Our Authors

Sebastian Redenz

Head of Paid Social

About this Author

As Head of Paid Social, Sebastian is an ambassador for iProspect and the performance media industry. Sebastian works closely with the wider team to implement innovative and strategic paid social solutions that deliver the very best results for our clients.

Back to Basics: Facebook Analytics

What are Facebook Analytics? When thinking of media within a business context, a client is likely to have either Awareness or Direct Response objectives. In this post we'll look at Direct Response (D.R.) specifically, which entails sending people to destination websites where they embark on their onsite consumer journey. Within D.R. an onsite consumer journey usually starts with browsing through websites or a shop catalogue, and ends with the confirmation of a website purchase. With Facebook delivering about 20% of referral traffic to websites, there is an attractive opportunity to optimise the onsite consumer journey by leveraging data of the Facebook Analytics suite, which essentially is a set of tools that aggregates data on how people behave on a website. All big media owners in paid social meanwhile offer a 'Pixel' but one can yield the most insights from the Facebook Pixel. At iProspect, we help our clients by advising on the Pixel and making sense of the insights generated to inform future optimisations. How should you use Facebook Analytics? Brands should follow three simple steps to get actionable insights on their prospects and customers: Segmentation: As Facebook has a lot of data points on people (age, gender, location, job) and affinity related information (likes), it is worth understanding if there are patterns of connected data points. These patterns can be used to segment people into distinct audiences by using custom conversion points, which finally can be used as custom audiences for advertising. Defining a purchase funnel: This means using funnel steps such as Page Views, Add to Cart or Purchases and defining a maximum amount of time of a person to complete the funnel (i.e. an hour or a day). Funnels can be setup from a simple three-step process to a very detailed 15-step process. Keep in mind: the more granular, the richer the insight. Monitor and optimise: After a funnel has been created, it's time to collect data to understand what purchase metrics and retention looks like and at what stages of the funnel there is opportunity to optimise. An opportunity is to deploy Test & Learn scenarios where small tweaks get rolled out and tested, i.e. different angles on product photos, varying font sizes or streamlining conversion goals. Whenever a test is deployed, look at how it impacts the consumer journey and the conversion rate. Summary Clicking through to a brand website is a powerful signal of intent and by using Facebook Analytics, it is possible to harvest deep insights about the clicking audiences identified through the Facebook Pixel and segment them. By running tests tied to consumer journey optimisation, marketers can ultimately improve higher throughput in realised conversions. 0 3 min read

Here for the Challenge: Three Female Leaders In Paid Social Share Their Thoughts for #IWD2018

The media is an industry which is in a perpetual state of disruption from which performance media channels like Paid Social have emerged in recent years. Working in Paid Social means interacting on a daily basis with companies like Google and Facebook, who are among the fastest moving businesses in the world. The speed of innovation is relentless and so is the need to deliver quickly for clients. Of the eight Account Directors in Paid Social currently within iProspect London & Stafford, six of them are women, who manage client portfolios leading strategy and investment recommendations worth millions of pounds. In honour of International Women's Day 2018, I spoke to three of them to learn a bit more about their thoughts and hopes for women in the future. "I love how fast paced the channel is. There is always something new to challenge yourself with, whether it is new technologies, placements or even just new ways of running campaigns to make them even more efficient. I am always learning and developing myself," says Catherine Chappell, a Paid Social Account Director. When asked what brands are leading the way in terms of highlighting gender equality right now, she highlights: "When I was working as a consultant a few years ago, I was a mentor for a new business called Digital Mums. They have since gone on to launch #flexappeal which is all about making workplaces agile to allow working Mums to get a great work life balance. Their campaigns tend to follow flash mob style campaigns which are broadcast on social." Vasiliki Bloore is a Paid Social Account Director with more than six years of experience in the field, which qualifies her as an industry veteran, who helped deliver this practice since its early days. She has chosen to work in Paid Social "because it stimulates my creativity, inspires me on a daily basis and never stops challenging me." "One of the main challenges that women face today is finding the work-life balance. Women are expected to be mothers, wives, daughters, and play many other roles while working hard for their career development. Often finding this balance is challenging, but within the right work environment, women can achieve it all." At iProspect, providing a work environment that delivers for its people is a priority. Jessica Whitney, Paid Social Account Director based in Stafford, adds to this: "iProspect provides a very positive environment for advancement, which is also on a level playing field.'' Jessica joined iProspect in 2014 and has progressed quickly within the network since then. "International Women’s Day, to me, is day which reminds us of the strength and determination of women (and many men too) to challenge and change the status quo. And to change it for the better,'' she said. ''It’s a reminder that when you’re faced with challenges – whether that be on a personal level, at school or at work, whether you’re a man, woman, or transgender – that with strength and determination, almost anything can be achieved. And when people come together, as a team, with a common cause, then the results can be truly powerful." 0 3 min read

