As Google has officially announced the sunsetting of Universal Analytics (UA) in July 2023, now is the perfect time to take a good look at its successor – Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
GA4 surpasses UA and many of its limitations as it easily operates across platforms without relying on cookies. It also upgrades eCommerce businesses, including more powerful reporting, improved event collection, and easier audience creation.
Check out the details below to see how GA4 can benefit your business and why you should get a head start on implementing it through DataSauce.
Within its Google Marketing Platform brand, the web giant Google offers a web analytics service for tracking and reporting website traffic. This service has been around since 2005, undergoing several changes in the nearly two decades since. Google announced UA in 2012, and it has remained the default throughout the past decade as other suites and platforms were announced to supplement it. As UA has slowly become outdated, the inevitable sunset has finally reached us.
The main limiting feature of UA that GA4 will address is the ability to provide insights across different platforms. Created in a time of primarily desktop web use and independent sessions with abundant data from cookies, UA cannot measure data across apps and websites, leaving a significant blind spot for users to overcome.
Due to these limitations, Google is sunsetting UA in favour of GA4, which easily operates across platforms and does not rely on cookies. As a result, July 1, 2023, will be the final date on which all standard UA properties stop processing new hits. Soon after, on October 1, 2023, the UA 360 properties will also stop processing new hits. However, previously processed UA data will still be available for at least six months after those dates.
In 2019, the Beta version of GA4 was released under the name App + Web. Officially released under the GA4 name in 2020, it will now entirely replace UA. This new iteration of the analytics service offers updated capabilities that go above and beyond those of UA and offer new benefits for eCommerce users.
By not relying on cookies and using an event-based data model, GA4 can easily operate across various platforms in a way that UA could not. These changes make GA4 more compatible with apps and other software, rather than only apt for browser use. Other notable features of GA4 include:
🔥 Machine learning for predictive insights and more valuable data. Machine learning provides insights into user behaviours and resulting conversion, helping create new audiences and increase the likelihood of engagement.
🔥 Integration with Google’s BigQuery data warehouse, allowing deeper machine learning insights, and encouraging highly scalable data analysis. Exporting to BigQuery is now highly affordable, creating an insurance policy for any company, large or small, to own its own data for future analysis.
🔥 Integration with other Google products for more actionable data. Products such as Google Ads will work across web and app data on GA4, helping optimise ad campaigns.
🔥 Increased privacy protection with comprehensive and granular controls for collecting and using data. IP addresses will no longer be stored, as misuse of the personally identifiable information data that comes with them has become an important personal privacy concern.
🔥 Data-driven attribution for better understanding of conversions. Going beyond the last click, attribution credit helps marketers understand the collective influence of various marketing activities on conversions. While you could previously only base conversions on pages or events, conversions can now be audience-based.
🔥 Customisable structure of sub and roll-up properties that is ideal for individual enterprise needs.
Many key features of GA4 were previously restricted to GA 360, which came with a hefty price tag of $100,000 or more per year. For example, custom funnels, the analysis module, exporting raw data to BigQuery, limitless event collection, and additional custom dimensions were all previously only available on GA 360. With these features now integrated into the default GA4, even small eCommerce businesses can take advantage and grow their companies to new heights.
GA4 has a new “analysis” tab that adds functionality to report-building. It’s now more intuitive to add dimension and there are more report templates to choose from. The speed of reporting has also increased significantly, as upgrading from UA’s 10-year-old data processing grants significant improvements in flexibility and allows faster generation of more powerful reports.
Relatedly, funnel reporting has received a boost. While goal funnels are not new, choosing a series of events to analyze was restricted to GA 360 in the past. Now, you can add both pages and events (as opposed to only one or the other) and do not have to set up the funnel in advance to be able to see the report. In addition, the funnels are easy to build using combinations of events and pageviews filtered by event properties. This improved funnel reporting is part of the new “analysis” tab in GA4 that is more intuitive than the previous “custom reports” of UA. Adding dimensions in this tab is easier, and it has more report templates to cover a wider array of eCommerce metrics.
While UA limited pageview and events to 10 million hits, GA4 currently sets no limit on the volume of events on app logs. However, keep in mind that there are still limits to data exports. Additionally, for eCommerce stores with native mobile experiences, a key new feature is the ability to track mobile app events in addition to web events.
GA 360 previously allowed similar tracking with roll-up properties, but user identification was more difficult than it is now with GA4. GA4 has also simplified the data model, so hits previously classified as pageviews, screenviews, events, transitions, items, and social are all now classified as events. As each event has an event name and can include up to 25 custom parameters, it is easier to enrich the events. The custom parameters translate to custom dimensions and metrics that you can use to event-scope or user-scope.
Another new feature of GA4 is enhanced measurement allowing you to tag some events without any code changes. These include outbound clicks, scrolls, site searches, file downloads, and video engagement.
Built-in machine learning with data-driven attribution and predictive audiences makes it easier than ever to drive new insights. Various predictive insight metrics, such as churn probability or purchase probability, improve your ability to focus on customer behaviour and create audiences for marketing campaigns.
Custom dimensions and user properties about user behaviour over time further aid in audience building as well as analysis of customer lifetime value. While UA limited custom dimensions to 20 custom slots, GA4 now allows as many as you want. It also allows 25 user properties.
GA4 can also link directly to your Google Ads account, facilitating audience retargeting and export to other Google products. Any combination of demographics, channels, or events can be used to configure audiences and then sync them with Google Ads.
If you’re just getting started with Google Analytics, you will need to create an account to set up the GA4 property. If you already have UA and are transitioning to GA4, this process will require the Editor role on your current Google Analytics account. Then, add a GA4 property to your existing setup using the GA4 Setup Assistant.
The overall process can be daunting when taking into consideration the personalisable aspects of the GA4 property. While the standard implementation can give you the basics, DataSauce can help you get GA4 up and running with metrics customised to your business. DataSauce will ensure GA4 is installed correctly to give you the most accurate data and enable the proper tracking of any desired metrics.
