remembering how you like your bagels. A violation of privacy enters the ring when this data is coordinated on a massive scale to triangulate your friendships and religions. The better rule would be to stop Google from passing information between its own customers so that Liberty Project (one of GeistM’s owned and operated publisher sites) visitors are announced as such when visiting Fox. Google enables that. Cookies don’t, unless intended.”

Why Are They Called Cookies? 

The word cookie sounds so cute, so yummy, so friendly. But in this context, how did it come about? It originates from an internet browsing term that programmers use — a magic cookie. Cookies were devised very early on to establish some continuity between a site and a browser. It describes a piece of data sent by a website and stored on the user’s computer. 

This data is exchanged between the web server and the browser to maintain information about the user’s interactions with the website, allowing the server to identify and track the user.

What Are Third-Party Cookies? And Why Should They Be Eliminated?

Third-party cookies are small pieces of data stored on your browser by a website other than the one you’re currently visiting. They’re typically used by advertisers to track your online activities across a number of websites. 

Say you visit a news site that features ads served by an advertising network; that network can place a cookie in your browser. When you hit another website using the same network, the cookie can be used to analyze the continuity of your browsing behavior. 

According to GeistM’s CTO Michael Sprague, although it’s commonly thought that cookies often track users across the web without their knowledge or consent, this is a false fear that Google “knows” and exploits. Cookies don’t have this capacity.

Please remember, privacy matters. If your personal records are owned by an institution you don’t trust or might transfer to an institution you don’t trust, things can go very wrong. This tension between identity and privacy has been going on forever, and it really underscores the looming cookie crisis. 

Again, Google and the industry are pushing to eliminate third-party cookies in order to give users more control over their data and reduce the risk of privacy breaches. 

Sprague posits that this is a ruse.

“Your privacy is gone the moment you connect to the internet with an IP address that locates your home. It’s hard for most people to hide that. You order a package delivered to your door, yet the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — the toughest privacy and security law in the world — requires we forget where we sent the message.”

In response to such privacy concerns, major browser developers like Google and Mozilla are phasing out third-party cookies. This shift aims to create a more privacy-focused web environment, where users have greater control over their personal information. 

This change ignites the development of new, privacy-preserving technologies for online advertising and user data management.

What’s Going On With Google Chrome’s Third-Party Cookie Deprecation?

Google has continually delayed the deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome, with the latest date set for early 2025. The timeline keeps getting put off due to industry feedback and regulatory concerns. Ad tech companies and publishers — along with Regulatory bodies like the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as well as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) — have significant concerns that Google’s Privacy Sandbox could give Google Ads a competitive edge. This has prompted Google to work closely with these regulators to ensure their new privacy measures do not unfairly advantage their own services.

This delay highlights the industry’s unpreparedness for the removal of tracking cookies in the world’s most popular browser.

Google recently posted,

“We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators, and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem. It’s also critical that the CMA has sufficient time to review all evidence, including results from industry tests, which the CMA has asked market participants to provide by the end of June. Given both of these significant considerations, we will not complete third-party cookie deprecation during the second half of Q4.”

What Is The Privacy Sandbox?

Google’s Privacy Sandbox aims to replace third-party cookies with greater privacy-preserving technologies while continuing to support online advertising, rather than tracking individual users across websites. The Privacy Sandbox uses techniques like cohort-based targeting, where users with similar interests are batched together. A core component is Topics API, which identifies broad topics of interest based on a user’s browsing history and shares this information with advertisers without revealing individual user details.Privacy Sandbox aims to balance the need for stronger privacy protections, ensuring that users’ personal information remains secure and advertisers can still reach relevant audiences.

How To Prepare For Third-Party Cookie Restrictions

During Google’s testing period, it’s critical for sites and services to start preparing for third-party cookie restrictions, including migrating to more private alternatives.

Subject to addressing any remaining competition concerns of the UK’s CMA, Google envisions proceeding with third-party cookie deprecation in early 2025.

Steps to prepare for third-party cookie phaseout:

Understand third-party cookie phaseout: Learn about the timeline and actions needed to preserve your site’s functionalities.

Audit your use of cookies: Review and list the cookies you need to take action on to ensure they function properly.

Test for breakage: Set up Chrome to block third-party cookies, enable new functionalities and mitigations, and simulate the state post-phaseout.

Privacy is extremely important. When your records fall into the wrong hands, it can be perilous. Ask anyone who’s had their bank card hacked while on vacation in rural Italy.

What’s wrong is that Google has your name, address, family affiliations, and entire browsing history. A company like GeistM only knows that you are somewhere in Kansas shopping for mattresses or signing up for a meal kit. 

Cookies are not the only tool for tracking a journey through the Internet. Partnering with our clients and publishers also enables us to create our own first-party relationships. The option to opt out of cookie tracking has always been there. Perhaps Google’s 3-party cookie deprecation is merely a much-ado about cookies.

