Google requires ecommerce stores to specify in their structured data which country their return policies apply to. The post Google Updates Structured Data Requirements For Return Policies appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
As a marketer, I’m no stranger to ad managers like Google Ads and Meta Ads. However, I was interested to learn that there’s a third option for ad buying: demand-side platforms (DSP). What is a DSP, you ask? These tools are essentially an automated way to purchase and manage your online ads. If you’re like me and are curious about what a DSP is and how it can benefit your paid ad strategy, I want to cover how these platforms work, why you should use one, and the best platforms available. Table of Contents What is a DSP? Benefits of Using a DSP 7 DSP Advertising Tools With a DSP, you can purchase mobile ads on apps, banner ads on search engines, and video ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google, and even more platforms. Instead of using both Google Ads and Facebook Ads, for instance, you can purchase those ads in one place on a DSP. The purpose of this is to make ad buying faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Now, let’s dive into how DSP platforms work and why you should use them. How do DSPs work? DSPs work by using programmatic advertising, which is the buying and selling of ads in real time through an automated system. With real-time bidding, ad placements are auctioned off in milliseconds. When you get started with DSP advertising, you’ll need to begin strategizing how much you want to spend. Think about what an effective cost per click and cost per action might be. This will help you set up your online ads so the platform knows how much to spend in any given auction. The best DSP platforms will allow you to include multiple rich media ads, including video, images, and animation. What is DSP advertising? DSP advertising is the automated process of bidding on and buying ads through a programmatic advertising platform. According to a study published by Statista, the US was the largest programmatic advertising market worldwide, spending an estimated $264.66 billion in 2024. Marketers are increasingly using DSPs as a way of purchasing, managing, and tracking online advertising. Benefits of Using a DSP To understand why marketers choose to use a DSP for their paid advertising strategy over other platforms, I spoke to Sean Edwards, the Director of Programmatic and E-Commerce Media at Exverus Media. Seamless Ad Buying Experience One of the main reasons for using a DSP is that it makes your digital ad experience easier and more cost-effective. You can control, track, and maximize all your digital ads in one place. This means you can manage an entire ad campaign across sites on one dashboard. For example, you can show someone an ad on Google, then show them ads on Facebook, and then across other sites they visit — all in one campaign. “The DSP we use most often is The Trade Desk because it allows us to activate and measure media campaigns on many different channels from a single platform,” says Edwards. “This saves us and our clients time and money, while clarifying previously hard-to-see patterns in the complex customer journey.” Access to Premium inventory DSPs often have access to a wide range of ad inventory, including premium placements on popular websites and apps, according to Edwards. This means you can advertise on many networks, including all the major publishers. With an increased number of networks, you’ll have a more global reach. “This access allows advertisers to reach target audiences across a variety of channels with added visibility, control, and opportunity to optimize towards the most successful tactics and placements,” he says. More Control Over the Ad Experience Using a DSP also provides marketers with more control over the ad experience compared to traditional platforms. This is especially important when it comes to brand safety. “Programmatic platforms offer tools to ensure ads are displayed in brand-safe environments pre- and post-bid,” says Edwards. “These parameters can help protect a brand’s reputation by avoiding ad placement on inappropriate sites or within unsuitable content. High-quality media placements yield stronger results.” Precision Targeting Programmatic advertising allows you to target specific audiences based on various criteria such as demographics, interests, and behavior, says Edwards. “This precision targeting allows advertisers to reach the right people, at the right time, with the highest likelihood to complete the desired outcome, whether that’s purchase, video view, download, or subscription,” he says. Additionally, DSPs often partner with third-party data providers, giving you better tracking and reporting capabilities than a single network usually provides. And in the planning process, the targeting options are more personalized, meaning you can get better conversion rates. Now that you know more about DSP advertising and how it works, let’s discuss the platforms that can help you do it. When choosing a DSP to work with, I like to look at how many ad exchanges the DSP has access to because that affects how many people you can reach. I also like to consider cost, training (full-service or self-service), support, and ease of use. Here are some of the best DSP advertising tools to choose from: 1. Basis Technologies Source Best for: Large or enterprise-level companies Basis Technologies is an omnichannel DSP built to generate better outcomes for your ad campaigns. In my opinion, one of the best features is that it uses AI machine learning to automatically analyze data from numerous campaign parameters to optimize your ads. With this DSP, you can target hyper-local audiences across devices and multiple touchpoints. You‘ll also get access to the industry’s leading exchanges, along with 25,000+ audience segments across over 30 different data providers. Why I like it: Basis Technologies harnesses the power of machine learning to analyze data and automate processes. I also like how automated monitoring helps ensure brand reputation and safety. 2. Google Marketing Platform Source Best for: Small to large businesses or agencies Google Marketing Platform is Google’s unified advertising and analytics platform for smarter marketing and better results. This DSP has several products for both small businesses and enterprise companies,