Once implemented, the GA4 property will collect data alongside the existing UA property, leaving the UA property unchanged as it continues collecting data. During the lead-up to the final sunsetting of UA in 2023, it is a good idea to dual-tag both UA and GA4 on your digital properties.
Although July of 2023 might sound far away, roughly fourteen months (or less depending on when you’re reading this) can be a short time for a business to make such sweeping changes in its practices. Preparing ahead of time will only benefit your company by quickly improving everything from reporting to event collection to ad campaigns.
Additionally, implementation with DataSauce will ensure the changes are based on reliable and customisable data, leading to the most informed business decisions possible.
The DataSauce team is buzzing to announce that we’ve achieved Google Premier Partner status, awarded to the top 3 per cent of agencies in each participating country.
As part of the new Google Partners program, Google recognised top-performing digital marketing partners across the globe by awarding this status.
We’re especially chuffed as the 2022 program requirements grew significantly from previous years; assessed across ad performance, ad spend, and Google advertising certifications.
Kento Nishimatsu, DataSauce’s Head of Search, fronted the effort to achieve Premier status.
"It’s great to see DataSauce continuing to head in the right direction, which is a credit to the entire team’s hard work. This is just the beginning though. We’ll be working with Google even more closely to accelerate clients’ growth,” Kento said.
Aside from a flash new partner badge and an exciting blog post announcement to match, we’re more excited about what we’ll be able to deliver for our clients.
We now have ongoing access to the most current product betas - which means we’ll have a headstart on the latest and greatest ways to market our clients.
There’s no need to sweat, with our access to 24-hour advanced ad support to quickly and efficiently resolve our clients’ issues.
We’re honoured to be included in invite-only industry events, learning at roundtable discussions with Google leaders, sessions with other Premier Partners, and panels from industry thought leaders.
We’ll be able to help our clients get a better start with their campaigns with Google Ads credits.
We’re about to rocket up to new heights of results.
We were assessed by how well we grow existing clients and acquire new clients, measured by year-on-year ad spend growth and ad spend among first-time Google Ads clients.
Our demonstrated ability to sustain client business, measured by the percentage of clients retained year-on-year.
Our demonstrated investment in results-focused product mix beyond Search, which was measured by the percentage of spend in Display, Apps, Video and Shopping each calendar year.
Our investment in Google Ads or Google Marketing Platform, measured by our spend across managed accounts each calendar year.
Throughout our time in the digital marketing space, we’ve seen a lot of mistakes that businesses make when they implement their digital marketing strategy.
Take some free advice (no strings attached, we promise) and avoid these all-too common mistakes that can cost a bomb for your business.
“Having the same targeting messaging is so much more powerful and worth more, less bucks more bang,” said Pip.
So what’s being holistic all about? Without using too many digital-esc buzz words, it’s about having a cohesive strategy across all of your channels, and - as Pip said - being targeted with your messaging.
Remember that consumers follow a funnel - and your messaging, from email campaigns, to ad copy, to instagram creative, need to guide the consumer through said funnel so they convert.
No one is going to keep watching a movie if there’s four different plots, a change in characters half-way through, or the beginning scene played over and over and over again.
Make sure your strategy speaks to the consumer with a beginning, a middle and an end.
This one is all about the user journey.
If you’re not excluding warm audiences from your cold ads, you’re wasting valuable ad spend on people who are already familiar with your brand.
Warm audiences require a different sort of engagement. They don’t need to know who you are, they need a bit more nurturing, a bit more convincing as to why they should purchase.
Which means when you include warm audiences in your cold ads, your speaking in the wrong way, and missing out on reaching valuable new customers.
TLDR; Cut warm audiences out of your acquisition ads to stop wasting precious money.
Shai’s three horsemen of bad digital mistakes:
This is low hanging fruit - they’ve liked your product enough to purchase, which means they’re likely to buy again! A simple ‘thank you’ ad is not only cost effective, it re-sparks interest, and it adds a personal touch - likely to improve brand loyalty.
This is something we see all too often - having great results, but no way of exactly knowing where these results are coming from.
Setting up your Facebook Pixel and Google UTM parameters are just some of the integral components of having a successful digital marketing strategy, especially as we enter a future without 3rd party cookies.
Not having tracking set up also means you’ll have a much, much harder time reaching your warm and post-purchase audiences.
This one ties in nicely with the one above. Having proper tracking allows you to retarget users who have watched 95% of your video, or who have opened your EDMs.
Consistently connecting this data and updating these audiences frequently into your warm audience campaigns is vital.
Otherwise, once again, you’re missing out on a key portion of your consumer base that are the most likely to convert .
When trying something new, you gotta have options. This really is the testing phase - so having heaps of variations is really important.
We’ve learnt that digital marketing is an art, not a science - there truly is no formula. What worked for one product may not work for another, so having options to swap in and out is a must.
So there you have it, the digital marketing mistakes we see all too often at DataSauce, straight from the horse’s mouth.
As of April, iOS14.5 has been shaking up the digital marketing landscape.
We wrote about the roll out of iOS14.5 before its roll out:
The biggest change causing a commotion in the digital marketing world is that the iOS 14 update will require all apps on their App Store to show an App Tracking Transparency prompt (ATT) (you can add this to the list of acronyms you’ll never remember).
It’s something that users can opt-in or opt-out from, and whilst having its benefits for users, it’s caused some significant changes to the way digital marketers track and record data.
The issue with this is Facebook’s ability to distribute data from iOS 14 users who opt-out becomes significantly limited.
In response to Apple’s updates, Facebook is going to start processing pixel conversion events from iOS devices using Aggregated Event Measurement. This is in an attempt to assist advertisers in reaching their goals of preserving user privacy while also running effective campaigns.
The update requires apps to ask users for permission to collect and share data. Doesn’t seem like much but just like the first domino in the line, this is one small change, that’s leading to one big impact!
Apple’s policy will result in certain data collection and sharing methods being restricted unless users choose to opt into tracking via the prompt. (Which seems unlikely.)