Get in touch and grow your business with GeistM today.

Written By: Honor Molloy

In the twenty-first century, the avenues for digital marketing are endless, with methods like email, social media, SEO, OTT, and countless others emerging regularly. These techniques allow businesses to reach and engage with their target audiences in more personalized and innovative ways than ever before.

But which form of marketing remains as crucial today as it has for centuries? Word-of-mouth, commonly referred to as Third-Party Endorsements or Third-Party Validation today.

“Third-party endorsement is defined as solicited or unsolicited recommendation from an entity or individual who is neither manufacturer nor seller of the product/service.”

– MBA Skool

4 Reasons why Third-Party Endorsements are Important for your Brand

1. Establishing Trust 

In the era of information overload, earning trust has become increasingly challenging for brands, with consumers growing increasingly skeptical. This is where third-party endorsements come into play, serving as credibility in a sea of promotional noise. When consumers see endorsements from reputable sources, whether it’s industry experts, influencers, or established publications, they are more inclined to believe in the endorsed brand.

2. Increasing Brand Authority 

Where brands are constantly competing for consumers attention, third-party endorsements help to amplify brand visibility and establish authority within your industry. When your brand is featured on reputable platforms, it gains instant credibility and recognition, elevating its status in the eyes of consumers.

“When an unaffiliated or third-party expert talks positively about your brand, it can be an instant credibility booster that takes out of the equation you simply boasting about your own product.” –  Entrepreneur

3. Building Brand Loyalty

Nowadays, consumers seek meaningful connections with the brands they choose to support. When consumers see their favorite influencers or trusted publications endorsing your brand, they feel a sense of affiliation, strengthening their loyalty over time.

4. Creating Social Proof

Third-party endorsements serve as social proof, reassuring consumers that they are making informed choices supported by the experiences and opinions of others. Whether through customer testimonials, influencer collaborations, or media features, these endorsements help overcome consumer skepticism.

“Third-party validation that provides ‘social proof’ that we are not only relevant but also experts in what we claim to do for our target markets. Bottom line: Establishing and continually increasing credibility is essential for nearly every professional and business owner today.”

– Forbes

Read Our Blog On The Power Of Brand Awareness 

How to Leverage Third-Party Validation for Your Brand with GeistM

GeistM employs a multifaceted strategy to develop third-party endorsements for your brand. By owning a variety of publisher sites, including subdomains and related profiles  across social media. We leverage our extensive in-house network to create compelling campaigns with content crafted by our team. This ensures that your brand is showcased across a variety of platforms with high-quality, engaging content. 

Additionally, GeistM collaborates with a wide network of external publishers and UGC creators, allowing our clients the opportunity to widen the reach of these endorsements further. Our expertise in the Native Network space is also incredibly useful to expand the impact of the non-branded, third-party content we create.

This comprehensive approach allows GeistM to provide an unparalleled level of exposure and credibility, helping your brand connect with a broader audience through trusted third-party perspectives.

GeistM: A Testament to the Power of Third-Party Validation

By leveraging our extensive network of publishers and industry experts, GeistM facilitates third-party endorsements that resonate with diverse audiences, increasing brand credibility and driving conversions. 

Whether coming from an industry expert or a peer, GeistM’s team of editors and creatives meticulously craft non-branded, third-party content to endorse your brand in the most impactful way. 

In conclusion, third-party endorsements are an indispensable asset to modern marketers, offering a means of building trust, amplifying authority, fostering emotional connections, and overcoming skepticism. 

Want to know how we can help your business with third-party validation? Contact us today to learn more.

Written by Emma McHugh

In today’s fast-paced marketing landscape, utilizing a complex network of strategies and tools is necessary to foster the loyalty of a diverse array of audiences. 

Marketers must continuously innovate and adapt to stay relevant in this ever-changing scene, employing creativity and analytical precision. As a result, marketing strategies are becoming more personalized, aiming to meet each audience segment’s unique demands and preferences.

Digital marketing and performance marketing stand at the forefront of this revolution, each playing a crucial role in the narrative of modern advertising.

What Is Digital Marketing?

“Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use digital channels, such as social media marketing, content marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO). It’s a symphony of strategies, creativity, and technological prowess orchestrated to create a harmonious connection between brands and their target audience.” 

–Medium

What Is Performance Marketing?

“Performance marketing widely centers around lead generation and conversion. Banner (Display) ads, native advertising, content marketing, social media, and search engine marketing (SEM) are channels of Performance Marketing… To be more particular, it is ‘results-based’ marketing to achieve specific key performance indicators (KPIs) while maximizing return on investment (ROI) and propelling business growth.” 

