Ryan Alford [00:00:00] Hey guys, what's up? It’s Ryan Alford and Josh Hill. Wake up and welcome. Good morning. But Josh Hill, digital media manager here of Radical, and I are here for our latest edition of Ad Gab. Gabbing about ads.

Josh Hill [00:00:21] And today, our gab topic is the media mix. 

Ryan Alford [00:00:25] I love it that I would call that the ‘Where in the hell?’ Yeah, ‘We are in the what of media’. ‘What in the where are we?’ We're talking about digital media. Oh my, my southern accent comes out sometimes, especially on the podcast. My New York friends think I'm very southern. My Southern friends don't think I'm very southern, but we can bring it out. 

Josh Hill [00:00:56] Yeah, it's good for you. It's healthy. 

Ryan Alford [00:00:58] And, so let's talk about digital media mix, Josh. What's on the docket? 

Josh Hill [00:01:01] So, starting out picking channels, I think a lot of people kind of get stuck in these ruts of picking out what they do, maybe like their own brand. Or if you're an agency, you kind of get stuck in your own channels. You're like, oh, I'd use Facebook ads for everything. So this new client says I want to use Facebook because I know there's an audience out there and it's like, that might not be your best choice. I think everyone knows every kind of channel has a mix of every audience out there, you're going to find people who are into NASCAR on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, even Twitter. But they might be the most of them, like the biggest portion of them might be on Instagram versus the other channels. And so I think you really want to pick based up where you think your audience is going to go. 

Ryan Alford [00:01:57] So fish where the fish are, depending on what type of fish. You are not going to catch sea bass in Hartwell. You might catch striped bass, but not a sea bass because you're in Hartwell. If we want to fish where your audience is and every platform's pretty unique LinkedIn traditionally business, Facebook crosses the gamut, probably your most general channel, depending on the audience, you could find a lot of people because it's the most saturated, the oldest large social channel. Someone's going to go, well, there's this one thing that this app that I've been on for 27 years that is really a social media. We're not talking about that. Yeah, we're talking about the mainstream Facebook, Instagram. And of course, TikTok has its place, depending on your audience as well. 

Josh Hill [00:02:58] And you want to think of them, kind of like, what the environment is like. Facebook's pretty exploratory, catching up with friends, like researching new businesses. It's become a Google in a way. It has business information pages. I mean, they even have streaming on there too, like game streaming, if you want to do that, or Facebook Watch. But kind of back-to-back to the whole picking your mix is like, yes, there are gamers switch streaming on Facebook, but you're probably going to want to go advertise on Twitch instead. You want to go where they're most active. 

Ryan Alford [00:03:35] And I think this is the hardest decision for a lot of businesses, big and small. There's so much the market so splintered with channels, with YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, everything, anything, all that and then going, okay, where do I spend my money and should I be doing that? I think people toiler.

Josh Hill [00:04:03] And everyone's going like someone in their ear being, oh, you got to get on TikTok, you got to get on Instagram. And like a lot of times, yes, it's true, but like, if you start spreading yourself too thin, you get into some shaky ground there. I think once you pick out the channels you want to be in though like you want to find out where your audience is, I would spend time in those channels. I don't think you should be really setting up an Instagram ad from scratch and targeting if you don't have an Instagram account, you haven't been on Instagram in the last, like, month. You need to get a feel for that environment first. Otherwise, you're going to have an ad that doesn't make sense for the environment at all. I think it's really important to get used to the context of things and create almost native content, native ads that feel natural, maybe capture your attention. But it's not disruptive where people kind of get upset or have a bad taste in the mouth from seeing it. 

Ryan Alford [00:05:02] Yes. And I will say not to detour a little bit, but talking about Instagram as a platform, I think it's the app change in the layout because I used to feel like every third post in my scroll was an ad. And I think it's the layout now because I'm bouncing between feed, reels, other content, I don't feel as hit over the head with ads as much anymore. And I don't know if they've if it's both the app and how I'm bouncing around in it, or also if they really are spreading them out more. Do you feel that way? 

Josh Hill [00:05:40] It could be a mix. I mean, I've had times where like some days it’ll be ad-heavy and other days it'll be like just the organic posts all day long. Yeah, I think they kind of get a sense of when you're getting a little frustrated with their own platform. 

Ryan Alford [00:05:52] I will say this. I'm an Instagram snob. That's where I do most of my content. Even being the B2B and in an agency, I still think it's underserved for a lot of businesses. There's a lot of potential there, in both the feed and story ads. And maybe that's a good transition into or done with the ‘where’.  Are we ready to transition? Let's do it. So now let’s transition to thinking about the formats and what type of ad content we post within the ‘wheres’.

Josh Hill [00:06:27] And I mean, your biggest options here are images, videos, or animations, some like connect to TV streaming videos and then audio ads. There's a lot of options and those can be applied in a lot of places. I know Facebook and Instagram both have a carousel format. So does LinkedIn. And you kind of want to think about what you're trying to communicate. And a big thing to remember is that I'm putting an emphasis, emphasis right now on the media that goes into it. And I haven't said anything about captions yet because those are probably one of the least important parts of the social media posts, especially on Instagram and Facebook. People like human beings process images way faster than words. And so that image is going to be way more. They're going to see the image process before they even get to read the caption. And so you want to make sure what you're trying to communicate is kind of captured in that image. And if they are interested, that sets up the framework of how they're going to approach that wording. 

