YOUTUBE
YouTube has released a feature that could help local businesses gain more exposure
It’s called “places mentioned” and you can (kinda) guess what it does by its name.
The details: YouTube has announced a feature that will allow video creators to more easily add links to places they mention in their videos.
For example, let’s say someone makes a video about a tasty chocolate cake (yummy!). The video mentions that the cake was purchased at a certain bakery in Los Angeles. With this feature, the video creator will be able to easily link to that place in the video’s description.
As a result, people will be able to click and see the location more easily. And we all know the easier something is to do, the more likely people are to do it.
How is this relevant to local businesses: If you collaborate (or plan to collaborate) with certain YouTube influencers, this feature will allow them to easily point to the location of your business (instead of just mentioning it in the video, for example).
Availability: YouTube will start testing this format with select food and drink videos, but plans to expand it to all videos in the near future.
Instagram now allows you to reply to comments with a video
You know what’s better than a text comment? A video comment.
Instagram announced that users can now reply to comments with Reels videos.
TikTok already has this: TikTok announced this same feature back in 2020. Since then, replies-to-comment videos have gained serious traction on the platform. Now Instagram hopes the same will happen on their turf.
What this means for you: Short videos usually start a topic. Short videos in response to a comment continue a topic and, when done correctly, can be far more engaging.
Here are some ideas: Is there a common objection to buying your product or product category? You could take such a comment and make a short video addressing that objection in a funny & engaging way.
There are many ways to use videos as comments. The sky’s the limit.
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COPYWRITING
10 ways to write an attention-sucking intro of a post
The first tweet of a whole Twitter thread, or the first paragraph of a blog post makes the difference between a flop and a boom.
Jake Thomas analyzed the intro of ten Twitter threads that went viral and explained why they worked.
These are our favourites:
“I’ve interviewed and managed over 2,000 people.
Here are my 55 contrarian observations about humans.
A thread…”
Why does this work?
- It provides proof that the author is qualified to talk.
- “Contrarian observations” hooks curiosity.
- It shares a list.
- It uses numbers.
“I was burned out in finance working on someone else’s schedule, and tired of having my time tied to $.
So I started investing in cash-flowing biz’s.
Not sexy startups, but boring businesses.
One of my fav small deals netted $67k a year, $100k at close… w/ quarters
A thread:”
Why does it work?
- Rags to riches story.
- “Investing in boring businesses” makes it more believable contrary to the hyped investing world.
- The numbers prove the author can talk about this topic. And paradoxically, since it’s “just” $67k, and not millions, it makes it more attractive because it’s more believable.
“Good copywriting is a superpower.
Amazon, the second most valuable brand in the world, puts an emphasis on teaching its employees how to write.
They know good copy equates to more customers. These are the 8 tips to write like an Amazonian.”
Why did it work?
- It borrows authority from Amazon.
- Build some hype with the superpower analogy.
- It introduces a list.
These were the most interesting examples, but the main lessons you can learn from the whole list of ten are:
- Agitate a widely spread problem.
- Use numbers and lists.
- Add contrast (boring investments).
- Share proof you’re qualified to talk about the topic. Or borrow it if you can’t.
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THE CREW’S INSIGHTS
Did you know about these TikTok targeting limitations?
While TikTok seems to be the next big thing in advertising, (or maybe the current big thing?) it does have some strict limitations when it comes to location targeting.
Basically, the location of your ad account will limit you on which countries you can target.
This TikTok page will show you all the main limitations.
But the main ones are:
- If you live in Europe, you can’t target US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- If you live in Canada, you can target the United States and Canada. But not European countries, Australia or New Zealand.
- If you live in the United States, you can’t target European countries, Australia or New Zealand. But you can target Canada.
It gets worse if you live outside Europe, USA, or Canada , where you can only target your own country sometimes.
There’s a solution though:
These limitations only refer to self-served ad accounts. One workaround is getting a managed account.
Or you can try to create an account using a VPN and local phone number, but that means you also need a local physical address…and TikTok ad accounts often require manual approval which is not ideal for such accounts.
So if these restrictions limit you, contact the TikTok advertiser support and see if you qualify for a managed account. It would be a more reliable solution.
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
TIKTOK: What has been trending on TikTok in 2021? The company released a blog post highlighting some of its most popular brand videos throughout the year.
GOOGLE: It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. Google has officially confirmed that hotel businesses can now create local posts after several people spotted those posts, thinking it’s a bug.
CONTENT MARKETING: Adobe began competing with Canva by releasing an app for novice designers (think: most of us marketers) that includes a plethora of templates to get started.
STARTUPS: Myth busted. It turns out that most startup unicorn founders are not dropouts.
BRAIN TEASER
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
Walking from your bed to your desk could soon count as a work commute
If you live in Germany, that is.
After an unnamed man slipped on a spiral staircase and broke his back, a German court ruled that the man’s employer should cover his accident claim.
So far, everything makes sense thus far. However, things went a bit further when a higher social court said that it viewed this “first morning journey from bed to the home office” as an insured work route. The Federal Social Court has confirmed this decision.
Will everyone’s trips from their bed to their desk and back be insured in the near future? We’ll see.