If you’re staring at a blank screen (we’ve all been there) trying to figure out how to develop a marketing brief, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to get to the heart of the problems and solutions your campaign will address. Use these guiding questions alongside our free marketing brief templates to help you create a brief that has just enough information — but not too much — to get your team excited and on the same page. Table of Contents The Importance of a Marketing Brief How to Write a Marketing Brief 8 Questions to Help You Write a Great Marketing Brief The Importance of a Marketing Brief One of the first steps in a campaign is to draw up a marketing brief — sometimes called a creative brief or campaign brief — that serves as the single source of truth on the project. It sets forth a single vision that everybody can buy into, and more importantly, it defines the goal, the reach, and the problem the project is trying to solve. Writing a great marketing brief will give you a strong foundation for your campaign. How to Write a Marketing Brief The marketing brief is the starting point with which every decision and movement made on the project should align — and that means it is also a living document. Marketing briefs help solve any misunderstandings before you get to work. This document should clarify for everyone involved — copywriters, designers, developers, marketers — all the aspects of the project, the goals, and even the timeline. If you’re working for an external client or stakeholder, your brief should confirm that you understand their problem and have a strategy for solving it. As campaigns and projects change, requirements are added or removed, and new insights are discovered. You can update this document as the project evolves to ensure everyone remains focused on the underlying issue and knows their responsibilities. 8 Questions to Help You Write a Great Marketing Brief The marketing brief isn’t being published online to the masses for approval, but it does need to grab your team by the heart and get them excited — and answer any questions they might have about the campaign. It doesn’t need to include every piece of information available. It shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to understand the project, the strategy, and the goals. It should be a useful document that’s easy to scan, clear, and actionable. I’ve got eight questions that will help guide you through your first marketing brief. Before you ask yourself these questions, you should already have a handle on your buyer or audience persona, so that you know who your target audience is. Using our creative brief templates as you sketch out your answers may also be helpful. 1. What problem are we solving, and why are we solving it? What’s the benefit? Describe the problem your campaign needs to solve. Don’t just write down what your client or internal stakeholders say — try to go deeper and approach it from different angles so that you’re accurately capturing the full scope. To change consumer behavior, you first have to understand what they’re doing now and what options they have that they’re (not) embracing. Let’s use the campaign brief for HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report as an example. The State of Marketing report is an annual offer, and it’s compiled based on extensive research that HubSpot conducts. The question about what problem the offer solves is directly addressed in the Target Audience section: We’re providing a resource to our readers and customers who are marketers trying to get an edge in an AI-driven business landscape. The report promises tools and insights — the benefits — and acknowledges the challenges of reckoning with the rapid rise of AI in marketing workflows. 2. Who are we trying to reach with this campaign? Who is the target audience or persona? How is this consumer group solving their pain points now? What other options do they have? You’ll see in the marketing brief above that we’ve also outlined our market (global English) and segments (small- and medium-sized businesses, mid-market, and enterprise). This ties into our value proposition of “helping millions of businesses grow better.” We’ve also defined the roles our target audience is likely to occupy — marketing managers and directors, CMOs, and content strategists. As we craft the copy for this campaign, this will help us align with the people we want to target and who we think will get the most value from our State of Marketing report. 3. What are the deliverables for this campaign? Print advertising? Social media? Trade shows? Billboards? TV ads? Podcasts? Talk shows? Video ads? What communication channels will you use, and how will you use them? How do they build on and support each other? What are the best vehicles to reach your intended audience? What are the deliverables you have committed to? Each communication channel needs a call-to-action (CTA) that helps the buyer move forward at that stage in their buying process. And that CTA should leverage the medium in which it’s delivered. A video ad CTA will be different from a print ad CTA, which will differ from a CTA in a blog post. Mapping out the buyer’s journey, identifying their questions and concerns along the way, and understanding where they go for information will help you answer this question. This is also a good time to think about the metrics you’ll use to measure success. Before you even begin, set SMART goals so everyone is clear on what really matters — getting results. 4. Do we anticipate any internal or external factors compromising the completion of the above deliverables? If so, how and why? Be honest with yourself and your team, and do a SWOT analysis if you’re stuck. If you’re working with outside vendors on design, if you’re in a time crunch, or if there are complicated workflows and approval processes
