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QUICK GUIDE TO BRAND STRATEGY

A brand is the meaning people attach to a company, product, service, or person. Your brand strategy should include a vision, three-point positioning, and a perceptual map.

GOAL SETTING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

Everything you need to know about setting, tracking, and reporting goals for social media.

HOW TO REDUCE ECOMMERCE RETURNS: 6 PROVEN TACTICS

The recommended tactics include streamlining return procedures, improving product descriptions, enhancing packaging, and encouraging customer reviews.

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REDDIT LAUNCHES NEW AD TIPS MINI-SITE FOR SMBS

Reddit has launched a new mini-site offering marketing tips for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The site showcases Reddit's value for SMB promotions with user-trusted recommendations, specific ad tips, and downloadable resources to optimize campaigns on the platform. Ahead of its IPO, this is another attempt by Reddit to enhance its promotional offerings and create a more brand-safe environment to maximize revenue opportunities and improve engagement for millions of users.

NETFLIX’S AD TIER GATHERS MOMENTUM AS IT CONTINUES TO EVOLVE

Netflix’s advertising business is gaining steady momentum. The segment grew 70% quarter-over-quarter in Q4 while adding a chunk of new users to reach 23 million monthly active users. Live programming is a key piece of Netflix's CTV future as it aims to compete with offerings like Amazon’s Thursday Night Football. Netflix notably just unveiled a $5 billion 10-year deal to bring WWE’s Raw to its service beginning in 2025.

HOW TO LAUNCH MORE A/B TESTS WITHOUT ENOUGH DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES

Launching at least 2 to 3 A/B tests per month enables you to increase your website conversion rate and revenue much faster. One strategy is to use the visual editor in your A/B testing tool to improve wording and imagery. You can also use a platform like Upwork to find individual A/B test developers. Alternatively, outsourcing the work to an A/B test development agency is sometimes the right call. If the development shortage isn’t improving, you’ll need to work on getting buy-in from senior management by proving the ROI and being specific about what resources you need.

HOW HALARA USES INFLUENCER INCENTIVES TO GO VIRAL AGAIN AND AGAIN

Halara’s viral campaign began with organic content. It can be traced back to a March 2021 influencer post by Meg and Jack wearing Halara clothing. The brand also strategically utilizes paid advertising on TikTok, leading to over half a million sales in 2 months. It prioritizes UGC, collaborates extensively with creators, uses affiliate marketing, invests in a campus ambassador program, and plans pop-ups in New York.

TIKTOK SEO TACTICS

44% of people use TikTok for search because the short video format is more informative and digestible. 18% of product or service reviews on TikTok outperform traditional SERPs. Its ranking factors include user interaction, video information, and device and account settings. Brands should research what their audience is looking for and then use TikTok Creative Center and the app’s search bar auto-complete feature to figure out what performs best. Keywords and hashtags in post descriptions are critical.

STARE

Stare contains an extensive, free collection of case studies and product teardowns from brands like Airbnb, Nike, Duolingo, and YouTube. The collection can be filtered by objectives like activation, engagement, gamification, acquisition, GTM, and growth.

CREATE A VIDEO STORYBOARD IN 10 MINS WITH CHATGPT + CANVA

This post breaks down how to create a storyboard using ChatGPT and Canva in 13 steps. The process won’t be perfect the first time around as it’ll take time to edit and finalize. However, it will be a large time-saver compared to the traditional way of video storyboarding. The post includes templated ChatGPT prompts and step-by-step Canva tips for using Grids in the “Elements” section.

3 QUESTIONS TO GAUGE IF YOU HAVE A MARKETABLE PRODUCT

A successful and marketable product solves a customer’s problem. To gauge if your product is actually marketable, ask yourself how many people are aware they have the problem being solved. Too often, startups try to solve problems that people aren’t aware they have. Next, ask how often the problem shows up. The more frequent the problem shows up, the more likely someone will pay to solve it. Finally, determine what the impact is of not solving the problem. If nothing bad happens when the problem goes unsolved, it’s a signal that no real market exists. Answering these questions helps you understand your customers better and plan more effective marketing.

FROM SEVEN FAILURES TO 10X GROWTH

Jam, a bug reporting tool, achieved 10x growth in 2023, going from 0 to 1 million users after 18 months of experimentation that included seven failed launches. In this article, the CEO of the company shares valuable learnings from his journey. The article covers how to conduct extensive internal testing, prioritizing quality over early launches, running small-scale focused pilots, and tracking retention metrics as crucial elements in achieving product-market fit.

POST PERFORMANCE REPORT: BRANDS ALREADY INSPIRING US IN 2024

This report spotlights brands excelling on social media. The highlights include Auntie Anne's clever engagement with Taylor Swift fans, Independence Village Senior Living's viral content, Topicals' unique celebration of Black creators, and Calvin Klein's successful campaign featuring Jeremy Allen White. It showcases campaign creatives and explains the strategies, with recommendations on how to replicate them.

