PRIVACY
Is Google changing how it gathers data?
You can’t be a stealthy ninja when you’re a giant.
A developer recently noticed a change in the Google Maps domain, and if his explanation is correct, the implications could be enormous for advertisers.
Please share: Apparently Google asked the developer for permission to access his location services “out of nowhere.”
That’s when he realized the search giant had changed the Maps domain from “maps.google.com” to “google.com/maps.”
Why the fuss? It could be that when users give Google permission to access location data, for example, they’re no longer sharing it with Google Maps only, but with all of Google’s services.
Of course, that’s only one interpretation of many, and we don’t have official news from Google as to why this change happened.
Keep your eye on the… Maps: If it’s true that the domain change now allows Google Maps to collect user data on behalf of all Google’s services, that could mean more targeted Local Services Ads, among other things.
That could be useful to marketers as privacy regulations roll out and Google bakes cookie-less alternatives.
Time will tell, of course.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Beyond Twitter: where users are flocking
With the Twitter nest experiencing quite a shake up, some users are eager to settle under a different canopy.
NPR recently published a list of the platforms that are growing in the face of Twitter changes, and some of them are… interesting.
Names you don’t hear everyday: Outside of “legacy” networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Tumblr, users are increasingly testing more Twitter-esque networks:
- Mastodon: Named after the extinct elephant-related giant, Mastodon definitely saw the biggest user influx, recording 180k new users in a single day last week. It’s decentralized, open-source, and everyone can host their own server on the platform.
- Hive Social: A recent social platform with a nostalgic touch. It prioritizes chronological feed with equal reach to anyone and aims to bring back long forgotten perks of social media such as profile page music. Sounds like the old days…
- Post: The youngest platform in the list is still “half-baked” according to its founders, but it may be the most Twitter-like, with news and social-media together, and “civil debates that make you smarter.”
Why we care: Being aware of the existence of other, growing platforms can give you an upper hand if your audience is using them and you’re able to deploy ads or content before competitors do.
Just remember that each platform serves a different purpose. Mastodon is community-oriented, Hive Social is creator and influencer-oriented, and Post is more publisher-friendly.
All things to keep in mind as you track your audience’s goals and platforms, and develop your strategies. Good luck out there!
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We were just looking at the numbers of an EvaDav campaign that used this ad format on October 30, 2022. It got 14,000 clicks at a $0.003 cost per click and 75% ROI.
This same campaign got similar results for the entire month of October.
What’s the ad format? In-Page, a pop-up banner ad. In-Page isn’t new, but EvaDav brought it to a new level with more attention and lower CPCs.
Advertisers love it, and here’s why:
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- Not subject to regulation by browsers.
- Requires minimal involvement from advertisers.
- Huge volume enables you to scale as hard as you want.
Find out more about In-Page banner ads on EvaDav.
MARKETING
Do you really know who your biggest competitor is?
There’s a scene in Top Gun: Maverick where Mav holds a fighter jet manual in front of his students and says, “This contains all you need to know” before throwing it in the trash bin.
Why? Because it’s the same knowledge their enemy has. But what the enemy doesn’t know is the limits of the fighter jet team.
And believe it or not, the same goes for your competitors.
As Bill Taylor points out in his article, the ultimate test is not how you fare against what your competitors are already doing… it’s whether you can live up to what your customers believe you can and should be doing.
In other words, your biggest competitor is your customers’ last best experience.
See, customers won’t only compare you to similar businesses, but also to their experience of other service providers.
And if they love the smooth experience of booking an Airbnb, why wouldn’t they expect the same level of service from their financial services?
Bill offers two real-world examples of this:
- When Toyota launched Lexus, they weren’t just introducing a new car, but a new luxurious experience. They stole inspiration from the Genius Bars in Apple retail stores, naming them Answer Bars, and placed them in their dealerships.
- Savannah Bananas—a highly entertaining and revolutionary baseball team—didn’t look up to other sports institutions. Instead they reimagined what’s possible in a baseball game, drawing inspiration from Disney and Broadway.
You can trace the same strategy in any hugely successful business or organization in the world.
Point is, customers no longer accept an “okay” job. You either deliver an exceptional job or nothing at all… and organizations that fail to deliver will suffer for it.
So what can you do? First, compare your product or service not with competitors, but with trends in the industry.
For example, don’t draw inspiration and innovation from other ad agencies. Instead, look to other service providers in the digital B2B space.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should ignore competitors. Just don’t be afraid to throw the competitor manual in the trash and start to innovate. That’s how you’ll attract and retain customers—and help your brand thrive.
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THE CREW’S INSIGHTS
Can you make sales with an ugly website?
Spoiler: You can.
Actually, you can make millions of dollars with an ugly website. But that’s no excuse for bad design, so let’s unpack this a bit more.
Every once in a while, you come across a website that makes you go, “Really? This… makes millions of dollars?”
We had that experience when we analyzed a brand called Ladyboss for Stacked Marketer Pro.
And this is no shot at Ladyboss; we think they do many things right—including design, for a reason we’ll get into shortly.
Their site had lots of problems…
Multiple CTAs above the fold, long blocks of small-text copy, formatting issues, color issues, functionality issues. Most design agencies would have ripped it apart.
And yet… Ladyboss was making millions in revenue each year.
Here’s why they got away with such “ugly” design: Their audience doesn’t care about modern design.
Ladyboss isn’t selling to 20-something fashion divas or experienced marketers. They’re mostly selling to moms, many above the age of 40 or 50.
And most people in this audience aren’t going to judge Ladyboss for an awkward design. In fact, many brands that market to this audience have similarly-designed sites.
They’re selling to people who didn’t grow up with “modern” websites.
The Crew’s insight: Good design is important. But design is subjective, and what’s ugly to a team of marketers that spends all day looking at the newest websites isn’t necessarily ugly to a group of moms on a weight loss journey.
So before you judge, think about who a brand is selling to, and why.
Want to read our full deep dive into Ladyboss? Check it out on Stacked Marketer Pro.
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SOCIAL MEDIA: Remember when we reported on LinkedIn getting post scheduling? We’ve got more details. Apparently you’ll be able to schedule a post in half-hourly slots by clicking on a little clock icon, like you would on Twitter. Cool.
AMAZON: Does Amazon have an ad problem? Users claim they’re targeted by a ton of low quality, “rebadged” dropshipping products on the platform, making it harder to get solid, organic product results. Hmm…
LINKEDIN: New guide alert. LinkedIn wants to help you promote your Document Ads with their new tips and best practices, which include making your PDFs easily accessible, easy to read, and crazy good-looking. Check it out.
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BRAIN TEASER
Lovely and round, I shine with pale light, grown in the darkness, a lady’s delight.
What am I?
You can find the answer here.
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
You might want to change your password after this…
Imagine setting “password” as your password.
Who does that, right? Well… nearly 5 million accounts used that exact password in 2022. And that’s just the start.
A quick look at the 200 most common passwords shows other encrypted keys Alan Turing would have trouble cracking, including:
- “123456” – 1.5M accounts.
- “guest” – 376k accounts.
- “qwerty” – 310k accounts.
…and our personal favorite: “asdasd” with 33,000 accounts.
Take that uppercase, lowercase, and “special” letters. The type-it-with-your-left-hand-only passwords win.