As the number of people not electing to let an app track them increases, our ability to report on performance and our ad personalisation capability will decrease.
Facebook will be limiting its pixel events to 8 per domain. As a result, advertisers will have a reduced understanding of the actions people take on their website. As more people opt-out of tracking, data received from pixel events such as purchases, add to carts and lead submissions won’t be recorded to the same level of detail.
Notably, pixel events will still be sent to the Events Manager but only 8 can be used for optimisations. The events that aren't in the top 8 priority can still be used to create custom audiences in future campaigns.
Facebook will initially configure the conversion events they believe are the most relevant to your business based on your activity. All other events will be made inactive for campaign optimisation and reporting.
Subsequently, the following ad objectives will be affected;
● App installs
● Lead generation
● Conversions
● Catalog Sales
A result of the pixel modifications is that the audiences that are created based on pixel events and retargeting audiences may potentially reduce in size, as gradually less data will be recorded about them.
As more devices update to iOS 14, the size of your retargeting audiences may decrease.
This is the big one. Firstly, real-time reporting has been impacted as data may be delayed up to 3 days. Secondly, we're no longer able to see breakdowns such as age, gender and region within the ad platform. This means that it’ll be harder to identify trends and manually optimise campaigns. However, on the bright side, Facebook will automatically optimise campaigns towards those trends.
Managing expectations as these changes are implemented will be the key to success here. As reporting changes, it’s important to recognise that performance might not be dropping just the ability report on old benchmarks has changed.
Currently, There is a variety of attribution windows however, the 28-day click-through, 28-day view-through, and 7-day view-through will no longer be supported, and will be changed for all users to the following options:
● 7-day click (the new default)
● 1-day click
● 1-day click and 1-day view
● 7-day click and 1-day view
That’s a big change from the window that we used to be able to report on. This is going to impact all e-commerce clients but will be more impactful if your customers spend more time thinking than buying (problematic the longer your product consideration period is!)
If there’s one thing digital marketing has taught us at DataSauce, it’s to expect the unexpected. Ultimately, customer behaviour isn’t changing it’s the way report that behaviour.
Whilst new information is still being provided surrounding the update, we have been preparing our staff and clients for this new wave of marketing.
Even though it might not seem like it immediately, change is good. If you’re not changing, you’re not growing! This isn’t the apocalypse, it’s digital marketing! This sauce is about to get a lot spicier 🔥🔥
For more information: click here
2022 is rife with potential. We’ve spent a while looking at the trends forecast, so here’s our market-eology breakdown on what’s to be expected for the coming year.
Investment banking company Goldman Sachs is expecting strong global growth in the coming quarters, with the global GDP likely to rise 4.5 per cent.
As recovery continues swiftly through stimulus package support; things like personal loans, business loans and credit card interests are reduced.
And while the Reserve Bank had planned to begin increasing interest rates, wage price data recently released from the Australia Bureau of Statistics could delay these plans. The statistics found that wage prices have risen by just 0.7 per cent, failing to outpace inflation.
Which arrives us at the consumer: with low interest rates, consumers are ready to spend.
The 2022 consumer is more digital, more health-conscious, more eco-friendly, more price-sensitive and more local than previous years.
In their annual global consumer survey, PwC noted that the pandemic has facilitated a dramatic and historic shift in consumer behaviour:
As the word ‘unprecedented’ became more common than tea-drinkers in the UK, we adapted to our new and weird world in one specific way: spending.
And while concerns over health, the environment and the economy have always been of concern for consumers in recent years, the demand for action is greater.
Considering the 2022 consumer is more eco-friendly than ever, it stands to reason that the same demand for sustainability is reflected in 2022 trends.
For consumers, our decision making has changed. The importance of value for money is being overtaken by the alignment to our values as people.
Having a mission-led brand that extends beyond the bottom line, but with a core belief and principle is a driving force in our current climate. This means addressing core issues such as sustainability, inclusivity and diversity.
However, it’s also important to note that as the supply chain becomes strained to its limits - thanks to a shift in demand for products, a global shipping container imbalance, and changing shipping routes - it’s important to communicate well with your consumers about these challenges.
More than 90 per cent of Aussies used their mobile phones for online shopping in 2020.
In the US, mobile commerce had a 53.9 per cent share in e-commerce at the end of 2021.
And globally, it’s forecasted that over 70 per cent of internet users will only access websites with mobile devices before we ring in the new year for 2025.
To cut to the chase: if you haven’t optimised your website’s experience for mobile, it's time to give your fave UX designer a buzz.
Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statics reported that nearly 30 per cent of Australians were born overseas.
In 2022, reflecting our diverse landscape in our marketing strategies is not only important, but demanded by the consumer.
Consumers want to see advertising that is optimised for their needs, and not big-blanket campaigns. That’s where targeted ads and marketing strategies come into play!
There's no better way to do it structured flows for your email audiences that are highly segmented is just one of the ways to take advantage of this trend.
New data has shown that location-based marketing is 20x more effective than standard ads.
Brands can use geofencing to deliver personalised messages to a very small set of individuals who are more likely to buy. Location-based marketing has been found to be 20x more effective than standard ads. This reduces marketing spend. Budget is not wasted on prospects who are less likely to result in a sale.
If your business runs ads in different cities, one city may have a different lifetime value. If you’re able to calculate the lifetime value of each city, then you can target the city with a higher lifetime value with a more expensive product, as the data would show there’s a higher chance of conversion from that audience.
Consumers are buying more in-app, social platforms like Instagram and TikTok and even in live streams whilst remaining on the platform.
For Gen Z online shoppers, social media ads are the most popular channel for new brand/product discovery. These young consumers are 36 per cent more likely to discover new products or brands through social media ads than boomers who shop online, with growth in social commerce and influencer marketing being key contributors.