BENCHMARKING THE QUALITY OF YOUR BENCHMARKS

10 questions to ask yourself when looking at an industry benchmark report to evaluate whether you should actually rely on its data.

THE ULTIMATE PMM 30-60-90 ONBOARDING PLAN

A product marketing manager playbook in succeeding the first 90 days of the role. It includes a visual that outlines exactly what you need to learn and deliver and who to network with.

GOOD CONTENT VS. GREAT CONTENT

This post covers 9 differences between good vs. great content.

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GOOGLE’S NEW GEMINI-POWERED CONVERSATIONAL TOOL HELPS ADVERTISERS QUICKLY BUILD SEARCH CAMPAIGNS

Google has integrated its multimodal LLM, Gemini, into the Google Ads platform. Gemini enhances the conversational experience for advertisers and enables them to build and scale Search ad campaigns more efficiently. The chat-based tool is capable of generating relevant ad content, including assets and keywords. Beta access is available for English language advertisers in the US and UK. A global rollout is expected in the next few weeks.

MIXED REALITY IS THE NEXT SHINY THING FOR MARKETERS, BUT SOME REMAIN CAUTIOUS

This article discusses the impact of augmented and mixed-reality devices on advertising. Some marketers remain skeptical due to economic uncertainties. Meanwhile, Apple and Sony are announcing new AR and MR devices. Walmart and Qualcomm are reimagining the retail experience with video rails on shelves and smart shopping carts. The shift towards spatial computing can be seen as an opportunity to create more interactive 3D ad experiences and enable hyper-personalized and hyper-local contextual ads. Sensory advertising could also be amplified by the rise of wearable tech.

THE POWER OF COMPARISON PAGES IN SAAS + BEST PRACTICES

Comparison pages help brands stand out from their rivals by offering clear comparisons of product features and help capture valuable SEO real estate. These pages bring in high-intent traffic that can more easily be converted to sales. Effective comparison pages have comparison tables, social proof, frequently asked questions, and an advertorial style. This article includes case studies of comparison pages from HubSpot, Zoho, and Ahrefs.

BOOST FACEBOOK AD PERFORMANCE 4X BY PRUNING NEGATIVE COMMENTS

A client solutions manager at Meta found that ad campaigns without any comments perform significantly better than campaigns with negative comments. In their study, the campaign with negative comments had a significantly worse cost per install ($4.69 vs. $1.46). Brands should prune any undesirable comments from their Facebook ads to prevent performance dips.

YOUR VALENTINE'S DAY CAMPAIGN ESSENTIALS

This article provides essential tips and strategies for a successful Valentine's Day marketing campaign. It covers do's and don'ts and Meta ad headline ideas and shares 11 strategies with examples. The tips include avoiding forcing a Valentine's angle into a product that does not fit the date, emphasizing customer appreciation promotions, and adapting based on insights. Strategies range from boosting sales with popups to redefining Valentine's Day for your brand.

LINKEDIN UPDATES: AD MEASUREMENT, NEWSLETTERS, PREMIUM FEATURES, AND MORE

LinkedIn's recent updates include a robust ad measurement suite that addresses B2B marketers' attribution and privacy concerns, the introduction of sponsored articles for Company Pages, and a featured section for enhanced customization. The new AI-driven ad measurement features categorize metrics into pillars, providing advertisers with a comprehensive approach to assess and optimize campaigns. LinkedIn is also expanding learning options with bite-sized content and improving Premium profiles with a 'Spotlight' section.

REALLY GOOD EMAILS

This website showcases and curates examples of effective email design and marketing from brands like Ray-Ban, Supergoop, and Postable. There are thousands of examples across email categories like onboarding, abandoned cart, follow-up, and loyalty/rewards. There is a 14-day free trial available.

CHROME IS GETTING 3 NEW GENERATIVE AI FEATURES

Tab Organizer automatically suggests and creates tab groups based on your open tabs in Chrome. This will be useful in preventing your tab bar from becoming an unsalvageable mess. “Help me write” puts a writing assistant directly into some web input boxes. This will be useful when writing reviews for restaurants or crafting an RSVP for a party. Navigate to the “Experimental AI” page from “Settings” to try them in Chrome on Macs and Windows PCs (U.S. only).

3 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE

Segment your target audience into those who might need your product in the future, those who need it but don’t want it, and those who need it and want it. These segments should be marketed to differently. Knowing your customers’ buying dynamics also helps you prioritize the best acquisition opportunities and set the right objectives. For example, high-cost products will naturally have longer sales cycles and more complex buying journeys compared to freemium products.

APOLOGIES WORK BETTER THAN COMPENSATION

Customers are up to 32% more likely to forgive a mistake when they receive an apology rather than financial compensation. Mistakes like late delivery or a forgotten order are bound to happen. Brands should respond by offering a sincere apology and a polite explanation for why the mistake happened without being defensive. Research finds that this is more effective than compensation alone. An apology helps customers regain self-esteem after feeling disrespected and shows that a company is considerate of their feelings.

