Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report and The Age of Bots

Here’s our latest roundup of digital marketing news.

Analytics: 4 lessons learned from 4 years of non-stop data analysis

Mobile has changed the way we approach analytics. It’s produced more aspects to track, changed how we analyze events, and has made the user experience more important than ever. To successfully measure effectiveness, you and your employees need the right analytics tools to make strategic decisions. The focus should be on the user experience; you need to look at behaviors of your users, not just the actions.

Client takeaway: Avoid tunnel vision when it comes to your analytics. It’s key to understanding the whole picture and what your results actually mean.

Suggested implementation: Instead of looking at individual users and the specific actions they take, look at groups of users and identify behavior patterns. It’s not necessarily about making a CTA have a higher click-through-rate; it’s about why it delivered those results.

Digital marketing: 6 takeaways for marketers from Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report

Every year, Mary Meeker and her firm KPCB release their annual Internet Trends Report which analyzes internet and technology trends and how they affect the global economy. A few highlights for marketers: Internet and ad spend have grown after years of stagnation, Facebook and Google rule all, Snapchat is here to stay, and messaging apps are more popular than ever.

Client takeaway: While ad spend has increased, there’s a gap between the 25 percent of time spent on mobile and 12 percent of mobile ad spend.

Suggested implementation: Increase mobile ad spend to reach the platform where your audience spends 25 percent of their time.

Social media: Facebook bots 101: What they are, who’s using them, and what you should do about it

Bots are software that automate a task. Facebook Messenger bots automate a conversation. These bots can parse and understand conversational data and learn from it. The big question is: Should you build a bot? Consider whether you have an actual use for one, if your audience would use it, and whether you have the bandwidth to manage it. Once you’ve built your bot, you can use it to confirm shipping details or answer frequently asked questions.

Client takeaway: If your audience actively uses Facebook Messenger, it might be worth being an early adopter and creating a bot.

Suggested implementation: Bring the discussion of a Facebook Messenger bot to the table. It’s still early in the adoption process, so you have some time to decide if the technology makes sense for your brand.

Team Bonfire: We’ve been busy

Bonfire has had a big year. This year we brought on more clients than ever and retained over 95 percent of our clients from 2014. We’ve also been strategic about expanding our core functionalities: design, marketing automation and retargeting, SEO, SEM, and email. We’ve solidified our departments and team roles. Finally, we moved our headquarters this year into a space that fits not only our size, but also our creative work.

Client takeaway: Our process solidification and office space allows us to meticulously ideate and prepare the best marketing for every circumstance.

Suggested implementation: Ensure the proper processes are in place within your organization to give employees the opportunity to focus on specialist roles and perfect their craft.

Trends: 4 reasons why food is exploding as the perfect marketing medium

Food is nostalgic and carries many memories along with it. These memories can be activated and attached to your brand by incorporating content that surrounds food. Food makes for great content because it’s a fundamental part of the zeitgeist. And food entertainment is exploding with popularity. It goes hand-in-hand with social media, and chefs make great brand ambassadors.

Client takeaway: Food brings us together, touches everyone, and is a vital part of our lives. Using food in marketing brings your brand into this unique emotional experience.

Suggested implementation: Create content that speaks to memories of food, such as s’mores around the campfire. You can take advantage of the food trend even if your brand isn’t in the food industry by creating lifestyle content.