POV: You’re a fashion-interested user scrolling on TikTok, when you come across a new influencer with amazing blue pants. You click their profile, which directs you to their Instagram page, and after two posts find the dream blue pants, which the influencer has kindly tagged. You click the boutique’s profile, find the pants on their Instagram boutique, and bam:
Without having a single visit to the brand's website, you’ve made a purchase.
More and more brands are realising the value of user-generated content and putting in measures to scale it. In a similar realm to Influencer Marketing, the power of UGC lies within the validity of the consumer.
Important as Gen Z requires far more social proofing before they commit to a purchase. More pragmatic and analytical about their decisions than members of previous generations, Gen Z’s inherent skepticism means that UGC and influencer marketing leverages the influencer's strong following, to give brands the seal of approval.
But it’s not just Gen Z: according to a survey conducted by Stackla, only 19 per cent of consumers find brand-created content authentic.
The survey also found that 56 per cent of consumers are more influenced by social posts when online shopping than during pre-pandemic times.
Meta, anyone? According to Forbes, 85 million people used augmented or virtual reality in 2021 alone.
Of course, this trend isn’t explicit to virtual reality - you don’t need to go out and buy VR headsets for all of your employees.
Rather, it’s about creating hybrid events and experiences which allow for greater connection.
For example, hosting an in-person event with the ability for customers to experience the event virtually - as simple as live-streaming on Instagram, this hybrid allows us to reach a larger audience of potential customers.
It’s a hard but unflappable truth for businesses: we trust people more than brands.
So it’s really no wonder that in the US alone, influencer commerce is expected to grow by 24.9 per cent this year.
In 2022, influencers don't just push consumers to the bottom of the funnel - they drive them there, contributing to quantifiable conversions. The benefits? Bigger audiences, brand awareness, swaying target customers’ purchasing decisions, and improving brand loyalty and trust.
Which segues nicely into our next trend, the home of the influencer: micro-communities.
The brilliance of TikTok - and what trend forecasters believe is what makes it so popular - is its ability to segment and create niche communities.
Social media is a vast, expansive place with so much going on at all times, and these communities cut through the noise to provide smaller, interest-focused groups.
Popularised during a time where human connection was lacking in a way we’ve never experienced before (global pandemic, anyone?), these communities give a sense of belonging to users, by connecting them to like-minded individuals with shared interests.
These subcultures are only going to grow. Being an early adopter of these communities is so valuable - as it allows your brand to become synonymous with, and gives you the advantage of breaking into an untapped market.
Consumable content is all about short-form content that’s authentic and entertaining.
TikTok’s mega-popularity has fast-tracked the democratisation of the internet - anyone can go viral.
Brands no longer need a billion-dollar budget to create impactful content. As simple as pulling out your phone and using a trending sound to convey your brand’s world, consumable content is all about connecting with your audience.
Now, there’s a myth we’re dying to bust at DataSauce. General marketing advice will say that our attention span is shorter than a goldfish - so the shorter, the better.
This is a bit of a red herring. Our attention span isn’t shorter, but your time frame to connect with your audience is shorter.
It’s all about filtering - with the over-saturation and noise of the internet, our brains have become super speedy at filtering through all of the stuff that gets thrown at us.
So, it becomes less about making everything you create 2 seconds long, but rather grabbing the right audience’s attention - quickly, and cleverly. Then you've got all the time in the world*.
* If all the time in the world is three minutes long
During an immense time of global upheaval, nostalgia has become the backbone of sanity. Within the first month of the global pandemic, the volume of the terms “nostalgia” and “nostalgic” grew by 40 per cent.
From ABBA’s revival to the F.R.I.E.N.D.S’ reunion, to the Y2K comeback; going back to the past is a highly effective way to keep up with the present.
Cross-generational marketing
Baby boomers have $2.6 trillion in buying power. Gen Xers earn more than any other generation. Millennials have a lot of spending power.
So, while Gen Z may be the digital natives, it’s important to not neglect older generations from your digital strategy.
So as they say, that’s all folks.
After almost a decade at Carsales, Kento Nishimatsu really puts the pedal to the metal by joining the DataSauce team as our Head of Search. According to Kento, returning to the dark side - otherwise known as agency life - was refreshing and exciting.
He also said that he hopes to “provide expert advice on all things paid search whilst driving desired results for clients’ marketing success.”
Head of Digital, Tzvi Balbin, said that having “Kento a part of the DataSauce family is beyond exciting. Our ethos, to push the boundaries together in order to re-define the digital world, just got a mighty heave with the help of his expertise and ambition”.
And as a plate of Glick’s bagels magically appeared (Kento’s new vice at DS), he suddenly had this to say about the DataSauce team:
“The team at DataSauce is vibrant, smart and hard-working. They really strive to do their best for the clients and it feels rewarding to be empowering these guys by adding another layer of strength to their service offering”.
Hey, we'll take it.
Kento’s addition to the DataSauce team brings us one step closer to the greater scheme of pushing the boundaries + transforming the digital marketing space (you heard it here first!).
With so much online noise these days, it can feel near impossible to cut through. But what if we told you there was a cheap way to triple your clicks and build brand trust - trust being today’s strongest currency?
User-generated content (UGC) campaigns stand out as a refreshing and authentic take on business-to-consumer marketing.
Here’s why UGC is so powerful, and how you can use it to drive growth.
What is User-Generated Content?
While traditional advertising still has its place (especially for targeting cold audiences), UGC has become the go-to strategy for expanding organic reach and increasing conversions and engagement. Its success ties in with the powerful appeal of social proof.
From our old tribal days gathered around fires, humans have been addicted to stories for their ability to teach from lived experiences.
That’s why we rely so much on online reviews before making purchase decisions – we want to know what we can expect to manage our risk, and want to feel safe whenever our money is spent.
Fun fact: 84% of people trust online reviews as much as friends.
UGC marketing is where brands collate positive customer and brand experiences as they’re shared online. In doing so, they show greater brand authenticity and reliability because it highlights everyday people sharing unscripted, relatable content that connects with other similar, everyday people.
"But unpolished content won't fit my brand..."