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Running content strategy for B2B SaaS companies taught me that a digital marketing strategy for startups can’t just copy enterprise playbooks. Content calendars, lead-scoring models, and expensive ABM campaigns? They fell apart when applied to early-stage businesses with tight budgets and small teams. After working with several startups, I’ve seen exactly which scrappy marketing tactics drive leads and revenue — without draining time or budget. If you’re scaling a startup, these are the strategies that actually work. Table of Contents 10 Non-Negotiables of a Digital Marketing Strategy for Startups Startup Marketing Ideas 5 Startup Marketing Tactics to Explore 1. Use SMART goals to focus on business-critical goals upfront. When I started helping startups with their marketing, I noticed a common pattern: many tried to do everything at once. Through trial and error, I learned that focusing on a few business-critical SMART goals works much better than spreading yourself thin. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. In my work with early-stage companies, I’ve found these types of SMART goals particularly effective: Increase organic traffic to our website by 50% by 2022 Create 10 new sales-focused blogs by Q3 Secure five placements in online media using digital PR by X date The purpose of SMART goals is to set businesses up for success. They provide a sense of direction and help to organize efforts. And, while SMART goals are invaluable for any organization, they’re particularly beneficial for start-ups. Instead of trying to do everything at once, focus on the most business-critical goals, put everything you have behind them, and tackle things in a strategic way. For instance, rather than spreading your time across several initiatives (some of which may not be important right now), focus on three or four that will lay a foundation for your activities or support your current efforts. If you’re launching a new product, for instance, focus on the development but also set goals like: Create 10 new blogs to build awareness of the product by X date Publish two new web pages to promote the new product by X date Secure five placements in online media using digital PR by X date These are just some examples, but they can undoubtedly help raise the profile of your business idea without costing much — the only real expenditure is time. Instead of spreading your capabilities across several initiatives, try focusing on those that will support what you’re doing right now. The key to sustained growth is consistency and focus, and SMART goals enable you to do just that. 2. Create detailed documents to distinguish who your target buyers are. SMART goals give your marketing efforts direction and focus, but who are you marketing to? For your start-up’s marketing efforts to bring in tangible results, those efforts need to be tailored to your ideal target audience. Now you’ll probably have a good understanding of who you want to do business with, but have you articulated that to the rest of your team or — at the very least — put together a document detailing who your buyer personas are? It‘s here where buyer personas come in handy. Buyer personas are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers. They’re based on market research, current data, existing customers, and a few educated assumptions. Buyer personas help you understand the drivers, business challenges, and needs of those you want to market. It’s also important to note that buyer personas are not real people but archetypes of them. Now that we’ve briefly covered buyer personas, you might be wondering, “Okay, but what makes them so valuable to my start-up?” Buyer personas allow you to refine your marketing and segment your audience(s). You want and need quick wins during the product development and release stages, so why waste time (and money) casting the widest net possible when you can hone in on those most likely to buy from you? Your buyer personas give you a good idea of who these people are. Use that information to build marketing and PR campaigns focusing on the right people at the right time and place of their buyer’s journey. 3. Have clear, compelling messaging. If you’ve ever seen a Ronseal advertisement, you’re likely already familiar with the following phrase: “It does what it says on the tin.” In an age of slick, big-budget marketing campaigns and buzzwords, it falls to you to keep your messages clear and concise. People don‘t want platitudes or jargon. They want to understand what your product does and how it can help them solve their business challenges. In fact — and this may sound harsh — it’s not even about your business. It’s about how you can help your potential customers. With this in mind, any messaging that your startup creates (and this applies to all businesses of any size) needs to be created with the end user in mind. It needs to be simple, informative, and compelling. This will help convert the website traffic you generate into leads. 4. Create a content marketing strategy to generate leads. You need a plan for bringing prospects to your site. Content marketing is all about producing high-quality content that answers your prospects and customers’ questions, and nurturing them to a point of purchase. Source When I work with startup clients now, I always emphasize that blogs are just the beginning. Each piece needs to be optimized for long-tail keywords that your target audience actually searches for. I’ve seen this simple approach help numerous startups build their digital footprint without a massive marketing budget. The content you create also helps to generate leads and demonstrate your expertise. You could, for instance, produce informative ebooks and gate them behind landing pages on your website. Visitors can then download your ebooks in exchange for their details. With this approach, you know that those who do download your ebooks are interested in hearing from you. The ebooks you create will be particularly useful for targeting “early adopters” i.e., those who want to be
