Digital Recap: May 2021

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

IFA 2021 Marketing, Operations & Development Toolkit, Featuring Location3

The International Franchising Association (IFA) released its Marketing, Operations & Development Toolkit, with contributions from our own Josh Allen, VP of Marketing. Josh provides insights on the Connected TV opportunity for franchise marketing, including key considerations for your brand as you evaluate CTV/OTT advertising options. Connected TV is an exciting way to enhance your media mix – with granular reporting capabilities to better evaluate ad efficacy. Josh also makes the case for why a digital media partner is your best bet for maximizing returns. Read “Connected TV & OTT: Why You Should Consider These Digital Media Buys” for more.

Location3 Hosts IFA Wednesday Wise Webinar

Location3 hosted the IFA’s Wednesday Wise Webinar, with tips on driving revenue with the right media channels for your franchise. CEO Alex Porter was joined by local marketing experts Shalini Reddy and Boyd Hathaway, and our partner Bo Lowery, from Wild Birds Unlimited. Watch the webinar to learn more about local-level goal-setting, testing new channels, and how to measure success.

Renowned Marketer, Vera Shafiq, Joins Location3

Location3 is proud to welcome Vera Shafiq, our new Senior Director of Digital Strategy. Vera comes to Location3 with a depth of business and digital experience. Fun fact: Vera started off writing search algorithms before Google existed! We’re excited to have her on the team. Learn more about Vera in our Team Spotlight. Follow Vera’s blog and podcast for more on doing business and marketing the right way.

Social Media Spend Trends

In her article for MediaPost, Laurie Sullivan analyzes data from StitcherAds to uncover the effects of Apple’s iOS 14.5 Update on Facebook Ad Spend. StitcherAds noted year-over-year and month-over-month shifts in spend that appear to suggest that brands now spend more on advertising to maintain their share of voice, following the iOS 14.5 update. Read Sullivan’s article for more detail.

Google Search Ranking Algorithm Tremors

The SEO industry is abuzz about possible Google search ranking algorithm updates, following some downward spikes in traffic over May 7-9 and yesterday, May 13. Barry Schwartz, ever on the pulse, is staying tuned and sharing expert conversation on the updates via Search Engine Roundtable. Google has yet to confirm any updates, and as Schwartz notes, these don’t appear to be massive updates. Read Schwartz’s most recent piece for more.

Google My Business Keyword Stuffing – Not Worth It

Colan Nielsen breaks down the topic of keyword stuffing on Google My Business – and provides real-world analysis on its impact, in his debut article for Search Engine Land. He poses this question: “If you had to choose between higher rankings or a memorable business name, which would you choose?” And while some businesses are experiencing a ranking boost when they rebrand their entire business to get top results in Search – the victory is short-lived, thus the strategy is short-sighted. Nielsen provides striking examples of branding disasters that ensue when entire markets play the keyword stuffing game. Read his article for more.

“How are you supposed to become remarkable and stand out in the mind of your customers when everyone has a similar name?”