We hear this objection a lot but authenticity is the key to consumer trust. And 90% of consumers trust user-generated content more than traditional ads.
Don't just take our word on it though – trust the data (it never lies).
Here’s a highlights reel of show-stopping comparisons from when we helped our clients shift from traditional assets to UGC.
What are the types of UGC?
UGC content tends to be split into two arms: visual content, and customer reviews or ratings.
Visual UGC looks like:
Customer Reviews & Ratings look like:
Due to basic trust, greater recall than other ‘staged’ forms, and general presence in our everyday lives, UGC has become one of the most influential types of content.
How to get UGC?
So, now that you’re wriggling with excitement and a strong sense of possibility, here are some simple and effective ways to get UGC working for your marketing strategy - whether you’re in the business of services or products, homeware, haircare or menswear.
1. Talk to DataSauce!
We have a whole range of tools and influencer connections that make it easy for us to get your user generated content on tap. If you don’t have the time, resources, or know-how, this is definitely your best option for putting together an effective campaign that delivers you top results.
2. Hashtag Contests and/or Trends
Create a unique hashtag and invite your fans and customers to play along. Fashion brand, Review started a campaign with its #ReviewGirl tag, encouraging customers to share snaps of themselves styling their outfits in everyday life.
3. Reshare Creator Content
We’ve all been to a café and snapped our gourmet eggs benny and vat of coffee. If employees or customers tag you in a post or story, jump on the opportunity to reshare their content on your account (noting it’s courteous to request their permission to do so).
4. Encourage employees and customers to leave reviews wherever possible
The lowest hanging fruit. You can try incentivising your existing database with rewards points or gift cards to boost your response rate. From there, pull these reviews and use them in your social media content, in your email campaigns, and across your website and sales pages. The possibilities are endless!
While it may be tempting to throw caution to the wind and jump in with no holds barred, your UGC campaigns will perform best when they are tied to strategic goals and objectives.
If you’d like help putting a powerful UGC strategy and content together so you'd start achieving similar results to our clients, get in touch.
We’re stoked to announce that DataSauce is part of the first ever group of AUNZ Partners listed as an International Growth Expert on Google’s Market Finder website.
We all know that Google is the ultimate in data and insights. As a listed Premier Google Partner agency, we get exclusive access to their proprietary insights tools and resources that help us best support our clients’ international scaling and growth plans.
Google Partners International Growth Acceleration Program provides international growth training sessions, tools and strategic insights on possible market expansion opportunities. As a result, we’re able to drive stronger returns for our Australian clients when creating their online campaigns for new markets.
As our Head of Search, Kento Nishimatsu explains, “iGAP helps us as advertisers fast track our clients’ success overseas. Google’s tools provide valuable tips and recommendations specific to each market and industry which can dramatically improve conversion rates.”
Since the lockdowns, eCommerce has exploded in Australia. The drastic change in consumer behaviour forced many businesses online for good. But the fast pivot has served them well, with revenue from eCommerce now surpassing brick-and-mortar sales.
“With the irreversible change COVID-19 has made to the way people shop online, there’s no better time for Australian businesses to expand internationally. These insights help make that opportunity all the more advantageous.” - Kento Nishimatsu
According to recent research by Amazon Australia, one in three Australian SMBs have recently launched or plan to expand into new countries within the next two years. Given that many comparable markets might now be more accessible to them, it could prove to be a lucrative opportunity.
With the right tools and marketing strategy, it’s easier than ever for Australian businesses to successfully expand into new markets. But if the thought of international growth has you feeling overwhelmed and stuck on where to start, get in touch. Our experts can guide you.
It’s 2022 and with the introduction of Apple’s operating software, iO14.5, the best practices for Facebook Ads has shifted tremendously - if you’re experiencing the impact of lower conversion rates, it may be time to shake up your FB ads practices.
If you want to continue boosting brand awareness, reaching wider audiences, and attracting qualified leads on Facebook, you’ll not only have to invest in the platform’s advertising offerings, you’ll also have to be more creative with your efforts.
Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’re giving you the secret sauce to achieving mouth-watering conversions.
Now this is an important one - because iOS 14.5 allows users to opt-out of 3rd party tracking (which you can read about here), Facebook Ads Manager has less insights and less real-time data available.
Server-side tracking services are different softwares that you can integrate into FB ads manager as another way of accessing information on ad traffic - which ads are more profitable, where your customers are coming from, what actions are being taken etc.
How's this done? Well, the website's server (rather than the browser) tracks what actions users take on the site (purchase, lead, add to cart), and sends this information back to Facebook.
While most of these server-side tracking services come at an additional cost, having access to this kind of information is invaluable for any online business, and something we strongly recommend to almost all of our account partnerships.
When creating your Ads Manager account, ensure that all assets attributed to the account are owned by your business.
This is something that’s super important when you’re first setting up your business's ad account, particularly if an agency is setting it up.
Why’s that? Well, if you decide to part ways with that agency, transferring ownership back to your business is an arduous task - and can result in you being unable to access your own data!
Take a leaf out of your mum’s book: Take ownership of your assets with the same scrupulous dedication she had when labelling all of your socks before school camp.
The reasoning behind this one is pretty straightforward - you need to be reaching all of your audiences, especially ones that are easy to reach.
These pools of people are your low-hanging fruit - they’ve already shown interest in your business or product, so continuing to nurture their customer journey through retargeting is a sure-fire and easy way to increase conversions.
Importantly, make sure you’re retargeting across all of your campaign types (instant experiences, videos, etc.)
Consumers are increasingly watching videos on Facebook. Optimising your videos is super important, and you should be taking every opportunity to add more content to your ad campaigns - which you can do through custom thumbnails.
Thumbnails act as previews to your videos - so pick images that are scroll-stoppers, and make someone stick around long enough to watch your video.
Another hot tip: Test thumbnails to see which ones are the most effective.
Your creative gets used across a range of platforms - make sure that you’ve made different versions which fit the correct formatting of Instagram stories, FB etc. This helps maximising visual appearance.
