Facebook’s E.gg has hatched
No, that’s not a typo in the header.
It’s a new experimental app from Facebook, called E.gg, and it launched yesterday for all users on iOS. Before you hop over to the app store and hit download, here’s what E.gg can do:
- It’s basically a collage app. If you read Facebook’s announcement, you’ll see a lot of copy about how E.gg is designed to help users express themselves. But, at its core, the app allows you to create custom pages with content from around the internet.
- But, you could use it for things other than collages. Facebook mentions that users have created guides, recipes, tributes, fan pages, and more. If E.gg takes off, it could be a Pinterest-like app to showcase the personal side of your brand.
The Crew’s take: There’s no beating around the bush here – Facebook is itching to get their hands on the next big thing. When TikTok started to take off, the company created their clone app, Lasso.
And, when Lasso crashed and burned, they launched Reels, their new TikTok clone. Which, for now, seems to be faring better. Will E.gg be the next viral app sensation? Who knows, but it’s a cool concept and there are some creative marketing opportunities to be had if it attracts enough users.
YOUTUBE
It’s free real estate
YouTube made a quiet update to their terms of service yesterday that has some big implications for creators and advertisers on YouTube: ads will start to show on previously un-monetized content.
This is a pretty big shift. Previously, ads were shown in two cases: When copyrighted content was used and claimed by a copyright owner, and when a channel had opted into the YouTube Partner Program to receive ad revenue.
Here’s what the change means for both marketers and creators:
- It might be easier to reach the right audience. With ads now technically able to appear on any video – though YouTube says it will be limited, to start – there’s a possibility that your ads might be able to reach users where it counts.
- It’s disheartening for creators. If you’re creating content on YouTube, you’ll know that you don’t always want your videos to feature ads. This is particularly true for brands that just want to create helpful content (ideally without their competitors being featured mid-video!), so it’s a bit disappointing to hear.
The Crew’s take: We’ll be interested to see how many of these previously ad-free videos start getting the YouTube ad hammer.
If your videos are starting to get ads without your approval, there’s only one thing you can do: Apply for the YouTube Partner Program and start making a profit!
SPONSORED BY AHREFS
Why did Tripadvisor, Pinterest, eBay, and Expedia ditch Google Search Console for this free tool?
Do you know that there are more than 100 SEO issues your website can have?
Are you able to catch and fix them?
What about the keywords your website ranks for? And do you know how your website stacks up against your competitors in the SERP?
This is gold information that could make the difference between a website on page 7 of Google and a website on page 1.
Google Console is the main tool SEOs use to catch part of this information. But it only tells you about a handful of issues your website can have. And it doesn’t give any instructions to fix them.
And you also get zero information when it comes to your competitors.
That is why every week thousands of companies join Ahrefs Webmaster Tools.
It’s a free tool that makes up for all the limitations Google Console has. And adds much more features onto the plate:
- You can scan up to 5K pages per month, and search for over 100+ pre-identified issues that can potentially harm your website performance. It also provides detailed instructions on how to fix these issues.
- Learn what keywords your website ranks for and compare how you stack up against competitors in the SERPs.
- Discover the real SEO potential of your website using actionable SEO metrics like Search Volume, Keyword Difficulty, and Traffic Value.
- Know your backlinks: Browse your website’s backlink data and get actionable insights from your inbound and outbound link profiles with a variety of user-friendly reports and filters.
Try Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free and learn how to increase the ranking of your website.
E-COMMERCE
Conversion optimization and ad copy insights from Facebook
According to Deloitte, e-commerce sales this holiday season are projected to grow by 35%, year-over-year.
And if you need some tips, Facebook itself shared five considerations to improve the shopping experience of your customers.
This can seem like basic stuff, but these are all points that the Facebook advertising platform considers. Therefore, implementing them might mean you’ll be rewarded by the algorithm.
- Most of the action will happen through mobile phones. So, make sure that your store, funnels, and everything else is optimized for mobile devices.
- Customers should be able to check out in as few clicks as possible. Less friction for the buyer will translate into a higher conversion rate.
- Slow loading pages during the checkout can cause buyers to rethink the purchase. Make your website fast, with an emphasis on the checkout process.
- The more payment methods you accept, the better. Try to include local, modern, and multiple payment options to win more customers.
- Make the return process fast and easy. And, create a page on your website explaining how the return process works.
In addition, Facebook shared some tips to improve your creatives:
- Show the product as the focal point of the image. And create contrast with the background.
- Clearly articulate the benefits of your product in the copy.
- Create a sense of urgency. The headline of your ad is a great place to do this.
Finally, this is a formula that Facebook suggests for ad copy:
Insight about your audience + Benefit + Action = Key message
The post provides an example as well. See it here.
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
SNAPCHAT: Though it’s starting to feel more like winter in many parts of the world, Snapchat just released a report with some of the key insights from user conversations about fall.
AMAZON: In a move that takes the company one step closer to total world domination, Amazon has announced Amazon Pharmacy – and tanked the stocks of traditional pharmacy stores.
INSTAGRAM: Messaging across both Instagram and Facebook got an upgrade yesterday, including chat themes and message customizations.
GOOGLE: The company relaunched a new version of Google Pay. What’s interesting? The Explore tab, a place where Google will showcase products you might like for you. Talking about zero frictions checkout…
BRAIN TEASER
I am served at a table, in gatherings of two or four. Served small, white and round. You’ll love some, and that’s part of the fun.
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.
Robert Kelly has something to say
But first… Who is Robert Kelly?
He’s a professor of political science at Pusan National University – but to most people on the internet, he’s the guy who got interviewed on the BBC while his kids hilariously strutted into the background.
It happened a couple of years ago, so if you need a refresher, here you go.
But, Twitter Marketing has arrived with a dose of advertising genius. In a new ad, Robert Kelly returns with a hilarious encore of people interrupting him in the background.
The point of the ad is to demonstrate how Twitter’s new settings can let you tune out the people you don’t want to hear from, thus silencing any ‘interruptions’ on the platform!
Think you can beat that for an ad this holiday season?