Advanced Digital Ads for Fundraising - Part 1: Ads Program Beyond Facebook and Search

Summary

The webinar, hosted by Melanie Wilson and featuring experts from M&R, delves into advanced digital advertising strategies for nonprofits, particularly focusing on expanding beyond Facebook and search ads. It covers optimizing search and social media campaigns, exploring new channels like display, audio, and Connected TV, and measuring the success of these initiatives. The session also addresses common challenges and provides practical advice for program owners navigating stakeholder inquiries about advertising investments.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The webinar is focused on Advanced Digital Ads for fundraising, covering expanding beyond Facebook and search ads.
• 🔍 Search advertising is highlighted as a high-return channel for nonprofits, but it's important to ensure efficiency and consider non-branded keywords for broader reach.
• 📈 ROI positivity is a key metric to assess for both search and social campaigns, indicating areas for potential budget increases or optimization.
• 🤖 Programmatic display advertising is introduced as a method to place ads across the internet via auction, relying on algorithms for placement.
• 🎨 Creative variety is essential in social media advertising, with the suggestion to run multiple creatives to find the best performers.
• 📊 Utilizing tools like Smartly IO can enhance social advertising efficiency through automated ad rotation and predictive budget allocation.
• 📹 Video platforms, particularly YouTube, offer opportunities for reaching new audiences, especially younger demographics.
• 📺 Advanced TV and Connected TV advertising are growing areas with various buying options, including addressable and programmatic TV buying.
• 📊 Cross-device reporting, brand lift, and incrementality are methods used to measure the success of non-click driven channels like connected TV ads.
• 👤 The importance of having a clear consumer path to conversion is emphasized, especially when tracking the effectiveness of various ad types.
• 📈 Scenario discussions provide practical insights into managing stakeholder expectations and justifying ad budget allocations.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the webinar?

The main topic of the webinar is 'Advanced Digital Ads for Fundraising', focusing on expanding advertising efforts beyond Facebook and search for nonprofit organizations.

Who is Melanie Wilson and what is her role in the webinar?

Melanie Wilson is from Greater Public, and she is the host of the webinar, facilitating the session and introducing the speakers from M&R.

What are the two primary channels discussed for digital fundraising?

The two primary channels discussed for digital fundraising are search advertising and social media advertising, including platforms like Facebook and other social networks.

What is the importance of assessing search advertising before expanding into other channels?

Assessing search advertising is important to ensure that organizations are maximizing their return on investment in this high-return channel and to identify any potential areas for improvement or expansion before moving into other advertising channels.

What are some key metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of search advertising campaigns?

Key metrics to evaluate search advertising campaigns include search impression share, search lost top impression share due to budget, and ROI positivity of campaigns.

What is retargeting in the context of social media advertising?

Retargeting in social media advertising refers to targeting users who are already familiar with the organization and have interacted with it, such as by visiting the organization's website or specific pages on the site.

Why is it important to run multiple creatives in social media campaigns?

Running multiple creatives in social media campaigns is important to test different messaging and concepts, reduce ad fatigue, and optimize towards the best-performing creatives to improve overall campaign performance.

What is programmatic display advertising and how does it work?

Programmatic display advertising is a method of buying ads through real-time auctions within ad serving exchanges. It relies on the platform's algorithm to serve ads in the most effective locations based on the available inventory.

What are some challenges that new connected TV (CTV) advertising campaigns might face?

Some challenges new CTV advertising campaigns might face include the need for high-quality video creative, cross-device tracking limitations, determining the right budget for effective reach, and measuring the success of the campaign without direct click-through conversions.

How can organizations measure the success of their advanced TV advertising campaigns?

Organizations can measure the success of their advanced TV advertising campaigns through cross-device reporting, brand lift studies, and incrementality testing to understand the full impact of the ads on overall website traffic, brand awareness, and donations.

What is the role of a demand-side platform (DSP) in display advertising?

A demand-side platform (DSP) facilitates the buying of display ads by allowing advertisers to bid on and purchase ad space in real-time auctions. The DSP uses algorithms to optimize targeting and can offer various creative services and brand safety features.

Why might a stakeholder question the budget allocation for certain advertising channels?

A stakeholder might question the budget allocation for certain advertising channels if they do not see direct donations or conversions associated with those channels, or if they believe there may be more effective or innovative channels to explore.

What is the significance of the QR code in the context of CTV ads?

The QR code in CTV ads can be a significant tool for driving viewer engagement and donations. Although the script does not provide specific results, it suggests that including a QR code in ads can prompt action from viewers, potentially increasing revenue.

What is the role of Google Grant in the context of limited marketing budgets?

Google Grant can be a valuable resource for small budget stations with limited marketing funds. It allows organizations to experiment with paid search advertising and potentially make a case for increased marketing investment.

How does the webinar address the scenario where a stakeholder wants to switch budget to outdoor advertising?

The webinar suggests that in such a scenario, it's important to explore the performance of the current paid campaigns and assess whether reallocating the budget to outdoor advertising would risk direct revenue. It encourages stakeholders to consider the effectiveness of current strategies before making drastic changes.