–Medium 

Performance marketing works very closely with digital marketing. They are intertwined, and you need both to have a successful campaign. Performance marketing is excellent at driving conversions and sales, while digital marketing gets you more brand loyalty and customers that’ll stick with you. Ultimately, amalgamating both can help you succeed. 

It’s difficult for any company to achieve this balance independently, so we recommend partnering with an agency like GeistM to maximize your ROI. 

Who Are We?

GeistM is a leading performance marketing agency that specializes in in-house content and UGC creation for some of the world’s most notable brands.

Our full-service approach allows us to profitably acquire new customers for our clients by creating assets, managing campaigns, and leveraging content data to showcase your brand’s product offerings from a third-party perspective. 

What Makes Us Stand Out?

In-House Content And Creative Team

We couldn’t call ourselves a leading performance marketing team without having a dedicated, in-house content and creative team. Our content and creative team develops UGC-style content, from videos, static images, and articles, that can reach an audience your branded content generally wouldn’t. These teams work together to ensure that your customers know all the benefits of your product even before they reach the landing page. 

Read our UGC vs Influencers Blog to learn more about User Generated Content.

Third-Party Endorsements

At GeistM, we have a network of over 100 publishers  — including several owned and operated websites — that can host our content. This allows us to educate our users on our clients through a third-party perspective, adding an extra level of trust that your branded social handles and landing pages cannot achieve. 

Network Testing

Our team has vast experience testing a wide range of networks. We believe that adding more networks to your marketing mix will help you reach a wider audience. We have formed relationships with representatives from many different networks, so we always know what’s new and what can be tested. From social networks to native networks, we know how to exceed our clients’ goals, and the results from our campaigns speak for themselves.

Within the paid social realm, we test a variety of platforms, such as Meta, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Nextdoor, and more. We conduct this approach strategically to set our clients up for success. 

We leverage our media spend and partner mix to unlock lower rates and offer testing opportunities you wouldn’t consider. At GeistM, we manage everything for our clients on these networks straight from kick-off, with daily reporting, constant communication, and detailed insights—you won’t have to worry about anything; leave everything to us. 

Read our Why More Networks Equal More Stability Blog to learn more about different networks.

Search Engine Marketing 

No marketing strategy is complete without search engine marketing. That’s why it’s one of GeistM’s core offerings. We take the time to understand your business, research your competitors, and analyze all the data necessary to ensure we help you achieve your goals. 

We use the SKAG strategy (Single Keyword Ad Group) to ensure that each of our keywords captures the highest relevance. Through constant testing, competitor research, and bid management, we are able to leverage high-quality scores to maintain an efficient CPA and acquire new customer growth. 

Read our Why You Should Be Leveraging Google Discovery Blog

A Few Of Our Success Stories

We can give you all the ideas, but we need to prove that our strategies work as well. So here are just a few of our successes. If you want to know more, visit our case studies page. 

Lowering CPA 

CPA, or Cost Per Acquisition, is one of the most common conversation rate matrices in marketing. And each company wants a lower CPA — as low as possible. 

One of our clients wanted to increase conversion volume quarter over quarter while maintaining CPA efficiency to ensure profitable growth. We successfully scaled conversion volume by 16x while maintaining multiple active networks, achieving a CPA 21% below the goal. 

Want to learn more? Read the full case study here 

Incrementality And Acquiring New Customers

Acquiring new customers is essential for any business, but it’s hard to know where to put your marketing spend. The best way to analyze your budgets and make sure you’re spending your money effectively is through incrementality.

We were asked to help a client determine where best to allocate spending. We tested the content funnel across different Facebook placements for three months and discovered Geist’s efforts alone drove an average incrementality rate of 93.6%. 

Learn more: Reading the full case study here

Cultivating Life Time Value (LTV) Customers 

Content is always the basis of brand authenticity, and that’s what we do best here at GeistM. 

So, after noticing customers canceling after the first shipment, a health & wellness client asked for content specifically designed to help with LTV. Our in-house content team created two content pieces that helped educate and alleviate a lot of skepticism about the project. After 8 months, the same month one customers reordered with a 25% retention rate.

Interested to know more? Read our full case study here

Elevating ROAS

ROAS, or Return On Ad Spend, is one of the fundamental KPIs of marketing, and it’s one of the best ways to judge the success of your campaign. 

A US-based vacation rental client approached us looking to achieve profitable ROAS growth. They struggled to maintain CPAs (Cost Per Acquisition) below $120 on Meta. Using GeistM’s performance marketing strategies, we spent $922,894 and drove 9632 new customers for an average CPA of $95 and ROAS of 2.85, which decreased 20.83% over an 18-month period. 

Learn More: Read our full case study here 

GeistM: The Ultimate Solution To All Your Marketing Needs 

Marketing is about trying and testing different approaches to find the right one that works for your brand. It can be hard to figure out what to test and how to test it. This is where GeistM can help. We can maximize your ROI by testing and helping you reach audiences you can’t reach yourself. 