As unprofessional as wearing hot pink chaps to work, having stretched out/ ill-fitting campaigns make your ads unreadable, and your business appear a bit amateurish.
How to avoid it? Follow the 4x5 and 9x16 placement formatting, and always make different versions of the same creative.
Q: Why are questions so enticing?
A: They engage the audience! If you’re asking a question directly, you’re personalising the ad directly to the user reading.
The best ones can be obvious - ie. tired of back pain? The customer reads this and thinks “yes!”.
Engaging users like this creates a more personalised experience between you and your potential customer, directly relating your product to their lifestyle, or relating your product as the solution to their personal problem.
You can also be a bit sensationalist - “Did you know that 100% of people love our product?”
But keep in mind when writing these questions to follow the character limits:
Headline: 40 Characters
Body Text: 125 characters (bit more leeway here, but most enticing info should be within the first 125 characters)
Preview: 30 characters
Have a really good video and a really good audience?
You should be using the cost capping bidding strategy. This allows you to stabilise your cost per acquisition.
Let us explain further:
Let's say you don’t want to pay more than $50 for a purchase, but CPAs are high - adding cost capping avoids overspend, so you're ROAS doesn't crash.
But, remember to gather enough data before you add a maximum- ie., pre-empt your costs. If you need a fixed ROAS, and understand what your AOV is, then you can determine your ad spend, and set the cost capping in place.
Use Google Analytics to gain greater insight to your online marketing campaigns - including Facebook ads.
This has become even more important since the introduction of iOS 14.5, as you won’t get that same data as before.
Urchin Tracking Module parameters, or UTMS, are five variants of URL parameters used to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns across traffic sources.
This way, you can see where your customers are coming from, and where they’re converting along the funnel - so you’ll be able to see if your FB ads are working the way you want them to.
Create targeting rules that exclude people who have purchased. This way you can re-target people who have visited your site and taken action, but have not completed a purchase.
For example, you could set up a targeting rule that excludes purchases from your website in the past 30 days.
Instant Experiences turn your ads into interactive, immersive digital experiences on mobile. Audiences can watch videos, swipe through carousels, complete a form and quickly view your products.
Using instant experiences on FB is a super engaging way to promote your products, as it give a power-punch of your business’s brand identity, without leaving FB.
Why's that important you ask? In the days of iOS 14.5, we we don't have the same access to data when tracking external website. Instant experiences let you mirror an external experience while being able to track users behaviour - which means you can re-target your audiences effectively and see what's making an impact.
So there you have it, 10 best practices for FB Ads. Need more help? it's time to call in the experts (that's us!) and see if working with an agency is the right fit for your business.
TikTok isn’t just for silly dance moves and viral #challenges. It’s become the world’s fastest growing and most engaged social platform. Last month, a whopping nine million Australians spent, on average, 23 hours on TikTok per month. And with 167 million videos watched in one internet minute, is it any wonder it’s become the marketer’s favourite tool?
In 2022, brands who aren’t marketing on TikTok are leaving money on the table. Here’s an overview of TikTok’s user base and marketing potential.
Who’s using TikTok?
As of January 2022, TikTok has 1 billion active monthly users. While there are slightly more females using the app (59% compared to 39% males, and 2% identifying as other), the gap has been closing.
It has a reputation for being favoured by younger generations, but you’ll find it’s quickly becoming a cross-generational favourite.
*Source: Business of Apps
TikTok's Superpower... #Reach
Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok accounts with zero followers can still acquire millions of views on their videos - thanks to the viral nature of its very generous algorithm. But in addition to its expansive reach, is its potential for generating sales.
As the top app for consumer spend, TikTok’s eCom highlights are:
Consumer spending on TikTok has even led to the creation of its own hashtag: #tiktokmademebuyit
With 10 billion+ views and mega brands like L’Oréal partnering with TikTok to create #tiktokmademebuyit sales campaigns, you don't need us to tell you that potential here is enormous!
See how DataSauce used TikTok to boost website traffic at a high CTR for Karst.
TikTok users can discover videos through the use of hashtags and its seemingly all-knowing, personalised algorithm. The videos and profiles that perform especially well are known for their engagement factor and authenticity (a broad growing trend across social media).
Here are a few ways you can make the most of marketing on TikTok:
Collaborate with creators / influencers
One study shows that influencers on TikTok have an engagement rate of 17.96%, while the same figures for Instagram and YouTube stand at 3.86% and 1.63% respectively.
Influencers put your brand in front of their engaged audiences. People who follow influencers trust their opinions and recommendations, saving you the effort of reaching out, engaging and building brand trust for yourself. It’s a bit like street cred by association.
Begin or join hashtag trends
One of the reasons TikTok videos go viral so easily is because of all the ever-evolving trends and challenges. Businesses can design their own hashtag challenge to encourage user generated content, which can then promote your brand organically and virally!
Like all social media platforms, hashtags help you reach an audience organically. So, you could also choose to tap into trending hashtags and throw your brand into the mix to be seen by others playing along.
Start a branded channel (but keep it real)
Staged videos and corporate propaganda don’t fly. Which is really a good thing, because spontaneous user-generated content is far cheaper to make and highly effective. Think content like product demos (e.g. innovative cleaning products or skin care), life hacks (#learnontiktok), and behind-the-scenes footage of product development or processes people aren’t used to seeing.
And if it’s unique or interesting, it could be picked up as a trend, advancing your reach and appeal.
Want to see how your brand can leverage organic and paid advertising on TikTok? Get in touch.
I may not have years of varied internship experiences under my belt to substantiate this claim, but I’ll say it regardless: All other placements pale in comparison to working at DataSauce. Not because of specific perks or the boosting of your CV – which most opportunities equally provide – but because of an exceptional culture and people reminiscent of the vibes in a comfort TV sitcom. Filled to the brim with talent, support, inside jokes and (if I’m being unabashedly honest) a very attractive team, the DataSauce difference is palpable from your first day…
And I got all that through a screen.
