Two members of the Index team, Jeremy Easterbrook, founder and President, and Younes Boutriq, Director of Engagement, were invited to participate in the recent Google All-Stars Summit, which took place from August 31 to September 2. The Index agency, based in Montreal and specializing in web marketing, has partners in Canada, the United States and France among its clients.
Under the banner of the the hashtag #partnersallstars, this Google conference brought together over 500 people from the 200 best performing Google partner agencies, as a result of a worldwide client acquisition competition, for three days of activities and presentations in San Francisco, California.
These 200 Google partners, representing 51 countries, were recognized primarily for increasing revenues for their clients and have therefore been designated “Google Partners All-Stars.” Index previously published the event’s program in a special report on this blog.
Jeremy Easterbrook also served as a reporter for Infopresse during the event. Here, he shares with us his impressions.
Google has reached 60 trillion web addresses and their index totals 100 petabytes (10 to the power of 15 bytes of data, that is to say a thousand terabytes, or one million gigabytes). Every day there are 3 billion searches on the Google search engine and Google indexes 20 billion sites.
Presentations highlighted the importance of putting the focus on the user, on innovation and on giving an effort 10 times greater to provide an experience beyond users’ expectations.
The new Alphabet structure allows Google to better manage and promote its products through partnerships between companies. There will be partnerships between Nest and Solar City, between Android and LG, Motorola, Samsung and Hanei, as well as between Google Apps and Uber, OpenTable and Yelp.
What Jeremy finds is most important to remember is how the increased use of mobile phones has affected the web marketing industry. And Google is in the driver’s seat regarding this greater reliance on mobile devices. Before, brands were in broadcast mode only. Now everything has changed.
People look at their phones 150 times a day for a total of 170 minutes. They can choose which advertisers to receive messages from. And 90% of users start an activity on one device and finish on another. At the Google conference, they called this these tendencies Micro-Moments, as well as all the products presented.
Because the consumer is more connected than ever, the role of the advertiser is more than ever to look beyond metrics and to understand the true value of the user. Analytics should track the user’s journey from the start, from the first impressions that lead to clicking on something, in order to transform clicks into conversions that generate income which maximizes return on investment, as well as profits. This is what is called “Customer Lifetime Value.” It is the expected net profit related to the entire future relationship with a customer, adjusted for inflation of course. The lifetime, then, is the time during which a person is a customer of a company.
So, media buying must always be multichannel (offline and online). It should also remove silos.
Search trends are moving increasingly towards personalization and geo-contextualization. With Google Now, users of Android mobile phones automatically receive useful information throughout the day. The Knowledge Graph is a knowledge base used by Google to enhance its search engine’s search results with semantic-search information gathered from a wide variety of sources. The goal is to allow users to find what they need without having to navigate to other sites. Schema.org (email + web) is a micro-data schema that allows crawlers to better and more accurately understand the information on indexed pages, so as to create a better search experience for users.
The popularity of YouTube demonstrates the importance of becoming a content creator. For example, among the 10 YouTubers with the most followers there are only 2 known Hollywood names. The conclusion is clear: It is even more important for small and medium-sized businesses to become creators of content.
Consumers want more customized or personalized content. Just think of Buzzfeed, DIY content, McDonald’s PinkSlime, BMW’s Drift in the City, Dumb Ways To Die, GoPro or the story of City Gym in Kansas City, Missouri, which became a gathering place for a community of transgender men who work and thrive together and which became the subject of a video by the Google My Business initiative.
When creating content for YouTube, it is important to add a call to action that leads consumers to your online store where they can learn more about the products and services presented in the video and, the ultimate goal, make a purchase.
As advertisers, don’t be afraid to try something new. It is to be expected that each try will not be perfect. For example, it took six tries before the Volvo ad starring Jean-Claude Van Damme was successful and subsequently viewed by over 60 million people on the Internet. Also, don’t try to be what you are not because the Internets never forgive. Lastly, once the video is online, it is very important to remember to promote it.
The two things that stood out for Jeremy during his time at the Google conference were the Cardboard experience and the Google campus.
Google Cardboard is a three-dimensional virtual reality Simulator made up of recycled cardboard and the user’s smartphone. It is basically a mask that allows you to view virtual reality images generated by specific apps.
With Cardboard, advertisers can create their own virtual reality 360-degree experience to market new products or services. Cardboard allows advertisers to establish a direct connection with users and thus create the feeling of a lived experience.
The Google campus houses dozens of buildings surrounded by tennis courts, volleyball courts, soccer fields, organic gardens, and a sculpture garden. There are also several fitness centers and therapeutic massage services. All meals at the various campus restaurants are free for employees. And a fleet of free bikes are available for employees who need to get around the campus.
As a follow-up to the Google conference in San Francisco, Index is organizing, in collaboration with Google Montréal, a French language Digital Breakfast to be held at Google’s Montreal office on Wednesday, October 7. The event is by invitation only, but Index has reserved some places for readers of this blog.
Because Index has your success at heart, we will provide attentive service for your next AdWords campaign. Building on its established experience and expertise, Index will apply the knowledge we gained at the Google conference to your specific needs and requirements. Boost your profits. Contact us through our online contact form.