Ryan Alford [00:07:34] Yeah, and this has been the biggest evolution in the channels. With Facebook started with just feed ads and you've got story ads and you've got all the different formats now. And as far as the social changes, you're going to see this with TikTok. As the social channels evolve, so do the ad formats. And it's really important when choosing because I would argue first is targeting, the right channel, right target. But real close third or second is the format of what you choose because sometimes a carousel can outperform a video 10x depending on what it is you're selling in the format of that. So maybe dig into that a little bit. 

Josh Hill [00:08:23] Yeah, I think you want to think about if it's a product and there are multiple varieties, maybe have a carousel of each variety of it and stuff you really want to kind of like. Also, think back to our last two episodes of that where you are in the funnel. Like maybe the images in the carousels need to be higher up on the funnel for the prospecting because it's really easy to digest this one piece of information and you can take it and run. But the video stuff that's more in-depth, it requires a lot more focus and a lot more attention span. You only have a fraction of a second. I don't believe you have three seconds anymore. You have to have a kind of prerequisite of some kind of introduction before you get to that video. 

Ryan Alford [00:09:13] And what is lightning ground? Is there a format that's new on any platforms that have got your attention, whether that's LinkedIn or Instagram or Facebook or YouTube? Is there a specific format that's kind of gotten your attention, maybe being underserved or an opportunity? And I know that there are things on the client, so I don't want to throw out what we just set up on the front end of where you charge it. 

Josh Hill [00:09:43] There are a few actually. I think audio ads are a little underserved. They're not really new, but I think there is a lot more growth opportunity there. Story ads I don't think are being done well by a lot of people and I've come across a lot recently where it really captures me and sometimes a little flash - what the thing is about for like a split second, it's like bam! and then it goes to the actual video clip, and then it gets to where it flashed right at the front beginning. I think that's really clever because even if the people who are quickly pressing next through the stories, it captures them with at least the finishing point while they're going through. And so they at least get that capture there and they can't swipe back if they need to. I think it's kind of like a cheat in a way. It feels like they're hacking the system there. But I think it's really smart. And another one is the Facebook instant experience. They used to call them Canvas ads. Then they called them collections. They've had a few different ones, but that's like a fully customizable thing. Once you get that person click on the ad, whether it's an image or a video, it'll expand into a screen and you can customize this whole experience. Have multiple videos, have text carousels, buttons, a map even to where your store is like it's beautiful and it gives people it gives you more to kind of interact with as opposed to where a video kind of sit, you have to sit there and be entertained and I don't know if you've ever been late at night scrolling and you kind of get addicted to moving your finger ongoing. And I'm even doing it while talking to the ad gab. It's like giving people the exploration kind of makes it feels a little more hands-on. 

Ryan Alford: And I think of those I love those as well. They're almost like microsites.

Josh Hill: I think it's a great solution for people who need a lot of information that maybe would usually need a landing page, but you maybe don't have the budget for it or the time to execute that. I think it's a fantastic way to get around it. 

Ryan Alford [00:11:54] Let's recap best practices here, Josh. 

Josh Hill [00:11:57] So, you want to go pick your channel based on where your audience is most active and what makes sense for you. Two, you want to make sure that after you've picked your audience on the channels, make sure that your content is native to that channel and makes sense in that channel. And then, you want to make sure you're not spreading yourself too thin. Like maybe your audience is active on four different platforms, but you had the bandwidth and the budget just to do one or two really well, I would do that. Just make sure you're really owning that space before you branch out into the other ones. You don't have to use every channel. And then, I would also encourage people listening, people with brands who are like, yeah, but it doesn't really make sense. Like you'd be surprised, some platforms and brands have products that are more universally appealing. You can do really well on an unexpected platform. One of the biggest brands I see on TikTok is Flex Glue and they do really well on TikTok. So think outside of the box.

Ryan Alford [00:13:08] I really want that glass boatman. 

Josh Hill [00:13:18] Yes, yes. I think outside the box a little bit. Get creative. 

Ryan Alford [00:13:20] I did so but in other words, we talked about this pre-episode. I like analogies. So, depending on what your goal is with the date that you're trying to get you might have a goal and want to be on Match.com, right. You might have a different goal and be on Bumble. You might have a different goal and be on Tinder. But it's important to know there's a difference between where and how you get the message out there. 

Josh Hill [00:13:48] Right. Because I mean, you might have an account on Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble, but you probably should be on farmers only.

Ryan Alford [00:13:57] I think we should all be Farmers Only. I'm a happily married man, but I think I kind of want to be on Farmer Only just for the laughs and the TikTok process. 

Josh Hill [00:14:04] Yeah. Like you, I think it's a good idea. It's great for market research. 

Ryan Alford [00:14:08] But we need to fish where the fish are. And yes, if you need to be on Match, you're trying to meet your wife as I did. That's not to say that there's a commercial for the Match. Today's ad brought to you by Match.com. Match reach out where to find us. 

Josh Hill [00:14:26] Do we send the bill to them now? 

Ryan Alford [00:14:28] Yeah, we're going to pre-bill you. Cool. Josh. Well, good recap. Digital Media Mix and important and looking forward to our future episodes. We're staying cozy in the new studio here on the Radcast with our beautiful fire. If you're watching the video, you'll know what I'm saying. And if you're not, you're thinking about a cozy fire in a studio, but the studio not on fire. Cool Josh, just appreciate you. Hey, guys. This is the latest episode of Ad Gab with Josh Hill and Ryan Alford. We will see you next time. And you can follow along with everything the Radcast at the radcast.com. Or you can follow me on Instagram, as always at Ryan Alford, and lookup Josh Hill on Instagram. We'll see you next time. 

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