Thanks to our new, super uncool friend: The Pandemic, I was stuck in Singapore throughout the course of my internship. From June to August, I became the willing guinea pig of DataSauce’s first offshore, newly revamped internship program. Literally no testimonial gets more reliable than this.
Unlike others I’ve done, the interview process at DataSauce was significantly different. Right on the spot, I was asked to do an aptitude test (while screen-sharing) and my answers were reviewed after. We analysed my thought processes in a way that identified personal strengths, albeit intimidatingly given the complete lack of forewarning. Nonetheless, an interview like that gave DataSauce an air of professionalism. It was well-organised, interesting, and not at all slipshod – a sneak peek of my experience to come because DataSauce always puts in the effort.
Whether it’s helping you grow, learn or assimilate into their family, interns are so appreciated here, and it’s hard to imagine a safer space facilitating one’s transition from academia to professional work.
There was no one moment I felt lost nor confused. Weeks before the commencement of my formal internship, expectations were already laid out for me alongside certain tools and platforms (e.g. Slack, Productive, Facebook Blueprint) which enabled developmental opportunities from the get-go. Poppy, DataSauce’s brilliant Operations Coordinator, equipped me with every resource I’d need, and such a smooth onboarding experience truly makes you rethink the possibilities of remote programs.
I knew where to go for help, advice, or just a quick chat, and thoroughly understood all my tasks and position. They even properly introduced me to the team and office via the unparalleled powers of Google Meet, and if I could further applaud DataSauce’s efficiency and dedication, I would.
In my first day alone, I learnt as much as I would’ve over 3-4 weeks’ worth of online tutorials. Beyond liaising with Aaron, my incredibly patient supervisor, on daily plans and lessons, Poppy scheduled time for me to chat with other members of the DataSauce team vis-à-vis their respective expertise. By the end of June, I acquired deeper insight into the intricacies behind advertising in a digital marketplace.
My tasks included:
☑︎ Building Facebook ad campaigns
☑︎ Client & competitor research
☑︎ Problem solving & optimisation of accounts
☑︎ Shadowing & attending client WIPs
☑︎ Lunch & Learn sessions
These were all very hands-on activities I never got from Zoom university classes, and each workday fuelled a burning desire within me to yell at prior employers for constantly pulling the “we can’t help you because you’re overseas” card. Further proof that DataSauce reigns supreme, but I digress.
The halfway mark of my internship was incidentally also my birthday, and I’m only bringing this up to evince the genuine thoughtfulness characteristic of the DataSauce team. Although 6,080km stood between Balaclava and I, Shai – the General Manager – went out of his way to mail over a massive box of products and company merch.
Talk about inclusivity and the beauty of international shipping. In addition to those taught in June, I also expanded my skill-sets with newer tasks in July:
☑︎ Data reporting & analytics
☑︎ Automated email & Mailchimp integration
☑︎ Commerce manager & Shopify
☑︎ TikTok marketing strategies
☑︎ Google ads search certification
Calling this eventful would be an understatement. My last week as a digital marketing intern coincided with the launch of DataSauce’s new website, the onboarding of new clients, and involved several miscellaneous tests. All during my so-called deadline Hell Week in school.
I was overwhelmed, anxious and stressed out of my mind, but oddly found my DataSauce workload the least maddening of all responsibilities. It even felt like respite away from the plethora of other matters demanding attention, which really goes to show how crucial enjoying your work is – something DataSauce ignites to a degree I can hardly comprehend.
Naturally, the scope of tasks I tackled in August grew as well:
☑︎ Structured internal marketing
☑︎ Copywriting & creative planning
☑︎ Building Pinterest ad campaigns
☑︎ Proposals & pitches
☑︎ Influencer strategies & briefs
With little hand-holding and far more independence, this is another key facet of a DataSauce role. You’re given mutual respect, trust and freedom to define your own experience and breathe life into your ideas, amid an environment that is kind toward failure and kinder toward success.
These views may only reflect the stance of one former digital marketing intern (turned employee, hooray!) an ocean away, but are entirely honest and totally not a product of being offered a job.
TL;DR: I think DataSauce is great.
Understanding the behaviour of online shoppers is one of the most vital parts - if not the most vital part - of any e-commerce business.
In our recent survey, we asked just under 1,000 Australians about their online shopping habits.
The results are in - and there’s some pretty fascinating stuff to take away. Need to make some key business decisions? Take a scroll through some of our insights, or let the pie charts do the talking.
Regardless of gender or age, Australians are planning to shop more online in the next 12 months.
This really should come as no surprise to anyone, considering the exponential growth of all e-commerce businesses, expedited by the pandemic.
Our takeaway? Your target audience is definitely out there - if you’re not finding them, it’s time to find a new approach to reaching them.
Fast/free shipping was the most popular incentive for online shoppers.
With so much competition out there, having free and fast shipping is certainly a compelling advantage to have a part of your e-commerce business.
Other key takeaways include the importance of a well-designed website, discounts on first orders, and customer reviews.
...At least according to our survey responders.
This is an interesting one, considering that PayPal just made their ‘pay in 4-instalments’ available to Australians, and Apple just announced that they’re working on their own BNPL service.
Surprisingly, Gen Zs’ and Gen Xs’ were the generations that found BNPL the least compelling e-commerce feature, with only 1% of survey users from both generations ranking it as a #1 incentive.
BNPL was the most enticing feature for Baby Boomers, with 4% citing it as the #1 incentive for online shopping.
Overwhelmingly, 64% of survey respondents ranked BNPL as the least important online shopping feature.
So, if you’ve got BNPL, it certainly won’t be harming your business - but if it’s not currently viable for your business, it most likely won’t be a deal breaker for your shoppers.
While technology is a highly popular online shopping category for males, females and non-binary folk, fashion and apparel was mostly popular for those who identify as female.
63% of male respondents purchase technology online, while 68% of female respondents purchase fashion and apparel online.
19% of Gen Zs’ ranked customer reviews as the #1 incentive for online shopping.
