TLDR MARKETING 2025-08-18

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SOCIAL MEDIA ADS PASSING AS POSTS: HOW ADVERTISING SLIPS INTO INSTAGRAM

Instagram users routinely underestimate how many ads appear in their feeds as platforms are designing promotions to blend with organic posts. In tests with 152 participants, nearly one-third of posts were ads, yet most failed to notice the volume. Users engaged with the content at rates similar to organic posts when advertising cues like “Buy Now” buttons or logos were subtle. The findings show how banner blindness has evolved into seamless ad absorption.

AS PUBLISHERS FACE SEARCH HEADWINDS, CREATORS GAIN AFFILIATE SPEND

Publishers that built affiliate revenue on SEO face mounting pressure as search platforms shift toward zero-click results and lower commission structures. Amazon now pays creators baseline rates of 10-15% while publishers receive only 2-3%, widening the economic gap. As a result, marketers are allocating incremental budgets to creators who deliver higher engagement and measurable sales impact.

DO THIS INSTEAD OF LAUNCHING A BLOG

Instead of starting with a blog, begin with LinkedIn posts to leverage built-in distribution and test what resonates with your target audience. Publish 30 posts over a month, identify the top 3 that connect, expand them into 800 to 1200-word newsletters, and then scale the best ones into longer blog posts. This approach validates ideas early and ensures content resonates before investing in larger formats.

CLAY'S HACKATHON PLAYBOOK

Clay uses customer hackathons as a growth engine. It runs 20-30 per quarter, driving expansions up to 5X and viral LinkedIn content. Targeting customers 3-6 months in, the sessions help build advanced workflows with real business impact. They generate authentic video content that fuels inbound demand and retention, while also serving as R&D labs where engineers test features, creating a flywheel of adoption, marketing, and discovery.

WHAT'S A GOOD CONVERSION RATE?

A good benchmark for landing page performance is an overall median conversion rate of 6.6%, though results depend heavily on industry. Ecommerce and SaaS pages typically convert around 4% at the median, but strong campaigns can achieve nearly 3X that rate. Professional services and financial services outperform the average with medians above 6% and 8% respectively, while the travel and hospitality sector can climb past 15% at the high end. Entertainment campaigns stand out with average conversion rates above 12%.

UNIFIED CTV: THE POWER OF BROADCASTER CONTENT

Brainlabs tested adding Broadcaster YouTube content to a Unified CTV campaign with Netflix and YouTube during the Women's Euros. The campaign reached 1.4M additional people without extra budget, achieving 142% of planned reach at the same cost. It drove a 77% lift in product search and 61% in brand search, capturing engagement spikes after key matches. Brand-safe content like highlights and interviews extended audience attention, showing that combining Broadcaster YouTube with Unified CTV improves reach, frequency, and performance in a fragmented market.

18 QUESTIONS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR BUYERS' DECISIONS

To understand your buyers, focus on why they purchase, what solution they want, and how their organization makes decisions. Ask about motivations, desired outcomes, and required features. Also consider approval steps, budget, timing, and compliance needs. Together, these insights give a clear view of the buying journey and help avoid vague assumptions.

SELLING ON AMAZON BOOSTS YOUR DIRECT SALES TOO

Selling on online marketplaces is a cost effective way for small or new brands to acquire customers and drive direct website sales. Research found that every 71 sales on a marketplace led to one customer switching to the brand's website. Customer acquisition costs were lower on marketplaces compared to owned websites. Brands can use marketplaces to gain visibility and then encourage repeat buyers to purchase directly by offering unique products, benefits, or promotions on their own sites.

TAYLOR SWIFT'S NEW ALBUM SPARKS THE HOTTEST BRANDING TREND OF 2025

Over 50 major brands have used ‘The Life of a Showgirl' as a reference on their social media.

HOW TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF YOUR TOP SEO STAKEHOLDERS

To get buy-in for SEO, use metrics stakeholders understand, like ROI, technical debt, and market impact.