Don’t try to figure it all out yourself. Performance marketing can be a challenge, so contact us today!

Written by: Nitanti Alur

In the competitive world of travel and tourism marketing, the stakes for effective strategies have never been higher. With consumers bombarded by countless options, the significance of performance marketing has skyrocketed.

So, what exactly do we mean by performance marketing? It’s marketing that focuses on a data-driven approach, allowing for precise audience targeting and budget efficiency. Basically, you only pay for the actual results you achieve. 

Wondering how you can improve your travel marketing efforts? Keep reading or jump to…

• Understanding Performance Marketing
• Key Performance Marketing Strategies 
• How To Implement A Performance Marketing Plan
• Measuring and Optimizing Performance: How GeistM Can Help
• GeistM Travel Client Case Studies

Understanding Performance Marketing

Performance marketing focuses on maximizing return on investment (ROI) by allocating budgets based on performance metrics and adapting campaigns swiftly. Most travel companies’ marketing campaigns will focus on results such as clicks, bookings, or inquiries. How effective a campaign is depends on your ability to measure and optimize performance in real time.

“Performance marketing works when advertisers connect with either agencies or publishers to design and place advertisements for their company on any number of performance marketing channels — social media, search engines, videos, embedded web content, and more. Instead of paying for an advertisement in the traditional way, these advertisers pay based on how well their ad performs, by measuring number of clicks, impressions, shares, or sales.”

– Simple Learn

Key Performance Marketing Strategies for Travel and Tourism Companies include:

• Paid Advertising: Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns on search engines and social media platforms allow travel companies to target specific demographics, capitalize on high-intent users, and achieve immediate visibility in competitive markets.
  
  
• Content Marketing: By crafting compelling articles, videos, and static content that inspires, informs, and entertains audiences. This can foster brand loyalty and encourage user engagement, ultimately driving bookings and customer retention. According to Semetrical, content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing, and generates three times as many leads.
  
  
• Affiliate Marketing: Travel and tourism companies can collaborate with influencers, publishers, or other brands and agencies to expand their reach, tap into new audiences, and benefit from third-party endorsements.
  
  
• Email Marketing: Tailoring email campaigns allows travel businesses to nurture leads, build relationships, and drive conversions by addressing individual preferences and interests.
  
  
• SEO Strategies: Implementing search engine optimization (SEO) tactics empowers travel brands to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), attract organic traffic, and capitalize on current travel trends and consumer behaviors.
  
  
• Performance Marketing Agencies like GeistM: By utilizing our publisher network and our talented content and creative teams, we can create content that helps your company with third-party endorsements, rank higher on SERPs, capitalize on high-intent users through paid advertising, and more.

“While one merchant might decide only one area is appropriate for their performance marketing strategy, others might use multiple areas within the larger ‘performance marketing’ umbrella to fulfill their business goals.”

–Big Commerce

How to Implement a Performance Marketing Plan

1. Set clear goals and objectives

Before diving into a performance marketing strategy, it’s crucial to establish clear goals and objectives. Whether it’s boosting booking conversions or growing brand awareness, defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals sets the foundation for effective campaign planning and evaluation.

2. Choose the right channels for your target audience

Selecting the most appropriate channels for your target audience is essential. Depending on the demographics, interests, and online behaviors of your target audience, you may choose to leverage a mix of digital channels such as search engines, social media platforms, email marketing, and native networks. 

3. Budget for performance marketing campaigns

Allocating sufficient resources to your campaigns is necessary to reach your target audience, and achieve your desired outcomes. When budgeting for performance marketing campaigns, consider factors such as advertising costs, technology expenses, agency fees (if applicable), and potential return on investment (ROI).

4. Craft compelling offers and creative elements

Whether it’s a limited-time discount, a value-added package, or an exclusive perk, the success of campaigns often relies on crafting compelling offers to capture the attention and interest of potential travelers. Creative elements such as ad copy, visuals, and landing page design must be engaging and persuasive in order to drive engagement, bookings, and ultimately, revenue growth.

Measuring and Optimizing Performance: The GeistM Method

Tools and techniques for tracking performance

To effectively track performance, it’s crucial to utilize a robust set of tools and techniques across various marketing channels. Implementing tracking pixels, conversion tracking codes, and analytics platforms allows for real-time monitoring of campaign effectiveness and measurement of key performance indicators (KPIs).

From paid social and native advertising to search engine marketing (SEM) and connected TV (CTV), GeistM offers a comprehensive suite of tracking technologies and transparent reporting, providing clients with actionable insights into their marketing ROI and empowering them to optimize strategies for success.

