META
You can now sue Facebook over false ad reach promises
Yesterday we shared a study that proved Facebook Ads targeting user interests were inaccurate 33% of the time.
Now it appears Facebook lied about their potential ad reach…
What’s going on: In 2018, DZ Reserve and other advertisers accused Facebook of inflating potential views by 400%.
And on Tuesday, a US judge allowed their case against Meta to proceed as a class action.
Come one, come all: Thanks to the judge’s decision, millions of users who paid for ads on Facebook and Instagram can join the lawsuit.
Our takeaway: First it was inaccurate interest targeting, now it’s exaggerated claims about ad reach.
As these stories come out, the only thing we can say is… don’t put all your ad eggs in the Facebook basket.
There are other carts to try… like Walmart.
ADVERTISING
Walmart wants to become a top ad network
Heading to Walmart… need any ads?
What’s going on: The US retail giant just announced their plans to become a “top ad platform.”
Testing, testing: They’ll start testing on-site video ads later this year, but Walmart also plans to develop “omni experiences” across self-checkout screens, in-store events, and more.
Hey, it’s just big business. According to Walmart 90% of US households shop there, which means there’s massive market potential for advertisers, especially if the store already carries your brand.
Show up early. As we’ve pointed out before, Walmart is the second largest e-commerce marketplace in the US. And it hit $2.1B in ad revenue last year.
So if you’re in e-commerce and you’re targeting US customers, leveraging this channel before everyone else does could pay dividends.
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TIKTOK
7 best practices for maximizing your Google Ads conversions
TikTok and influencers are the talk of the day… But let’s not neglect Google Ads.
The big “G” is still the most-used search engine. And the high intent of Google users means you can put your offers in front of hot prospects.
If you’re just starting out with Google search ads, Meg Berry has seven tips for improving your conversions.
Let’s boogie…
Leverage ad scheduling. Hop into predefined reports in Google Ads, and break down your performance by time of the day and day of the week.
These reports will tell you when your ads get the best performance.
Based on this data, you can adjust the schedule of your campaigns so you stop spending money on days, or times of the day, when performance isn’t so great.
Reign in your geolocations. The same way you get rid of underperforming days, you can identify low-performing geos and exclude them.
Negative keywords. Targeting the wrong keywords leads to higher cost per click (CPC) and lower click through rates (CTR). Some low-performing keywords are obvious enough that you can exclude them from the start.
However, as you spend more money on search ads, you’ll identify more and more keywords that do not perform well. Exclude them from your targeting.
Avoid broad keywords. Casting a wide net won’t help you catch oysters. Don’t target keywords related to broad interests. Instead, use targeted match types, like phrases or exact targeting.
These points will definitely help you get more conversions.
And as always, don’t forget to use catchy headlines and solid landing page copy.
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THE CREW’S INSIGHTS
The temptation multi-million dollar brands fall for at checkout… that you should avoid
When we’re not working on this newsletter, we’re taking deep dives into some of the world’s most successful brands.
During these deep dives, we often come across strange tactics being used by multi-million dollar brands.
Tactics like this one, which caught our eye six months ago:
Creating overly aggressive upsells.
Look, upsells are good. If there’s another product that goes well with the one your customer’s ordering, you should tell them about it.
But many e-commerce companies cross the line. They bombard the user with so many upsells that it’s difficult to check out with the products they were originally trying to get.
This tactic adds so much friction that users drop the process entirely. Here are three examples we’ve found:
- LadyBoss: When we tried to make a purchase, we were met with an infomercial-looking upsell page. Only upon scrolling past a big, bright pink button did we find miniscule text reading “no thanks” to continue with the order.
- Snow: We were hit with 6 individual upsells when we ordered from Snow. In a clever move, they do this after the purchase. But, it’s obnoxious and immediately erodes trust with your new customer.
- Goli: Similarly to LadyBoss, you can’t complete a Goli order without hunting for tiny, “no thanks” text to avoid a big upsell.
These brands all upsell, which is great. But there’s a big chance they went too aggressive and could find a better balance.
Remember: Most people will drop off if they find your purchase process too difficult. Find that fine line…
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
TIKTOK: Should your brand be on TikTok? How does it compare to Meta? And does it really help you make money outside of the app? Our latest Deep Dive digs into these questions and more for Insights subscribers. Preview the Deep Dive now.*
ANALYTICS: Like the partner that makes you so mad but you also love them, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) looks like it will be most marketers’ ride-or-die. Some are shopping for other platforms though. Bold move.
META: Uh oh. Scammers found a loophole for verifying (giving blue checks to) Facebook accounts… and they’re willing to pay for it. Could this put some hackers out of business?
PINTEREST: Not just for food or fashion inspo. Women are also using Pinterest to better understand their menstrual cycles and shop for related products. Searches for “period care” are up 9X.
ADVERTISING: “Disproportionately small” disclaimers could get you in trouble. At least, that’s one reason why the Federal Trade Commission is suing TurboTax. Our takeaway? If your product isn’t free, don’t claim it is.
GOOGLE: Are there better alternatives to Google Topics? Stephanie Layser thinks so. She argues IAB Tech Lab’s “Seller-Defined Audiences” are better for customer privacy because they use existing open standards and don’t share data across domains. She’s got a point.
TWITTER: Like Google Docs… for Twitter? The social media platform is exploring collaborative tweets. For example, you could write one then invite another user to write or edit the same tweet. Might help some people stay out of trouble.
PRODUCTIVITY: Speaking of Google Docs… the Workspace tool is adding more Markdown support, which means you can format docs with text shortcuts. Hooray.
*This is a sponsored post.
BRAIN TEASER
“You have me today,
Tomorrow you’ll have more;
As your time passes,
I’m not easy to store;
I don’t take up space,
But I’m only in one place;
I am what you saw,
But not what you see.
What am I?”
You can find the answer here.
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
What does beef taste like in the metaverse?
Welcome to the Wendyverse.
Wendy’s is opening their first restaurant in the metaverse April 2, and we’re guessing they chose that date so people wouldn’t dismiss it as a joke.
Some of the features of this virtual burger joint include:
- Going behind the counter to hang out with friends
- Shooting hoops with a Baconator
Honestly, we’ve never wondered what burgers and fries would taste like in the metaverse…
But now we get to find out anyway. So that’s cool.