SOCIAL MEDIA
Will all social media apps just morph into one?
You might have heard this one before… Social media apps are copying features from others, step by step.
We have two of those examples in the news today. They are relatively small announcements, but they’re still another step in that direction.
- YouTube is m-aking more use of the hashtag option, with a new search option that provides a full-page display of videos with the chosen hashtag.
- LinkedIn officially launched the “Swipe-Up” option for links in Stories. We can only assume filters are next, so we’ll probably be able to virtually wear business attire over our pajamas in Stories.
Jokes aside, the way people interact with apps evolves – and whatever novel feature catches on seems to be adapted for just about every platform.
The Crew’s take: We don’t really have an opinion on whether this is good or bad, but it is an observation we can’t help but mention.
SEO
Does your website have a need? A need… for speed?
Core Web Vitals. The Google update that could turn traffic rankings upside down (not really, but it will have a large effect) is on the way. If you’ve been reading along with us over the past few months, you already know that.
But there are still questions to be answered. Rather than waiting for things to get bad before fixing them, you could spend some time improving your website speed using this guide from James Parsons.
If you already have a perfect website, you should skip this. If you’re still a bit in the dark and unsure where to start with Core Web Vitals preparation, this is your jam!
James goes through a detailed list of 28 elements that you should improve and, of course, how to improve them. From image optimization, JavaScript optimization, CSS optimization, video optimization and even all the way to font optimization.
It’s a great read and worth bookmarking for future reference, too!
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INFLUENCER MARKETING
What you can learn from an influencer marketing epic fail
It’s cool to learn from those 7-figure case studies.
But it’s also important to learn from failures, like the one Ian Borthwick revealed on Twitter.
He sponsored an influencer with 15M followers. Purchases generated?
Nine.
We don’t know how much he spent on that “influencer”. But, we are quite sure the ROI hasn’t been satisfying.
So, to avoid that someone else makes the same mistake, Ian shared nine rules to follow to find an influencer that’s ready for a breakthrough.
Side note: This wasn’t the only time Ian’s used influencer marketing. He’s worked with over 1k creators and generated millions in revenue with influencer marketing, according to his Twitter thread.
Let’s see what he has to say:
- Impressions don’t turn into influence. Followers, views, and impressions do not linearly convert into sales. Let’s dive into what actually makes for a good influencer.
- Personality comes first. Influencer marketing that works is personality-driven, not content-driven. You follow a creator because of their personality, not because of the content. For this reason, you should ignore faceless media, clickbait prank videos, and highlight reels.
- Engagement is key. Community engagement is a great proxy for influence. Rule of thumb: aim for influencers with a minimum 20% engagement rate. Count likes and comments.
- Prioritize long-form content. Look for creators with destination content, not scroll-through content. Podcasts and YouTube videos stand out.
- Dedicated creator > big names: This is part of the mistake Ian made. When you sign a big name, you pay a premium price. But, that doesn’t equal influence. Creators have built their audiences directly for years, and it’s their superpower. Find someone with a dedicated fanbase.
- Look for a portable audience. Influential creators can bring their audience wherever they want. David Dobrik, for instance, is a top influencer on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok. Plus, he’s got a podcast.
- Consistency, consistency, consistency. Don’t look for viral videos, look for consistency. You want an audience that shows up on more than one occasion.
- Inside jokes. Every group of great friends has its own inside jokes. It’s the same for great communities. Check the comments in the YouTube videos of MrBeast, David Dobrik, or Emma Chamberlain.
Influencers can be a great marketing channel. And here at Stacked Marketer, we’ve used influencers to grow our audience. The method does work!
The challenge is to find the right person, and these tips here are definitely helpful.
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
SEO: You’re probably using JavaScript on your site. But is it affecting your rankings? This piece from Steven van Vessum walks you through SEO best practices.
GOOGLE ADS: Political ads are a big “No” for Google (they are banned) until after the inauguration in the U.S.
SEO: If your rankings are fluctuating, you’re not alone. Was there some unofficial update in the last 1-2 days from Google again?
BRAIN TEASER
If you throw me out the window, you’ll leave a grieving wife.
If you put me in the middle of a door, you just might save a life. 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.
There are plenty of fish in the sea…
We’ve seen news about robots in just about all shapes and sizes, but this is a new one on the list.
Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering has created fish robots. Yes, small fish-shaped robots that can swim underwater.
You can think of them as “water drones”.
All we can say is “Yay, science!” and that we’d probably want to see them used in exploring the unexplored depths of the Earth’s oceans.