YOUTUBE
YouTube introduces performance-based TV ads
The first thing we think of when we think of TV ads is “low ROI”. (The second thing we think? That’s expensive as heck.)
YouTube hopes to change this impression by expanding video action campaigns to connected TV devices.
How it works: Imagine you’re watching your favorite YouTube show on your TV device.
Suddenly, a skippable (and hopefully not annoying) ad shows up in the bottom corner. The ad also shows a URL you can type into your mobile phone’s browser (admit it, you use your phone while watching) without interrupting your viewing session.
You’ll be able to track your ad performance by using Google’s AI magic or Conversion Lift beta for TV screens.
Here are some interesting Connected TV stats, according to YouTube:
- In December 2020, there were over 120 million people streaming YouTube or YouTube TV on their connected TV devices.
- More than 90% of conversions came from Connected TV and would not have been available on desktop or mobile devices.
Now for the fun part: Unlike most new YouTube ad features, this one will be available globally through Google Ads.
If we had a Christmas wish, it would be that this holds true for all future Google ad updates.
MARKETING
How Amazon and Twitch get people to gift more and pay for other people’s ads
Amazon and Twitch have recently been experimenting with some unusual growth hacks that we can get inspired by.
Amazon has just announced a convenient way to send gifts to people. You just need to enter the recipient’s email or phone number, select the gift, and you’re good to go.
Here’s where it gets interesting: The recipient gets a unique gift link. After that, they can accept the gift and enter a delivery address. If they don’t like the gift, they can exchange it for an Amazon gift card of an equivalent value (shh…Amazon won’t tell the gifter).
Pretty cool and unique, right?
Twitch, on the other hand, has been testing an interesting feature which will allow viewers to pay Twitch to promote you. Yes, fans will literally pay Twitch so you can appear on their front page.
How to apply this to your business: If you want to create a gift card program for your e-commerce store but are stuck for ideas, we’re glad we could help.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for more ways to get people to support your brand, why not ask them to donate towards something specific (like helping your business become more successful with marketing)?
And pro tip: When asking for something, give a reason why you want it.
SPONSORED BY SAILTHRU
Prepare for Apple Mail Privacy changes — and Planning for your best Q4 ever!
Everybody wants to make a big splash in Q4. But between Apple’s privacy updates, global supply shortages, and ongoing COVID-19 safety concerns, that’s easier said than done.
It’s a matter of preparation. So, take advantage of this season’s savviest marketing strategies by downloading The Smart Marketer’s Guide to 2021 Holiday Success.
Sailthru analyzed how leading brands prepare for the busiest shopping season of the year.
Check out examples from, leading brands like The Body Shop, Shoedazzle, Chico’s, Fabletics, and more to learn how your brand can boost engagement, revenue, and holiday results.
Plus, this guide gives you the chance to learn about:
- Direct marketing channels and the impact of personalization
- Taking control of your audience relationships through first-party data
- Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection update
And much more!
Give yourself the gift of Q4 success — download your copy of this guide now.
PRODUCTIVITY
Here are the Google Doc hacks you wish you knew yesterday
We can pretty much guarantee you haven’t used Google Docs quite like this…and if you have, just remember: “Nobody likes a show off.”
Seriously though, Dickie Bush published this thread on Twitter showcasing six ways to use this application trusted by +2 billion users worldwide.
Here’s what you’ve probably been missing:
New docs just that quick. Need to start a fresh doc in your moment of inspiration?
Type “docs.new” in your browser.
Bam! You’ll have a new page in front of you where you can jot down 30 ways to work Squid Games into your content marketing this month.
And this works not only in Google Chrome, but also in Firefox, Microsoft, and Safari.
Multiple accounts. No problem. You no longer have to get annoyed going back and forth between accounts to make a new doc.
Try this instead: type a number after “docs.new.” It will automatically link to an associated Google account when it creates your newest doc.