#NationalSelfieDay: Our Paid Social Experts on Snapchat's Sponsored Offerings

In honour of National Selfie Day, I interviewed some of iProspect's Paid Social experts to gather insight on Snapchat's sponsored lens and filter ad placements. In this post, James, Cat, Ian and I provide insight on what makes Snapchat's lenses and filters unique as well as why brands should utilise these features within campaigns. 1. So, what are sponsored lenses and filters? It’s no secret that selfies are the bread and butter of Snapchat. Filters and Snapchat Lenses are two ways in which users can engage with this technology to alter the snaps that they send to their friends in the platform. You can select Lenses before the photo is taken and overlay a fun effect on the selfie. Some popular examples: the dog lens or the dancing hotdog. Filters are then applied after the picture is taken and typically resemble either a camera effect (as on Instagram) or a frame/overlay. In this instance, a user might use this feature to let their friends know where they are or what their current mood is. An important thing to understand is that not all lenses and filters are available all the time. Approximately 20 lenses will be available per day for users to play with and filters update to the time of day and location that the user is in. By sponsoring a lens, an advertiser has the opportunity to build a lens that is relevant to their brand and insert it into the offerings of the day. With sponsored filters, an advertiser can specify a place and time that is relevant to the brand and have the filter be delivered to that location at the right time. -James Corran, Paid Social Planner 2. What is unique about sponsored lenses and filters on Snapchat? Snapchat was the first platform to deliver a truly outstanding ad unit that leverages A.R. to create immersive brand experiences that put the consumer at the centre. Snapchat truly understands that the camera is the main method that people share content today. -Sebastian Redenz, Head of Paid Social 3. Why should a brand consider a sponsored lens or filter? The key reason brands should consider a sponsored lens or filtes: they are fun to use. How often do people express happiness when interacting with an ad? By using a lens or filter, there is that added ‘fun’ factor to the engagement exchange between the consumer and the brand. Not only are consumers engaging with a brand in a controlled manner but you are also creating a brand ambassador effect. -Cat Chappell, Paid Social Account Director 4. What are some of the limitations of the format and is this likely to change in the future? Currently, it can be a challenge for brands to allocate the budget for a Snapchat Lens. This is because as well as requiring unique creative that isn’t usable elsewhere, it is currently only possible to book a one day takeover. This means that your sponsored lens will be available to all Snapchat users for a whole day, so this product is only useful for advertisers of products with mass appeal i.e. brands can’t focus on a niche target audience. Audience Lenses is due to release soon. It is likely to be a killer product as it allows brands to target users they want to reach without paying for the full takeover. It also allows ads to run for a longer period of time. Our Paid Social team recently tested this feature for a video game launch that targeted 18+ gamers. We found that it works very well in terms of driving uses, shares and also CTR from the call to action when you focus on just relevant users. Additionally, with our audience knowledge and a full suite of targeting abilities, as well as combining the highly interactive Snapchat Lenses, we were able to produce much better results for the client. - Ian Adams, Paid Social Account Director As a special treat, here's an example of Snapchat's Audience Lens in action. 0 4 min read

Sebastian Redenz

About this Author

> Visit our Global Website

North America

Latin America

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Asia Pacific