Top 10 Lessons from Online Advertising Conference 2022

Wow, how nice to be able to exchange marketing experiences at live events, face to face. This feeling reminded me of the past OAC 22 conference in Sofia, which gathered over 500 digital marketing enthusiasts.

This time I had a different moderator role on the digital panel, but more on that in a moment. Before that, let me share that the event was very well organized, with 3 themed panels (SEO, eCommerce and Digital) offering lectures in parallel, plus my favorite part - a discussion with marketing hacks.

The moderating role gave me the opportunity to watch most of the lectures and to shares his 10 discoveries with you in this article, and the fact that speakers such as the Minister of e-Government, Sami Hosni and Viber were on the stage gave it an extra boost.

Btw, in a separate article I can share how I prepare for leading such events (and overcome my ego when the audience uses the breaks between lectures to change the room :D)

But to return to my promise in this article... top 10 takeaways from the conference! (they will be ranked, and I leave the most curious for last).

1️⃣ For Influencers: Explain the causes of the problem, not give advice and solutions

Sami Hosney, founder of NODAYSOFF Academy, shared his formula for social media success - to explain the causes of a problem (in his case, in the realm of good nutrition) instead of, as he says, "being like everyone else and giving solutions." A fitting approach for any brand to be clever and helpful to its audience.

2️⃣ YouTube Shorts is gaining momentum and should not be underestimated

For those of you who haven't heard, Shorts is the YouTube version of TikTok and Instagram Reels - short-form videos that don't disappear after 24 hours. According to Olga Daneker, Shorts often have a longer watch time than even standard videos.

3️⃣ YouTube Shorts can be used in strategy with TikTok and Reels

Olga also reminded that a video that is actually created for TikTok or Reels can be reused in Shorts. So with one bullet, we can achieve three small wins. This tactic fits perfectly with the theme of content reuse and is great for people with limited time for marketing.

4️⃣ Watch Time continues to be a key metric on YouTube

Several of the lecturers emphasized the importance of watch time, or in Bulgarian - the duration of watching the videos. The more minutes your videos are consumed, the more YouTube will launch your content. At the end of the day, every social media is fighting for attention, and I would add - make a promise of value at the beginning of your videos.

5️⃣ Create dialogues with your audience

This is a quick reminder! - seemingly obvious, but often underestimated. Be sure to respond to the comments and questions below your posts. After all, you don't want to miss out on valuable feedback and the opportunity to build a loyal following.

6️⃣ YouTube is increasingly popular among advertisers

From the OAC stage, TalentMedia's Marin Aganderov reminded us of the variety of ad formats on the video platform (such as in-stream ads, in-feed video ads and bumpers ads), and he recommended the audience try masthead ads - a format with video that appears at the top of the feed on a mobile device or desktop. Frankly, it seems like an expensive solution, but it definitely bodes well for brand visibility.

7️⃣ "Punch, Punch, Right Cross!"

Gary Vaynerchuk's popular phrase from his book of the same name was recalled on stage. It promotes the right mix between giving value and advertising messages, and in digital terms it would look like this - 70% of content gives value and 30% (or less) talks about our products and services, but in an unobtrusive way. Valid for any content strategy.

8️⃣ The emergence of apps that create voiceover from written text

Exactly! With the help of AI, we can now from our written text easily create a voiceover (recorded voice). Such an application for example is LOVO AI, which I personally haven't used yet, but it looks promising and would save valuable time.

9️⃣ Process COD orders first

I have to admit that this hack is not in my area of expertise, but it gave food for thought. The idea is that eCommerce businesses should process cash on delivery orders first, as users' cash is not guaranteed (by the time the purchase happens, it may already be spent). While not everyone agreed with this approach, I'm including it in the rankings because it's non-standard.

🔟 Brandjacking can bring additional traffic to your business

I left that conclusion for last because it introduced a whole new concept for me - newsjacking - OK, but brandjacking? Bojan Maric from Content Distribution described the concept as borrowing another company's authority to attract interest in our business. To understand it more clearly, watch the example below - the video starts as a Coca-Cola ad, but ends with a message of a completely different brand.

I've also shared marketing hacks, but you'll read about them in the upcoming Netpeak blog!

I hope I've been helpful to you and see you soon!

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Etienne Yanev

Etienne Yanev is a digital marketer with over 12 years of experience, including working on projects for a number of startups and B2B companies. He has taught in Softuni Digital's core program as well as at the largest student entrepreneurship campus in the world - RANEPA International. He is the author of the Facebook learning community - "Digital Marketing for Entrepreneurs". He is also part of the Association of Bulgarian Leaders and Entrepreneurs (ABLE).