Google is trying to get people to shop more
Whenever Google introduces new ways to shop, we see new ways to get sales.
In a blog post, the company announced several changes to make it easier to answer the question: “What products are in that pic?”
Namely:
- iOS users will now notice a button in the Google app that, when clicked, makes all images on a page “shoppable” through Google Lens.
- Google will soon launch Lens to Chrome on the desktop, bringing this “shoppable” feature on PCs and Macs as well.
In-stock or you’re out: In addition, Google is adding an “in-stock” filter to search results. So if you search for a keyword like “bike helmet for kids,” you can choose to show only nearby stores that have this product on shelves.
The company has also stated that it is bringing Shopping Graph to regular search results, which means that you will see more structured search results for keywords such as “cropped jackets”, for example.
How to adapt to these changes: Make sure your product is listed as available in the Merchant Center for the in-stock feature. See the e-commerce best practices Google released yesterday to help you appear better in search for the Shopping graph update.
And, as more people use Google Lens to discover “what’s in this image,” e-commerce content marketing may evolve into picture marketing.
Facebook launches TikTok-like Reels, promises more reach if you use them
If you’re tired of seeing teens dance on TikTok, get ready to see their parents do The Twist on Facebook.
Facebook has announced that Reels, their TikTok clone, will be available on the platform in the US.
Promising more organic reach: If you read both Facebook’s blog post and the official description of Facebook Reels, you’ll notice that phrases like “introduce your content to new audiences” are frequently repeated.
There are currently very few organic ways to reach new people on Facebook. Pages? You’re reaching existing fans. Groups? You’re reaching existing members. Profiles? Better luck next time. So it makes sense for Facebook to use this as their primary value proposition.
How people will discover “Reels”: Facebook will feature Reels on the top of their news feed. While scrolling through the news feed, Reels will also appear as collections.
The Crew’s take: Should you use Facebook Reels? We have a (rather long) saying: “When a platform launches a new feature, they give a temporary boost in reach to people who are early adopters.”
Facebook Reels is unlikely to be the exception. So if you’re looking for new ways to get more eyeballs on the platform, give Reels a try.
SPONSORED BY SAILTHRU
Move at the speed of the customer this holiday season
Between the pandemic and Apple’s infamous new privacy updates released, Q4 will be tremendously different from any other you’ve experienced.
This holiday season, the winners and top-performing marketers are the ones most prepared for whatever comes next. Because they’re the experts who have what it takes to turn unprecedented times and holiday craziness into unbelievable results.
Don’t believe us? Download your copy of The Smart Marketer’s Guide to 2021 Holiday Success to learn how industry-leading retailers will secure the bag this season — and how your brand can take advantage, too!
Plus, you’ll learn fresh, new strategies to help your marketing team:
- Move at the speed of the customer.
- Compete in the world of X-commerce.
- Leverage first-party data to create highly personalized campaigns.
- Kiss abandoned carts goodbye.
MARKETING
How to grow your affiliate marketing program
If you can make affiliate marketing work for your business, then the sky’s the limit.
You’d have an army of people working on your customer acquisition that you only pay when you get new sales.
However, growing an affiliate marketing program isn’t that easy. These tactics shared by Aazar Shad might help you build a successful system.
Let’s boogie.
- Think about your affiliate program as a product: It has an offer, value proposition, and a lifecycle. You need to make it stand out to draw people in.
- Your customers are your best affiliates: Promote your affiliate program to your customers and make it easy to access.
- Educate your affiliates about your product and provide them ideas on when, where, and how to promote it.
- Chase micro-affiliates: Look for affiliates in different languages, topics, and sub-categories. Aazar Shad said they made more money with French and Russian affiliates than popular English-speaking ones.
- Treat it like a long-term relationship and don’t be afraid to offer cash for their hard work.
- Affiliate swaps: Sharing the best affiliates with other businesses and creating co-marketing programs are the lowest hanging fruits.
- Run Google Ads targeting popular affiliate programs in your niche: This will help you target affiliates that are constantly and actively looking for affiliate programs. With this strategy, Aazar Shad tripled the number of affiliate leads.
- Rank for affiliate keywords: Once your Google Ads start performing well, it will be easier to rank organically for relevant keywords. The sweet part is that there isn’t much competition to rank for them.
- Treat your affiliates like partners: Run a webinar for them, offer them discounts, dedicated landing pages, and so on.
- Nurture your affiliates with “too good to be true offers”: Run constant promotions, viral giveaways, etc.
And…we are done.
However, needless to say, the most important strategy is a killer product: If your product is easy to sell, it will be easy to bring in affiliates.
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
DTC: Do you want to expand into new regions while saving money? You can, using advanced data to unlock expansion opportunities before investing a single penny. Oddbox did just that, saving £200k on campaign costs. Learn how you can do the same.*
COPYWRITING: There is no such thing as “too much” if you want to stand out in your copy. Joe Cunningham explains why.
INSTAGRAM: Boosted Instagram posts take on a WhatsApp flavor. You can now include a “contact on WhatsApp” button in your paid Instagram posts.
GOOGLE: Let’s face it: running an offline business through Google Ads is hard. Fortunately, Google took a positive step by releasing a tool that makes it easier to import offline conversions.
E-COMMERCE: You asked, and they recorded it. The Pinterest webinar on how Shopify merchants can reach higher-spending shoppers is now available to watch.
ADVERTISING: Back in the day, video game ads were very cool. You can find several of those ads on this page, hopefully giving you some creative ideas for your own ads.
SEO: You’re not alone. Most SEOs experience unexpected ranking drops.
BUSINESS: Goodbye, registrars. Cloudflare has added the ability for users to register domains at wholesale prices.
*This is a sponsored post.
BRAIN TEASER
I’m not clothes but I cover your body. The more I’m used, the thinner I grow. What am I?
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.
Shopify knows how to party
And it has nothing to do with e-commerce.
It all has to do with a bunch of internal video games used by Shopify to make virtual hangouts more fun. The games are entirely browser-based, and players can come and go as they please.
Some of the games include: Pushing tires with your co-workers. Racing the entire team. And of course, bumping into each other with spaceships over a volcano.
The motto of the games is to be silly, have fun, and…what was that Zoom fatigue again?
Since the original tweet blew up, more and more people are calling on Shopify to release the games to the wider public.
In fact, some people even said they were interested in joining the company just to give some of those games a go.