Google Merchant Center Alert: Add unique product identifiers to free listings or else…
If you want to play the game, you gotta play by the rules.
Here’s a new one for you that Google Merchant Center is enforcing starting today, as if there weren’t enough already: you must include unique product identifiers (UPIs) in all free product listings.
Here are the most common UPIs according to Google:
- Global Trade Items Numbers (GTINs).
- Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs).
- Brand names.
Why is Google doing this: Per Google, it’s all about the user experience. The last thing they want is to show people duplicate products. Instead, the company wants to use its AI magic to properly categorize and display products in a natural order.
What will happen if you don’t add a UPI: Fire. Brimstone. The end of life as you know it.
Okay…not really. But you will just get rejected by Google Merchant Center. We’ll still love you, though <3
SOCIAL MEDIA
Will live streams be your next major revenue stream?
Heck yes, according to the data.
Live streams are working for B2C: One week ago, we reported on data that shows that live streaming is driving the majority of today’s consumer social app spending. Nothing beats your favorite Twitch influencers saying “thank you for the donation” in front of thousands of people.
Buuut…what about B2B? Live streams and their monetization are up-and-coming in this market as well. The platforms LinkedIn (B2B centered) and Twitter (also somewhat B2B) have just introduced two changes:
- LinkedIn has introduced “LinkedIn Live Events”, allowing you to get more exposure for your livestreams by sponsoring your stream in advance and auto-notifying more people when you go live.
- Twitter has announced that they’ve begun testing ticketed Spaces with a select few hosts and that anyone on iOS in the US can buy tickets to listen-in.
Last time Twitter and LinkedIn tried to copy features from B2C platforms, things didn’t go well.
Will things turn out differently this time? The Crew’s take: Live streams tend to resemble webinars, which have been popular in the B2B world for a long time. We believe that this time both LinkedIn and Twitter have a better chance of making things work.
SPONSORED BY #PAID
After reading this influencer marketing report, all we can say is “Wow!”
We read #paid’s mid-year influencer marketing report, and we found out some trends that you have to use to make your influencer campaigns more effective.
Did you know that in the fashion industry, the engagement rate on static photo content is higher compared to video?
Surprising, right?
Looking at what’s happening with TikTok and Reels, one assumes that video beats images all the time.
But assumptions don’t make you smarter. Facts do.
And in #paid’s Influencer H1 2021 report you’ll find a lot of facts.
It’s right here. No forms to fill out.
But if you like to be teased… Inside you’ll find:
- The new trend that creators are surfing to make a boatload of sales for their partner brands.
- Micro vs macro: What type of creators are better for reach? And which ones are better for sales?
- Two industries that should never use static image content.
- What to look for in small creators rather than engagement.
Don’t make assumptions. Know the facts.
SEO
How to turn social media platforms into a treasure trove of keywords
“Social media and search go together like milk and Double Stuf Oreos.”
And don’t let anyone tell you differently.
The average user spends a whopping 3 hours a day on social media. As such, these platforms have loads of information about what we do, what we like, what we buy, and what type of content we consume.
That spells “goldmine” for keyword data research. If you’re not sure how to start panning through these platforms, Anna Crowe shows us how to sift through all the data to find profitable search queries to target.
Let the gold rush begin.
– Facebook: This social network has probably amassed the most information about our daily lives. Its targeting options allow you to capitalize on your audience’s location, age, interest, relationship status, and so on. Use them.
Facebook Groups are useful as well. Get keyword ideas by looking for popular topics in your industry groups.
– Twitter: If you’re active on Twitter, its explore section can be a treasure trove of content ideas and long-tail keywords.
Look for topics under the “For you” and “Trending” sections. These are the topics that people in your industry are talking about.
– Instagram: Search for a relevant term and see what other hashtags are being used by the posts that come up. You’ll get tons of long-tail and related key terms to use for content creation.
Alternatively, you can also use the autocomplete feature.
– YouTube: Again, use the autocomplete feature in the search bar. Type a relevant term and see what YouTube suggests.
– Pinterest: When you type a search term related to your vertical on Pinterest, it will return tons of related content. This can save you an enormous amount of time when coming up with ideas.
– LinkedIn: If you’re in the B2B market or target high-level decision-makers, LinkedIn should become your new home. The key here is to listen to what influencers are saying. Search a keyword, select people, and review all activity in the last 90 days.
From here you can pull hashtags, content, and even groups they interact with.
– Use social listening tools: Some examples include Awario and Mention. You can use these tools to identify the most popular topics on social media and save yourself some time.
We know. At the outset this can seem kinda counterintuitive. But, as you can see here, social networks can be a 24-karat source for your next batch of keywords.
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
BUSINESS: Even 12 year-old kids are making hundreds of thousands of dollars selling NFTs. And if you don’t want to be left out, here’s how to take your piece of a billion-dollar booming industry. Read this NFTs guide by Trends.*
SEO: Are Google core updates becoming less powerful? Semrush has an interesting data-driven take on this.
INSTAGRAM: Your Stories might soon turn into Reels with a single tap.
FACEBOOK: Your favorite social media tool might get new features soon. Facebook has just released v12.0 of their Graph and Marketing API.
TWITTER: If you want to try and verify your Twitter profile, hurry. Twitter has, again, re-opened its account verification process.
BUSINESS: Square continues to surprise us. This time they’ve introduced a pretty interesting way to pay sellers using QR codes.
E-COMMERCE: Headless commerce is gaining traction, with another company receiving funding and being valued in the billions.
ADVERTISING: If you’re in the alcohol industry, you should be aware of this new ISBA regulation.
*This is a sponsored post.
BRAIN TEASER
How can you make seven even?
You can find the solution here.
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
Move over humans, AI influencers are taking over
When they told us that AI would replace us, the last thing we expected was for it to become a social media influencer. Welp, never say never.
Meet Rozy. She’s a 22 year old girl who likes to post cheerful pictures online (like blowing out candles at her birthday party). The only problem is that Rozy doesn’t exist in the real world. She is a virtual human model created by a South Korean art studio last August.
Rozy is popular: She appeared in an ad for Shinhan Life in July and has landed more than 100 sponsorships. The company behind Rozy predicts that she’ll be able to earn more than 1 billion KRW (which is around $800K US) by the end of 2021.
Will virtual influencers replace their human counterparts? Some say yes. Others argue that it’s just a passing fad.
What some of us here really want to know is does Rozy have a virtual boyfriend, and will they be the next #relationshipgoals?