Analyzing data to understand customer behavior

Analyzing data is essential for gaining consumer insights and managing campaigns efficiently. GeistM excels in data analysis. By leveraging sophisticated data analytics tools and techniques, GeistM’s Growth Team identifies high-value customer segments, optimizes audience targeting strategies, and makes data-driven decisions to maximize ROI for our clients.

A/B testing for continuous improvement

A/B testing (or split testing) involves experimenting with different ad creatives, messaging, landing page designs, and promotional offers to identify the most effective combinations. By measuring key metrics such as click-through rates (CTRs) and conversion rates (CORs), GeistM helps clients achieve their goals, whether it’s customer acquisition, return on ad spend (ROAS), or brand awareness.

Adapting strategies based on performance insights

Adapting strategies based on performance insights is crucial for staying competitive in the landscape of performance marketing. By closely monitoring campaign performance and KPIs, GeistM identifies trends, detects opportunities, and addresses challenges, allowing clients to achieve their business objectives and stay ahead of the competition.

“All good marketing starts with a plan, but all great marketers know how to change the plan when the time is right. Don’t let your marketing be held back by an inability to adapt.”

–Forbes

GeistM Travel Client Case Studies

A travel client came to GeistM looking for profitable ROAS growth. They needed help maintaining CPAs (Cost per acquisition) below $120 on Meta. Over the course of 18 months, GeistM employed various strategies, including content creation and targeted audience analysis, to achieve an average CPA of $95 and a ROAS of 2.85, significantly improving the client’s performance. Read the full case study here.

Conclusion

In the fast-paced world of travel and tourism marketing, mastering performance marketing strategies has never been more important.

From paid advertising to content marketing, affiliate marketing, email campaigns, and SEO tactics, a well-crafted performance marketing plan can drive bookings and customer engagement while optimizing budget efficiency. 

With the expertise of a performance agency like GeistM, you can unlock the full potential of performance marketing, leveraging data analysis, continuous optimization, and adaptive strategies to achieve unparalleled success. 

So, contact us today to learn more about how we can help your travel company’s ROI.

Written by: Emma McHugh

In today’s digital landscape, marketers are presented with a plethora of data that offers profound insights into campaign effectiveness. 

Data empowers us to fine-tune our strategies and drive our campaigns to new heights, so mastering the art of data interpretation is not just an advantage; it’s a necessity. 

There are several data points to consider within marketing campaigns, but ROAS is arguably one of the most important.  

According to Adjust, ROAS “shows the profit achieved for each advertising expense and can be measured both on a high level and on a more granular basis. 

Whether you want to measure ROAS for an entire marketing strategy or look at performance at the campaign, targeting, or ad level, it’s a key metric for measuring and determining strategic success.”

In this article, we explore how GeistM increased the ROAS for a long-term vacation rental client, and how we can help you achieve similar results. 

ROAS in Marketing Campaigns

Focussing on ROAS puts you in control and enables you to make informed decisions to optimize your campaigns for better results. 

The idea of a “good” ROAS can differ depending on the business, platform, and campaigns. However, according to the Influencer Marketing Hub, “most companies ideally want to achieve a 4:1 ratio, or generate $4 in revenue for every dollar spent on the campaign.”

GeistM Travel Client Case Study 

A US-based vacation rental client approached us looking for profitable ROAS growth. They had been struggling to maintain CPAs (Cost per acquisition) below $120 on Meta. 

As we already know, many factors can affect your business’s ROAS. At GeistM, we used many different marketing strategies to put this vacation rental client on the map. Our in-house content and creative team worked hand in hand to create engaging content that would encourage travelers to use this particular company. 

But our marketing strategy was more than just the basics; we did an in-depth analysis and tried various interest and geo-targeted audiences to find what worked best. 

Over an 18-month period, we spent $922,894 and drove 9632 new customers for an average CPA of $95 and ROAS of 2.85. This is a huge success compared to what the client had been achieving internally.

Why Choose GeistM?

GeistM excels at creating and maintaining a successful content marketing strategy. With the help of our growth, content, and creative experts, you’ll receive a full-funnel strategy designed to help your business achieve success. 

So, instead of wasting your budget trying to figure out why you aren’t reaching your ROAS goal, Contact GeistM today and find out how we can help.

Written by: Nitanti Alur

In today’s ever-changing tech world, artificial intelligence (AI) is a huge deal across many industries. People love the idea of quicker, more efficient processes and automated tasks, so businesses and marketers are jumping on the AI bandwagon.

However, as with any new and evolving technology, there are risks to consider. 

Although everyone‘s excited about AI, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of incorporating AI tools in your marketing. You don’t want to take an action that you might later regret.

In this post, we’ll discuss the seven biggest AI risks in digital marketing and how to avoid them. 

