Sponsored by Adphorus.

Over​ ​the​ ​course​ ​of​ ​2017,​ ​we’ve​ ​seen​ ​that​ ​many​ ​large brands​ ​are​ ​still​ ​unaware​ ​of​ ​the​ ​true​ ​power​ ​of​ ​advertising​ ​on​ ​Facebook and how best to access its two billion-plus monthly active users.

​Marketing​ ​teams​ ​that​ ​are​ ​particularly fluent​ ​in​ ​Google​ ​seem​ ​to​ ​demonstrate​ ​resistance​ ​in​ ​shifting​ ​ad​ ​dollars​ ​to​ ​Facebook.​ ​What’s​ ​causing​ ​this disconnect?​ ​We’ve​ ​pinpointed​ ​three​ main​ ​sub-stories​ ​that​ ​many​ ​of​ ​these​ ​advertisers​ ​are​ ​missing​ ​out​ ​on.

• Time​ ​spent​ ​on​ ​Facebook

Users​ ​are​ ​spending​ ​nearly​ ​an ​hour​ ​every​ ​day​ ​on​ ​Facebook.​ ​As​ ​Facebook​ ​expands​ ​its​ ​suite​ ​of​ ​products and​ ​features,​ ​that​ ​number​  will​ ​only​ ​increase.​ ​For​ ​advertisers,​ ​this​ ​means​ ​more​ ​opportunity​ ​to​ ​reach users.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​important​ ​when​ ​it​ ​comes​ ​to​ ​digital​ ​marketing​ ​budget​ ​allocation.​ ​Ad​ ​spend​ ​on Facebook​ ​is​ ​generally​ ​quite​ ​low​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​time​ ​audiences​ ​are​ ​present​ ​and​ ​engaged on​ ​Facebook

• People-based​ ​targeting

Targeting​ ​the​ ​right​ ​user​ ​at​ ​the​ ​right​ ​time​ ​is​ ​the​ ​key​ ​to​ ​conversion.​ ​However,​ ​the​ ​consumer​ ​journey​ ​is becoming​ ​increasingly​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​track,​ ​as​ ​users​ ​are​ ​active​ ​on​ ​multiple​ ​devices.​ ​This​ ​makes Facebook’s​ ​vast​ ​network​ ​of​ ​logged-in​ ​users​ ​an​ ​invaluable​ ​asset.​ ​Facebook​ ​is​ ​the​ ​most​ ​equipped platform​ ​to​ ​truly​ ​achieve​ ​people-based,​ ​cross-device​ ​targeting​ ​and​ ​measurement.

• Connecting​ ​the​ ​World

Seeing Facebook​ ​as​ ​just​ ​a​ ​social​ ​media​ ​platform​ ​is​ ​lacking.​ ​Facebook​ ​is​ ​necessarily​ ​realizing​ ​its vision​ ​of​ ​“bringing​ ​the​ ​world​ ​closer​ ​together”.​ ​Whether​ ​it’s​ ​chatbots​ ​or​ ​augmented​ ​reality,​ ​Facebook​ ​is consistently​ ​investing​ ​in​ ​the​ ​future.​ ​Therefore,​ ​it​ ​will​ ​be​ ​crucial​ ​for​ ​advertisers​ ​to​ ​invest​ ​in​ ​the​ ​bigger picture​ now ​if​ ​they​ ​want​ ​to​ ​tap into future audience trends and technologies, ​whatever​ ​those​ ​may​ ​be.

Focussed thinking

At​ ​Adphorus,​ ​we’ve​ ​spent​ ​the​ ​past​ ​two ​years​ ​exclusively​ ​focused​ ​on​ ​turning​ ​Facebook​ ​into​ ​an​ ​advantageous​ ​and performance-driving​ ​channel​ ​for​ ​travel​ ​advertisers.​ ​Through​ ​our​ ​journey,​ ​we’ve​ ​developed​ ​a​ ​solid understanding​ ​of​ ​how​ ​the​ ​travel industry​ ​is​ ​evolving​ ​and​ ​a​ ​heightened​ ​awareness​ ​of​ ​the​ ​challenges​ ​that​ ​travel marketers​ ​face.​ ​And,​ ​with​ ​the​ ​Facebook​ ​story​ ​in​ ​mind,​ ​traditional​ ​digital​ ​marketing​ mindsets ​and​ ​ad​ ​tech​ platforms are ​​no​ ​longer sufficient​ ​to​ ​tackle​ present and future​ ​challenges.