In other words, Gen Zs’ care about social proofing: As the generation raised with the internet, they’re inherently skeptical, and want proof of a product’s value before they commit to a purchase.
Top trick? Don't just include the good reviews - show how you're committed to improving by taking on all forms of feedback. It'll add to your brand's trustworthiness, as well as the reliability of the positive reviews.
When it comes to purchasing new products online, the OG marketplaces are the place to go for Aussies.
If we were to take a educated guess at why (we are digital marketing experts, after all), we’d say that it's because Amazon and eBay have spent a lot of time and money establishing themselves as a trustworthy business, letting customer reviews be a strong component of their business modelling, and simplifying the search.
Beyond this, their subscription services - Amazon Prime and eBay Plus - allow for fast and free shipping. They’ve also taken the hard work out of finding a product - it’s as simple as typing keywords into their search bar.
Now if you’re a small business you may be thinking - ok, and?
Take a few pages straight out of eBay and Amazon’s book:
Online shoppers want to find new products they're searching for quickly, easily + without any guesswork. Implement this into your e-comm business with a streamlined web design that prioritises usability on both desktop and mobile.
You could have the best product in the world - but if it's hard to reach, your customers won't stick around to convert.
The buzz of ApplePay and GooglePay has yet to overtake credit cards or PayPal as the preferred payment method.
While PayPal is popular across all age groups, it is used less by younger generations.
55% BabyBoomers, 57% of Gen Xs, 50% of Millennials and 43% of Gen Zs use the online financial service.
PayPal is preferred by older generations, with younger age groups less inclined to use the encrypted payment method.
Comparatively, ApplePay and GooglePay are most actively used by younger generations - used by nearly half of Gen Z shoppers, but only 7% of Baby Boomers.
Males were more on the fence about starting online subscription services, suggesting that they’d need more convincing before they committed to a subscription.
So, if you’ve got a product that primarily targets male shoppers, it'd be worthwhile spending time to highlight the pain points that your subscription service address.
So there you have it.
Of course, this is only scratching the surface of the data - if you want further info, specific insights, or even some expert digital marketing advice, get in contact with the DataSauce team today.
Since its release in September, Apple’s privacy update to their email software, known as Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), has posed a challenge for accurate data collection.
Introduced to protect users’ information from being accessed, Apple has declared MPP as the “latest innovations in [their] legacy of privacy leadership”.
The software is designed to block the pixels which records when users open emails.
They introduced MPP along with its App Tracking Transparency software, as the tech giant continues its strategy of positioning itself as a privacy-driven company.
The update began rolling out mid-September of 2021, first as an update with the iOS15 release.
It is now available across all new operating software across Apple’s range of products, which includes iOS15, iPad0S 15, macOS Monterey and watch OS8.
Which means that if a user is using Apple mail on their iPhone, iPad, Macbook, or Apple Watch, they can choose to activate the privacy setting.
MPP is a simple opt-in users can choose when opening the Apple Mail app, which can be configured to most email accounts.
It has the potential to affect a large majority of customers, as, according to recent data published by email marketing software Litmus, Apple Mail pulls in more than 48 per cent of email client market share.
When a user opts-in, Apple doesn’t deliver emails directly to users. Instead, the emails are sent through an Apple-managed proxy server, which preloads every email.
Pixels, which are attached to emails, include a URL which tells the tracking system if an email has been opened.
On opened email events labeled 'Apple Privacy Open' which, when used, will allow you to segment customers based on whether or not your opens came from MPP.
The thinking behind this system is simple: Only opened emails (ones that users manually interact with) will download the images and trigger this tracking process.
The number of downloads of that tracking pixel, then, represents the number of users who opened the email and the number of times they read it.
Need expert advice for your email marketing?
The first hurdle is deciding whether to hire an in-house internal marketing team or an agency.
While we’d love the answer to be as clear cut as ‘always hire an agency’ - we are, after all, an agency (and a good one at that 😉), it’s a bit more complicated than that:
Just like marketing is an art and not a science, what will work best for you and your business is totally dependent on your company’s needs.
There truly isn’t a formula, and there may be different stages of your business where you may need different support - which may include having both internal and external capabilities.
In light of this, we thought instead of giving you an answer, we’d help break down the benefits and structure of each, so you can make your own decisions.
To put it as simply as possible, marketing teams promote, sell, and distribute a product or service. Depending on the size and type of your business, you may need a whole team or one or two employees to fulfil these needs.
Your digital marketing team, ideally, would work together to create compelling campaigns and programs that grow the business.
The responsibilities are wide, but include:
Analysing data, website optimisation, email marketing, maintaining listings across e-commerce platforms, coordinating with sales teams to create marketing campaigns, social media management, brand strategy and more.
Marketing is a collaborative discipline by nature, so there will always be some overlap between roles, and again, depends on the size of your business. Some in-house roles include:
Ah, agencies. Filled with tech nerds, offices that look like adult playgrounds, and acronyms like ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) that get thrown around in every meeting. And hey, we’re no different - but at least we’re self-aware.
The capabilities and structure of digital marketing agencies differ from place to place, some that focus purely on the strategy side of marketing, others that focus on the design/content side, and then there’s ones like us that do it all.
Some key services of digital marketing agencies include:
At DataSauce, we build our teams around our clients and their needs. Each client sits within a squad of digital marketers, each with varying talents - whether it be paid search, social, design, communications and more.
The needs of our clients are diverse - we have some that we do the full monty for, others where we purely do ad buying, and others where we develop their online presence through organic content and SEO optimisation.
Flexibility is a bonus of digital marketing agencies. As our clients grow, we grow with them, which might mean amping up our responsibilities, or toning them down.
Our advice for this one is pretty simple: look for agencies that don’t BS, have proven and consistent results from a range of clients, and that most importantly you click with.
Building a partnership is the key - you’re trusting an agency to put your business first, so make sure you’re sure that they can get the job done.
Ready to learn more about DataSauce? Get in touch for a chat today.
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