1. AI Can Have Legal and Ethical Concerns 

The integration of AI technology in digital marketing presents both legal and ethical concerns that mimic the growing pains of emerging technologies like digital advertising and social media. The problem is that it can take years for laws to catch up with the rapidly advancing tech world. 

So, the widespread use of AI in digital marketing might seem amazing now, but it may become tricky in the future. Such change in the status quo could potentially disrupt entire digital marketing firms. Just think about AI and its collection of sensitive information and the risk of unauthorized personal data dissemination.

AI is not programmed to ask for permission before collecting data. It ignores most users’ privacy policies of most users — and that’s just one example. 

2. AI Can Negatively Impact SEO 

A major downside to AI is a lack of SEO. Many businesses think they can replace writers and let AI ChatGPT draft successful copy for their online sites. 

However, when it comes to rankings, Google — and other search engines — prioritize excellent content, written for humans, by humans. While AI-generated articles may appear high-quality at first glance, the SEO algorithms view it otherwise, which can lead to lower rankings over time. 

SEO requires a lot of time, effort, and expertise to implement, and you definitely can’t rely on AI tools like ChatGPT to optimize your article for you. 

3. AI Produces A Robotic Tone That Fails To Connect With Readers 

Using AI for content creation is more complex than simply requesting it to write an article on a specific topic. Businesses must put in additional effort to organize and structure the content effectively. AI-generated content may fail to connect with your audience. 

The main reason is that it sounds robotic and lacks a distinctive tone or personality. This impersonal nature makes it difficult for the content to resonate on an emotional level with readers. 

Effective content marketing requires understanding the audience’s emotions and tailoring the message accordingly, which AI currently can’t achieve.

To do that, you’ll need a human writer who has the expertise to write engaging content that resonates with the right audience.

4. AI-generated Content Is Often Inaccurate

Another significant danger of AI is that it’s only as reliable as the data it’s been trained on. Since algorithms ravenously scrub and analyze existing content available online, there’s a risk of producing inaccurate or outdated material. 

ChatGPT recently displayed signs of laziness due to the lack of learnings from those using the tool and degradation in the prompts used. This alone proves that you cannot rely on the results that artificial intelligence provides you.

In terms of “facts,” AI-generated content often lacks proper citations, which can undermine a company’s credibility. Despite efforts to ensure accuracy, AI requires greater human insight for this critical task. As marketers, it’s imperative that the information we put out there is accurate, whether it’s for clients, demographics, or the broader public.

5. AI Can Display Negative Stereotypes

Researchers at USC examined two large AI databases and discovered that more than 38% of the data contained biases. 

Bloomberg’s analysis of more than 5,000 images created with Stable Diffusion is just as shocking: 

“The analysis found that image sets generated for every high-paying job were dominated by subjects with lighter skin tones, while subjects with were more commonly generated by prompts like “fast-food worker” and “social worker.”*

The prevalence of bias in AI has significant implications for marketers. Targeting ads that use platforms that exclude substantial portions of the population certainly undermines efforts to reach the broadest possible audience.

Beyond performance issues, there are more significant consequences if ads unfairly target or exclude specific groups. For instance, a real estate ad that discriminates against protected minorities could result in legal repercussions under the Fair Housing Act and scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission. This is a big red flag to watch out for! 

6. AI Content Is Highly Repetitive

When exploring AI technologies like ChatGPT, you may find that the responses it generates can be quite remarkable. They can be diverse, captivate, and even exhibit a semblance of human thought and behavior.

However, you’ll notice that after a while the content grows repetitive and even tired. Essentially, the same content gets reiterated with a similar tone. 

This is a primary concern for digital marketers, so it’s a significant drawback to adopting AI tools. 

7. Editing AI Content Is A Challenge 

Editing requires time and significant attention to detail. It can take strong content and make it exceptional. But your content won’t get there if you rely solely on AI writing tools. ChatGPT requires revision and edits, preferably by content experts. For example, at GeistM, each draft goes through thorough editing by experienced writers to ensure it lands and resonates with its target audience.

High-quality content requires thorough planning, research, understanding of the topic, clarifying the key message, adapting the tone to suit the brand and audience, and multiple rounds of editing and proofreading.

Although AI can assist in planning and structuring content, human input remains essential in crafting meaningful and engaging content. If you’re not a seasoned editor or copywriter, hastily reviewing and publishing AI-generated content can actually do your business more harm than good. 

Final Thoughts 

AI tools are smart pieces of technology. They can grab an astonishing amount of information from various sources and provide lightning-quick answers within moments. But human creativity and strategic thinking remain key to crafting effective marketing campaigns, and that’s something AI just can’t provide — yet. 

So, rather than risking your website authority with Google or burning money on weak marketing copy, let our human writers bring out the best in your marketing campaigns! 

If you’re truly serious about growing your business, get in touch with GeistM today.