Over the​ ​past​ ​few​ ​years​ , the digital marketing industry has developed ​a​ ​plethora​ ​of​ ​new​ ​ad​ ​products​ ​and​ ​innovative features.​ Advertisers need to​ ​navigating​ ​this new landscape – campaign​ ​structures,​ ​creatives,​ ​targeting​ ​options,​ ​bidding​ ​options,​ ​optimization​ ​decisions,​ ​feeds,​ ​integrations, ​the​ ​list​ ​goes​ ​on.​ ​

But as ​each​ ​new​ ​product​ ​or​ ​feature​ ​aims to serve​ ​the​ ​ultimate​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​improving​ ​performance, they​ ​also​ ​inherently​ ​create​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​noise and distraction.​

​In​ ​such​ ​an​ ​environment,​ ​we’ve​ ​come to realise​ ​that​ ​the​ ​most​ ​significant competitive​ ​advantage​ ​is​ ​in​ ​fact​ ​​speed of learning, and  have​ ​made​ ​this​ ​our​ ​mantra at Adphorus.​ ​We​ ​are building​ ​an​ ​all-in-one​ ​platform​ ​that​ ​enables​ ​our​ ​clients​ ​to​ ​​test​ ​and​ ​learn​ ​as​ ​quickly​ ​as​ ​possible​.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​what we​ ​mean​ ​by​ ​“​travel​ marketing​ ​science”.

Test and learn at speed

As​ ​a​ ​travel​ ​marketer,​ ​bringing​ ​this​ ​vision​ ​to​ ​life​ ​requires​ ​agility,​ ​structure,​ ​and​ ​an​ ​emphasis​ ​on​ ​innovation.​ ​Travel marketers​ ​must​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​stay​ ​ahead​ ​of​ ​the​ ​rapidly​ ​changing​ ​dynamics​ ​in​ ​travel.​ ​They​ ​must​ ​have​ ​a methodology​ ​for​ ​continuous​ ​learning.​ ​A​ ​true​ ​scientific​ ​methodology​ ​embraces​ ​clear​ ​A/B​ ​test​ roadmaps​ ​for every​ ​hypothesis​ ​and​ ​objective.​ ​This ​enables​ ​marketers​ ​to​ ​test​ ​the​ ​various​ ​dimensions​ ​in​ ​a​ ​highly​ ​structured​ ​way and​ ​ensure​ ​that​ ​all​ ​decisions​ ​are​ ​backed​ ​by​ ​data​ ​and​ ​drive​ ​performance.​ ​

Speed​ ​of​ ​learning​ ​implies​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to monitor​ ​in​ ​real-time,​ ​separate​ ​signals​ ​from​ ​noise,​ ​transparently​ ​analyze​ ​results,​ ​and​ ​visualize​ ​insights​ ​to ultimately​ ​take​ ​action​ ​as​ ​quickly​ ​as​ ​possible.

The​ ​power​ ​of​ ​the​ ​speed​ ​of​ ​learning​ ​lies​ ​in​ ​its​ ​versatility.​ ​Executing​ ​on​ ​a​ ​travel​ ​marketing​ ​science​ ​approach​ ​for both​ ​ad​ ​delivery​ ​​and ​creatives​ ​yields​ ​scalable​ ​performance​ ​across​ ​the​ ​board.​ ​After​ ​all,​ ​there​ ​is​ ​no​ ​turn-key solution​ ​for​ ​Facebook​ ​and​ ​Instagram​ ​marketing.​ ​This​ ​means​ ​that​ ​a​ ​successful​ ​Facebook​ ​marketing​ ​approach relies​ ​on​ ​customized​ ​delivery​ ​that​ ​guarantees​ ​that​ ​advertisers​ ​put​ ​the​ ​most​ ​relevant​ ​ads​ ​in​ ​front​ ​of​ ​their​ ​target audience.

​Data​ ​science​ ​is​ ​not​ ​rocket​ ​science in itself – the really clever stuff happens when you ​focus​ ​on​ ​vertical-specific​ ​solutions​ ​(such as travel) and​ ​continuously​ ​scale performance​ ​in ​a​ ​highly-commoditized​ ​ad​vertising and marketing ​universe​.

​ We​ ​have​ ​brought​ ​science​ ​to​ ​the​ ​center​ ​of​ ​both​ ​our service​ ​and​ ​product.​ ​Our​ ​team​ ​works​ ​with​ ​clients​ ​to​ ​develop​ ​a​ ​methodology​ ​for​ ​continuous​ ​learning​ ​while​ ​the platform​ ​makes​ ​it​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​execute​ ​meaningful​ ​experiments.​ ​We​ ​are​ ​confident​ ​that​ ​an​ ​ongoing​ ​structured​ ​testing strategy​ ​is​ ​the​ ​only​ ​way​ ​for​ ​advertisers​ ​to​ ​compete.​ ​And,​ ​we​ ​expect​ ​that​ ​the​ ​successful​ ​travel​ ​brands​ ​in 2018​ ​will​ ​test​ ​fast,​ ​learn​ ​fast,​ ​and​ ​scale​ ​fast.

Sponsored by Adphorus. This article appears as part of the tnooz sponsored content initiative.