Google has unveiled a new tool for marketers and agencies called Think Insights. Think Insights is a massive resource of information for marketers, providing the “latest research in digital marketing” as well as “industry-leading case studies and Google’s latest research, strategic perspectives, interviews with innovators and experts and more.”
Stories and case studies will be hand-picked by Google, spanning multiple industries and businesses, to provide inspiration and insight.
Think Insights will also include a Perspectives section that will feature insights and analyses from Google as well as industry experts.
Go to http://www.google.com/think/ to dive in. While this Google product is promoted as a tool for marketers, this is invaluable data for any business owner. Click on the Industries drop down to go to your industry and find amazing articles and information that can help you.
For instance, you can go to Automotive and read about how Rick Case Honda used YouTube ads to double monthly trade-in vehicles. The case study is beautifully laid out, packed with rich information, downloadable and shareable, and has a sidebar for more related content.
If your need is more abstract, like, “Driving Sales,” you can view case studies and articles around that topic from a variety of industries.
Businesses and marketers can check out webinars, research, ad campaigns, infographs, interviews, playbooks, tools and more.
The Creative Sandbox section is particularly interesting. You can check out ad campaigns in progress or in development, and submit campaigns of your own for feedback.
As a social media marketing agency, I’m very interested in seeing how major brands and companies are using social media, and even traditional marketing, and will be looking for inspiration.
PLANNING TOOLS
One of best parts of Think Insights is the Planning Tools section within Products & Tools. Some are new and some have been around for a while. It includes:
Real-Time Insights Finder
The Real-Time Insights Finder actually includes a suite of tools to help you see how people are searching and how that correlates to your business and advertising campaigns.
Brand Impressions
Interested in seeing what the image of a brand is, or how that image has changed over time? Brand Impressions can help you analyze and compare brand activity. One great use for this tool is if you’re considering changing your logo or brand image and want to see how similar brands have evolved over time.
Our Mobile Planet Tool
Need to create a presentation about mobile marketing? Want to include actual usage statistics and information from all around the world? This tool has a rich data set that you can not only pull statistics from, but also customize and create charts.
GoMoMeter
Make sure that your website is perfectly optimized for mobile with this tool. Don’t just rely on your own smart phone. Plug your site in and see how it looks, along with recommendations and a report from Google on where you need to improve.
Consumer Barometer
As technology and media changes and evolves, so does consumer behavior. Google now provides insights into how consumers are making their buying decisions. For instance, within the U.S., of people purchasing products or services, 28% used a search engine as compared to 50% in Taiwan.
Google Consumer Surveys
This is a new platform for surveys that businesses can use to target consumers. There is a cost for businesses, consumers gain access to content, and content publishers get paid as more consumers provide answers.
Google Trends
This popular tool demonstrates what people are talking about and searching for online. See when and where your brand is being discussed and enter the conversation, or find topics that relate to your brand.
Mobile Ads Showcase App
Find ideas for mobile ad campaigns so that your business can better take advantage of this advertising platform.
As with every Google product, these tools and services will be constantly in development and evolving, but at first glance, Think Insights appears to be a very polished and informative reservoir. Marketing agencies, bloggers and business owners alike would all so well to refer to Think Insights regularly for great campaign ideas and help with understanding the changing marketing landscape.
Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think! Will you use Think Insights?