Written by: Julia Steiner

^{*Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2023-generative-ai-bias/}

In the dynamic realm of marketing, staying ahead of the curve is not only a strategy but a necessity. Everything changes quickly; what might be a marketing-must one day is a complete no-no the next — in the blink of an eye.

This new era’s marketing landscape is constantly shifting due to many factors. It’s driven by technological advancements, shifting consumer behaviors, and global dynamics. Adaptation is the name of the game, and you must be prepared to pivot. 

Join us as we reveal what marketing trends we should bid farewell to and which ones we should greet with open arms. 

Are you ready to look deeper into 5 significant marketing trends — in our opinion — that’ll dominate 2024? Let’s dive in.

1. Out With Long-Form Video Content And In With Short-Form Video Content 

Over the last couple of years, it’s evident that video content has taken over and outperforms static images. In fact, 88% of marketers say video is integral to their marketing strategy. And 52% of companies say they create videos to educate their target audience about their products. 

Now that we know videos are a marketing essential, it’s time to figure out the ideal length. 75% of people watch short-form video content on their mobile, and most watch videos with closed captions. Although long-form videos offer in-depth analysis of products or services — which is really educational — they don’t hold people’s attention, especially in the age of TikTok. 

Short-form videos are meant to be around the 17-second mark. They’re designed to be easily digestible content nuggets, ideal for quick scrolling and viewing multiple pieces simultaneously. 

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 96% of consumers prefer to watch short-form videos when learning about a product or service. While close to a third (30%) of all short-form videos are watched 81% of the way through. So, if your marketing strategy has yet to start using short-form videos, now is definitely the time to start. 

2. Out With Traditional Advertising And In With Sponsored /Native Content 

With digital marketing strategies taking precedence over traditional marketing, techniques like direct mail and print ads are no longer beneficial. We’re not saying that these methods don’t work, they simply don’t resonate with younger generations — they are the future, after all. 

So, what are the alternative methods? Native or Sponsored marketing — both forms of paid advertising. Native ads seamlessly integrate a business ad into the user’s regular reading flow. In contrast, sponsored content is advertising tailored for a specific site or platform. It’s designed to reach a fresh audience, those who would have otherwise never heard about your brand. 

When it comes to traditional ads, you could talk with someone over the phone and gain information about a product or service. But there are better methods. We all hate getting a marketing call when we’re busy or mid-meeting. But sponsored ads provide the same information — or more. Plus, there’s the benefit of actually seeing how the product or service works. 

That’s why according to Hubspot, “more than a third (36%) of marketers plan to increase their investment in native advertising in 2024, and 56% plan to continue investing the same amount.” 

3. Out With Big Celebrities And In With Micro-Influencers 

We’ve all seen posts from our favorite celebrities featuring brands and products that they endorse, influencing us to purchase the product. So we know that the strategy of working with influencers is great for marketing — that’s why influencer marketing is extremely popular. 

Hubspot says, “When marketers collaborate with influencers and industry thought leaders in their industry, they can expand brand awareness and gain fans from the influencer’s own audience.” 

Micro-influencers generally have 10,000 to 100,000 followers, and according to Ad Week, Micro-influencers are “actually attracting much higher engagement and conversion rates than highly influential users.”

Although micro-influencers have fewer followers, they usually value their community and won’t peddle ineffective products to boost their revenue. They’re more open and honest about what they want to achieve from the partnership. And since their voice is more relatable and authentic —  a mom blogger will actually sign up for a diaper subscription in real life. 

This is why “of the marketers who worked with influencers and creators in 2023, 64% worked with micro-influencers, making them the most popular choice for influencer marketers.”

4. Out With Branded Photographs And In With UGC 

We all know how indispensable visual aspects are in marketing. Providing consumers with something to see helps them imagine the product and click the purchase button. This doesn’t have to be videos alone; it can also be still images. 

There are many different image styles, but overall, it comes down to Branded photographs, which are super staged and have impeccable lighting. Then, there’s UGC content, or user-generated content, which is much more genuine and natural. 

We go into detail about the differences between these two in a previous GeistM blog post. But ultimately, seeing real people using the product convinces buyers. According to Hootsuite, “60% of marketers agree that authenticity and quality are equally important elements of successful content. And no other content type is more authentic than UGC from your customers.”

UGC is important in the final stages of the marketing funnel because it makes users feel like their money is going to the right place. “Nearly 80% of people say that UGC impacts their decision to purchase, making user-generated content and social commerce a match made in heaven.” 

So, make sure that your marketing funnel has some UGC — you can even get a sample of the product you’re advertising and take the images or videos yourself. 

5. Out With DIY Marketing And In With GeistM 

Finding the optimal marketing strategy for your business can be tough. It requires a lot of testing and experimenting to figure out what can help your brand the most. It’s not just start-ups that are struggling to find the right strategy; even big brands can miss out on certain aspects that could have boosted their campaigns. 

