Header logo.v2.us 6653972cc831bd09732d26dc9da67bd6be0c4d2b28757f116791336ccf2146ec SEARCH VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CULTURE TECH SCIENCE BUSINESS SOCIAL GOOD MORE Header share logo.v2 1ae91cfc1bc21a46cc127bcd2ae645cad4657464505668abca4bea13889ae851 4.9k Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Advertising Follow Follow 11 digital platforms and tips to improve your advertising strategy 4.9k SHARES Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WHAT'S THIS? IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES/RAWPIXEL LTD BY SCOTT GERBER MAR 24, 2016 As social media and digital marketing evolve, so should your company's advertising strategies. Don't be afraid to experiment with platforms like Snapchat to communicate with current and potential clients on a more personal level. SEE ALSO: 15 essential skills all digital marketing hires must have Of course, being successful on these newer platforms is contingent on understanding how to maximize your investment. With that in mind, I asked 11 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) what newer social and digital advertising strategies they have found to be successful. Their answers are below. 1. WeChat marketing Joel Butterly WeChat is the Chinese version of Twitter and Facebook, combined. It has more than 650 million users, and it's a new enough platform that companies beginning to market on it are not swimming in a crowded ocean. If you are interested in the East Asian market, WeChat is essential. A mixture of affiliate and content marketing on the platform is likely the most effective strategy. — Joel Butterly, InGenius Prep 2. Snapchat geofilters doreen-bloch In 2015, Snapchat launched geofilters for advertisers like McDonald's and they are said to be extending this capability to more businesses in 2016. Snapchat is one of the biggest mobile social platforms in the world today, and especially important for the millennial audience. Looking at advertising solutions on this platform will be exciting for brands in the coming year. Rather than a direct-response campaign like a lot of online advertising, Snapchat geofilters are mostly useful as brand-building, brand awareness and brand engagement experiences with consumers. — Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc. 3. Pinterest advertisements john rampton We're investing heavily in Pinterest in 2016. We've found that we have a good ROI with customers when we produce content specifically for Pinterest. Having been in the e-commerce space where each click was worth a dollar (and getting clicks for significantly less than that), it was a win-win situation for our business. Now in a different business, I'm getting similar results. Though click costs have gone up a bit, we're still more than breaking even in our initial testing. This has allowed our company to scale even further and go after a new demographic that is starting to really love and resonate with our product. — John Rampton, Due 4. Psychographic targeting Marcela DeVivo Limited tests have shown that video ads on YouTube and Facebook can yield very strong ROI. One of our goals in 2016 is to streamline the creation of videos built specifically for advertising purposes, and then promote them using different audiences and targeting opportunities available through YouTube and Facebook. This offers an opportunity to capitalize on auto-play videos and grow video audiences across the web. People want content that is fun, easy to digest and entertaining. Deliver this while taking advantage of improved psychographic targeting, and the opportunities for growth are endless. — Marcela DeVivo, Homeselfe SEE ALSO: Top 11 digital advertising strategies you should use for mobile 5. Facebook to Instagram integration Matt Wilson Now you can easily push your metric-driven Facebook ad campaign to Instagram by linking your accounts. Instagram ads were at first only available to major corporate players, but now you can use the images you already know have solid engagement on Facebook directly on Instagram for your small- and medium-sized business. — Matt Wilson, Under30Experiences 6. Video content Afif Khoury In Q1 2016, SOCi is focusing on video. Implementing a video strategy will hugely increase the consumption of our content, which, subsequently, will increase our brand awareness and expertise while driving traffic to our website. — Afif Khoury, SOCi, Inc 7. Native advertising Ryan-Stoner The tides are changing and we are seeing big shifts towards native advertising to increase performance through relevant messaging. As brands start to act more like publishers, content is becoming the future of advertising. Native advertising allows brands the opportunity to create high-quality authentic content that is optimized for engagement when possible. — Ryan Stoner, Publicis 8. External content marketing Scott-Weiner Instead of starting a blog for my business, I've decided to generate content to be syndicated on other publications. My business relies on a network of users sharing ideas. These users want to self-promote, I need to market my business and the publications need content. It's a win for all three parties involved and the advertising doesn't cost a dime. — Scott Weiner, ClosingBell SEE ALSO: Web developers, data scientists, AI experts: The 15 top tech roles of 2016 9. AdWords call-only advertisements Jonathan Long We are launching several call-only pay-per-click campaigns this quarter in an effort to drive phone calls. Online leads and newsletter subscribers are great, but there is nothing better than a hot prospect on the phone. People fill out multiple forms, request quotes and join several newsletters. They eventually lose track of what information they have requested and fall off. AdWords call-only ads give the person one option — to call. Granted this is just for mobile traffic, but everyone is searching on his or her mobile device these days, so I'm not too concerned with the call quality. Even if they are just looking for information, it's a way for them to connect with a real person, which greatly increases the chance of a follow-up conversation. — Jonathan Long, Market Domination Media 10. Influencer advertising James Simpson We've been seeing diminishing returns on traditional banner advertising over the last year and are exploring options related to influencer advertising. As a gaming company, we already get a significant portion of our customers through small influencers (think friends and family talking about the games), so more structured campaigns through influencers on various social platforms holds the promise of taking this to scale. — James Simpson, GoldFire Studios 11. Instagram ads Jayna Cooke EVENTup is such a visual company, so it makes sense to focus on an advertising platform with a similar model. Because people are renting spaces based on their photos, Instagram is a natural fit. This will benefit us by bringing in more clients to visit our venue pages and give our venues themselves more visibility. — Jayna Cooke, EVENTup SCOTT GERBER TOPICS: ADVERTISING, APPS, BUSINESS, CAREER ADVICE, CONTRIBUTOR, MARKETING, MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA, WECHAT, YEC by Taboola Sponsored Links You May Like Video: 'I feared for my life' - Kidnapped model Reuters TV The Ultimate Cheap Flights Finder Save70 Be Amazed By This Year's Expo In Astana CNN for Expo 2017 End Your Nightly Snoring Nightmare With This Simple Solution My Snoring Solution Finally You Can Track Your Car Using Your Smartphone TRACKR BRAVO Mad Flight Prices. Save70.com Guess Where The Entrepreneurship Movement Is Thriving CNN for GIIF and UNIDO Why Future Energy And Energy Solutions Are The Focus Of Expo 2017 CNN for Expo 2017 Watch: Afghan women break taboos with TV channel launch Reuters TV Get our hottest stories delivered to your inbox. 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