Here’s what it would look like:
- docs.new/1 goes to your primary Google account (hello at stackedmarketer dot com)
- docs.new/2 goes to your secondary Google account (memesgalore at stackedmarketer dot com)
Just make sure you keep track of which number is associated with which account.
Slay the writer’s block monster. While your fingers may run out of steam, your mouth can still run a mile a minute. Instead of writing, you can turn on the dictation feature on your Google doc. Here’s how:
- Google Doc navigation bar > Tools > Voice Typing
This feature is also useful if you are working with clients and want to transcribe meeting notes that you can review later. There is tons of software out there that you could use for this, but why pay for it if this is free?
These are just three of the six ways you can use Google docs to make your working day just a little bit easier.
To see the rest of them, read Dickie’s entire thread and get moving. Your brain will thank you later.
SPONSORED BY INSIGHTS
Get your most up-to-date marketing insights that brands are actually using right now
Look, you’ve seen it everywhere: what worked two years ago isn’t working anymore. Outdated marketing tactics can lose you tens of thousands of dollars this holiday season.
Find out what successful brands are actually doing with their paid social, content, emails, and so much more with our deep dives.
Just our free previews tell you more than all those outdated courses out there. Have a look here.
THE CREW’S INSIGHTS
Five types of paid social ads DTC brands run in 2021
We’ve dissected hundreds of ads from about a dozen unique and successful brands in 2021. There are 5 ad types that seem to come up as the core of any paid social campaign.
Here are three of them:
1) User generated content, aka UGC
Whether done by real users or through paid actors, all brands use this. UGC can have many angles: testimonial, unboxing, demo, favorite things about the product
2) Addressing objections
You must gather info about the common objections buyers have then use them as angles in your ads.
Here’s an example of Snow addressing the price objection (or, as we like to say, reframing it).
3) Social proof
It’s essentially an ad showing past customers, positive reviews, and more. Here’s how PEEL does it.
The other two of the five are highly effective. In fact, one of them can make the difference between an 8-figure and a 9-figure year. You can learn more about them and join in on the conversation in our thread on Twitter.
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
MEDIA BUYING: Spend all the money you want on your campaigns, but don’t go overboard. If you buy ads, Divvy gives you the credit you need to scale your business – in minutes – and the intuitive software to manage all your spending. The best part? It’s all free!*
TIKTOK: TikTok’s turnover increased by 545% in Europe. Yeah, they’re pretty big over there.
GOOGLE: On the other hand, Google reigns supreme on the other side of the globe. Up to 90% of Australian ad impressions pass through at least one Google service.
EMAIL: People hate Apple Mail. At least, that’s what the App Store’s early reviews indicate. Which may not be so bad for us marketers after the iOS email privacy update.
E-COMMERCE: If you don’t know what BNPL is, here’s a good series Protocol just published on the (hopefully) very lucrative craze.
APPLE: If a competitor app has recently been acting dodgy, you can finally report it to Apple.
*This is a sponsored post
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
Facebook.com is for sale
It could have been a deal of the century.
For several hours yesterday, all Facebook-owned properties were offline.
To make matters worse, someone performed some DNS magic on Facebook.com, causing it to appear “for sale” on many registrar websites.
Twitter’s founder, Jack Dorsey, was one of the first to offer to buy the domain.
And Twitter used every moment of downtime to do what they do best: roast Facebook. Their first tweet was: “hello literally everyone”.
Game on! WhatsApp replied with “Hello!” To which Dorsey replied: “thought this was supposed to be encrypted…” Ouch.
What followed after was quite fascinating. Every big brand joined the conversation. McDonald’s asked Twitter “what can I get you”, to which Twitter replied, “59.6 million nuggets for my friends.” (Make sure The Crew is included in that number, McDonald’s!)
Some have even suggested that the entire situation has given birth to a very promising startup idea: Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp with better servers.
For a more technical explanation of what happened with the shutdown today, check out this article.