Rather than trying to figure out a marketing strategy for yourself, put your trust in us, and we’ll do it for you. Here at GeistM, we can create a marketing strategy that’s completely customized to help you achieve your goals. 

We’re a marketing partner with owned and operated media sites. With our expert content team, we provide full-service direct-response content marketing. And our amazing in-house creative team work hand-in-hand to develop high-quality and engaging visuals to boost your brand. 

By choosin GeistM, we can identify the perfect marketing strategy for your brand, keep up with trends, and help your business grow. So contact us today!

Written by Nitanti Alur 

In today’s digital age, effective marketing strategies can make or break a business. With the vast online landscape and ever-evolving consumer behaviors, businesses must have proficient digital marketers on board. These skilled professionals possess unique abilities that enable them to successfully navigate the complexities of the digital world. 

With many corporations implementing digital marketing practices and hiring experts, let’s look at the top skills required:

1. Data Analysis and Insights

One of the fundamental skills is the ability to analyze data effectively. Digital marketing is highly data-driven, and understanding key metrics and insights can significantly impact a campaign’s success. 

An adept digital marketer can interpret data from various sources, such as website analytics, social media platforms, and advertising campaigns. By leveraging these insights, they make data-backed decisions, optimize campaigns, and identify new growth opportunities. This removes the guesswork in your marketing strategy and ensures that you generate optimal value from your marketing budget.

2. Strategic Thinking and Planning

Successful digital marketers possess strategic thinking and planning skills. They can develop a comprehensive strategy aligned with your business objectives. These professionals assess your target audience, competition, and industry trends and create roadmaps that maximize your online presence. 

A proficient marketer will consider factors like content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, email marketing, and paid advertising to develop a cohesive and effective marketing plan that drives conversions and pushes your business forward.

3. Writing & Editing

This just may be the most crucial element because content marketing is still king. Digital marketers need to understand how to source and write compelling content that makes for excellent blog posts. They also need to turn a weak piece of content into one that truly catches your audience’s attention. 

A great marketer has exceptional content creation and storytelling skills that captivate audiences and build brand awareness. They create relevant and convincing content tailored to different digital platforms and compose impactful messages that establish trust and build relationships.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 

Comprehending the intricacies of search engine optimization (SEO) is essential so your website and content rank higher in search engine results. Implementing effective SEO strategies can increase your website’s visibility, improve organic traffic, and generate valuable leads.

Digital marketing experts are skilled in keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and technical SEO aspects. They’re aware that Google’s algorithm is constantly changing, and that they need to look out for what’s trending to ensure your content reaches the ideal target audience.

5. Conversion Rate Optimization 

The goal of every marketing campaign is to drive traffic to a site and capture customers. Conversion rate optimization involves testing various web pages, content pieces, calls-to-action, ads, and more to see what converts the best. 

Digital marketers have to run intelligent A/B tests, gain data and make the necessary strategic adjustments to increase revenue per visitor, acquire customers, and continuously grow your business.

6. Graphic Design & Video 

Much of today’s marketing world is driven by visuals. Content across a variety of platforms performs better when accompanied by thoughtfully designed graphics. If you want to target your audience with high-performance ads, you should create and edit your own visuals – from banner ads, email banners, and logos to short videos with and without voiceovers. 

We all know that videos are taking over the internet due to their higher engagements, conversion rates, and SEO rankings. Many programs – Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Rush, and more – can help you create excellent visual content. 

7. Continuous Learning and Adaptability

The digital landscape is ever-changing, with new technologies, platforms, and trends emerging daily. A proficient digital marketer is hungry for knowledge and committed to continuous learning. They keep up-to-date with industry trends, algorithm shifts, and evolving consumer behavior. 

By keeping their skills sharp, digital marketers deftly adapt and form innovative strategies that ensure your business remains ahead of the curve. Some ways to do this are maintaining online certifications (Google Analytics Excel, Adobe, etc), following the latest industry news from reputable sources (Ad Age, Mashable, etc), and attending webinar training sessions through networking sites like LinkedIn. 

Becoming a proficient digital marketer requires a diverse skill set and a deep understanding of the digital landscape. By mastering data analysis, strategic thinking, content creation, SEO, and adaptability, you can take your efforts to new heights. However, navigating the complexities of digital marketing can be challenging if you don’t have access to the right expertise. That’s where our digital marketing agency comes into play. 

At GeistM, we pride ourselves on possessing all the essential skills for proficient digital marketing. Our team comprises data-driven analysts, strategic thinkers, creative content creators, SEO experts, and adaptive professionals. We combine our expertise and experience to create tailored digital marketing solutions for diverse clients from various industries, to drive tangible results for your business. Contact us today!

Written by: Julia Steiner and Suketh Shetty