SPOTIFY
Spotify has just made podcast ads clickable
There’s one thing we hate about podcast ads. And it’s that you can’t reliably measure their effectiveness.
Sure, you can use promo codes or vanity URLs, but you can’t actually click on those ads (after all, duh, it’s audio).
Spotify has just announced a feature to, hopefully, make podcast ads “clickable.” The feature name would be, “call-to-action cards.”
How it works: When a podcast ad starts playing, Spotify will display a sponsored, clickable call-to-action card. The CTA card will also appear later on the podcast episode and show page.
It works: Spotify claims that their tests have shown that advertisers receive twice as many site visits with these clickable ads as they do with non-clickable podcast ads.
Availability: For now, US advertisers can use these CTA cards on Spotify Original & Exclusive podcasts.
Pinterest: Gen Z are great early adopters
What was life like before the internet? For Gen Z (people born between 1997-2012), the answer is pretty simple: “No idea.”
Pinterest has recently published a comprehensive article on why this is a good thing (for your e-commerce brand at least). Zoomers (a nickname boomers invented for Gen Z in retaliation*) are far more keen to find the next shiny thing that will set them apart, compared to their millennial counterparts.
Here are a few more stats about Gen Z that make them the perfect early adopters, according to Pinterest data:
- Being the “first” to try a new product is one of Gen Z’s primary motivations for purchasing.
- Gen Z bought 80% more new products in the last 12 months compared to other generations.
- Data shows that Gen Z will open their wallets if your product represents them in an authentic way. “Gen Z is the most individualistic and expressive generation we’ve seen yet,” according to Pinterest researcher Alvin Li.
*just kiddin’. Zoomers is a nickname for Gen Z.
SPONSORED BY MARKETERHIRE
Forget “gig platforms”! This is where you find la crème de la crème of online marketers.
Yes, MarketerHire is where some of the most talented online marketers are found. Here’s why…
Every month, hundreds of marketers apply for a profile on MarketerHire. Only 5% get accepted. It’s because MarketerHire has one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world.
So, when you hire a marketing professional on MarketerHire, you’re sure you’re picking from the top 5%.
MarketerHire analyzes their applicants’ professional experience, client feedback, and work samples to assess their level of expertise and knowledge of best practices. And they even assign them test projects to assess their skills.
You basically get a Navy-Seal-level marketer in your team.
And it’s a hands-off process: No job postings. No interviews. No headache.
You describe your project and MarketerHire matches you with a high-performing individual in under a week.
That’s with full flexibility: on-demand with hourly rate, part-time, and full-time engagements are all possible
eBay, Forbes, Netflix, Whole30, and HP, and thousands more use MarketerHire to build competitor-crushing teams.
Fall in love with your next hire.
GOOGLE ADS
9 impactful changes for Google advertisers in 2021
Last year was full of updates for Google Ads and we think it’s a good idea to share 9 of the main (and most impactful) changes we found in this article by Tara Johnson.
1. Sunsetting Expanded Text Ads. Announced in 2021, this change will be complete on June 30, 2022. After this date, you can no longer run expanded text ads.
2. Enhanced conversion tracking. With privacy-focused updates rolling out everywhere, conversion tracking became more challenging. This enables more accurate measurements for conversions.
3. Consent mode. Helps you to adjust how your Google tags behave based on your users’ consent status to Analytics and Ads cookies.
4. Image Extensions. They are designed to enhance your text ads message.
5. Integration with Shopify. Helps sync your products to the Google Merchant Center and create Smart Shopping campaigns from within Shopify.
6. Deals Results page. Helps brands directly promote their discounts to shoppers and makes it easy for buyers to find discounts.
7. Performance Max campaigns. At the moment still in beta for lead gen advertisers, but it’s the next step in automation and performance marketing from Google.
8. New bidding strategies. Always good to have more bids available, such as target-ROAS.
9. Smart Shopping. A powerful campaign type that is great for online sellers.
SPONSORED BY INSIGHTS
What marketing channels have consistently worked for e-commerce founders
Fed up with cherry-picked success stories? What if you could get a view into what has consistently worked for e-commerce founders, sorted by what worked most frequently?
That’s our January deep dive. We analyzed 181 e-commerce founder interviews and identified the marketing channels that have consistently worked.
Have a look at the free preview here.
If you want to get your hands on the full version, subscribe to Insights. 10+ deep dives, 100+ tips & tricks, 24-hour money-back guarantee. Check it out!
THE CREW’S INSIGHTS
Special offer: Acquire one customer and get the second one for free
What’s better than acquiring a new customer? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Acquiring two customers.
And that’s why the two brands we analyzed, Goli and Athletic Greens, use a referral program. Right after you buy from them, they invite you to refer their products to a friend and get a prize in exchange.
Here’s the structure they follow:
- The referral prize: Athletic Greens offers a $15 discount on your next purchase. Goli offers $10. However, considering the price target of the two brands, the Goli discount is way higher in percentage.
- The gift your referred customer gets: Athletic Greens offers five free travel packs ($20 value) to people who buy from your referral link. A downside: Athletic Greens doesn’t explain the value of what they get, nor what a travel pack is. Goli, on the other hand, doesn’t offer any gifts.
- When: Both companies invite you to refer a friend right after your purchase. This can work as it capitalizes on the enthusiasm the customer has for the product at the moment of the purchase. However, it may not feel right to invite them to refer to a product they haven’t tried yet.
Bottom line: A referral program is a must these days. And if you want a smooth and easy referral process, Athletic Greens is probably the brand you want to take inspiration from.
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
GOOGLE: Individual shop search results are coming to Google. The search engine has confirmed that it’s testing individual shops for some queries.
E-COMMERCE: Do stock levels affect your product’s ranking in Google search results? Here’s what we know so far.
BUSINESS: Improper cookie dialogs can cost you millions. That’s at least how much Facebook and Google paid in this French court case.
WEB: Privacy-based browsers are gaining traction. Brave is at the forefront of the list.
BUSINESS: If you live in New York, finding a new marketing job may become a lot easier. A New York City law will require employers to disclose salary ranges on job postings.
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.
How do you generate joy?
It turns out that there are many scientifically supported methods. Here are some of them:
- Looking at cute animal videos.
- Hearing certain sounds (which can be oddly satisfying) like crinkling, crackling, or rattling.
- Sharing appreciation with others.
Why do they work? NPR’s interactive “Joy Generator” does a great job explaining this in a very easy (and admittedly cool) way, so check it out.
And make sure to try one of these the next time you need to quickly turn a frown upside down.