THE ELEVATOR PITCH: HOW TO MASTER YOUR OWN + 7 REAL EXAMPLES

This guide explains what to include in an elevator pitch, how to master the delivery of it, and key learnings from real-life examples.

TIKTOK’S TESTING 30 MINUTE UPLOADS AS IT LOOKS TO EXPAND ITS CONTENT OPTIONS

TikTok continues to push towards longer-form content to expand its monetization alternatives and offer creators more revenue-sharing opportunities.

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GOOGLE PODCASTS IS GOING AWAY AFTER MARCH—BUT THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES

Google is sunsetting its podcast app in favor of YouTube Music as of April 2. Users will no longer be able to migrate or export their subscriptions after June. This article shows you how to move your Google Podcasts subscriptions directly to YouTube Music or export them as an OPML file, enabling you to upload them to another app. It also lists 6 alternative podcast apps for Android phones, including Pocket Casts, AntennaPod, Castbox, and PodBean.

META TO LET EU USERS DENY CROSS-SITE TRACKING AS DIGITAL MARKETS ACT BITES

Meta will soon send a notification to users allowing them to make new privacy choices in response to the DMA in the EU. Users will be able to block Meta from combining usage data from Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. The move will likely reduce ad targeting effectiveness across platforms. Google is also impacted and recently announced it will ask for consent from users to share data across its products, which it says is required for some features to work.

ADVANCED PMAX FOR LEAD GEN: THE FIRE & ICE STRUCTURE

Performance Max for lead gen is difficult, but it can be done successfully with the right campaign structure. The Fire & Ice Structure involves setting up two pMax campaigns: one targeting the 'warmer' bottom-of-funnel channels, and one designed for 'colder' mid/upper-funnel channels. The assets, bidding, and campaign settings should differ between the two. It should result in cheap traffic and lower-value micro-conversions from the ‘ice’ campaign, plus high-quality traffic and a lower amount of high-value conversions from the ‘fire’ campaign.

E-COMMERCE PERSONALIZATION: 7 KEY EXAMPLES TO TAKE INSPIRATION FROM

E-commerce personalization enhances user experiences by tailoring shopping journeys based on customer preferences. If done right, it can improve satisfaction, loyalty, and sales. This article shares examples such as curated product recommendations and dynamic pricing strategies, using examples from Amazon's continuous shopping feature and Zalando's pricing adjustments based on inventory.

CHATGPT PROMPTS FOR CUSTOMER PERSONAS

This article includes 3 ChatGPT prompts to better understand your audiences and create buyer personas. The first prompt instructs ChatGPT to analyze organic search results and provide the target persona of each page-1 listing. The second prompt takes a competitor’s web page and returns a list of personas targeted in the copy. The third prompt analyzes a Reddit thread about your company or a competitor and extracts personas from the discussion.

META ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF CREATOR MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Meta has launched Creator Management Tools in its Business Suite to help agencies and creators manage their relationships on Facebook. The new tools are designed to streamline relationships with creators with features for sharing assets, making payouts, increasing security, and more.

TIKTOK PUBLISHES NEW GUIDE ON EFFECTIVE AD BIDDING STRATEGIES

TikTok released a 13-page guide that offers insights into optimizing ad campaigns and bidding strategies. It features case studies, data-backed notes, and practical tips on structuring ad accounts, updating campaigns, and targeting effectively. For instance, it suggests specific ways to optimize an ad account towards the user journey and to adopt the ideal bidding strategy based on the campaign's objective and budget.

HOW KHAN ACADEMY CREATED A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY WITH STRATEGIC MARKETING

Since launching in 2008, Khan Academy has grown into one of the world’s largest nonprofit edtech platforms, with more than $221.5 million in annual revenue. It was able to achieve this with effective brand messaging, which set it apart from competitors and appealed to a large global audience. Khan Academy invested in strategic partnerships to grow its reach and credibility. The company’s investment in SEO and social media increased its online visibility.

HOW TO NAIL PRODUCT MARKET FIT WITH CLEAR JOBS-TO-BE-DONE

This case study dissects Letterboxd's onboarding process. Letterboxd is an app that markets itself as “the social app for film lovers”. Its onboarding and signup experience was confusing and left the author with a poor customer journey. Letterboxd should not have relied on non-contextual instructions to tell people essential information about what the app did. Showing users what the app could do as they’re discovering it is more effective. In addition, using pop-ups during onboarding can be a rough way to start a new customer journey. The author provides alternative UX options to make the experience more welcoming.

DE BEERS: ONE OF THE GREATEST MARKETING HEISTS EVER PULLED ON MAN

This story delves into the transformation of diamond engagement ring culture and traces its roots to strategic marketing campaigns that shaped cultural perceptions through generations.

AS CONSUMERS DEMAND MORE FOR THEIR MONEY, SOME CLOTHING BRANDS SHIFT THEIR MESSAGING TO QUALITY

As consumers prioritize authenticity and reliability in brand promises, clothing brands like Quince and Italic adapt their marketing messages towards the use of natural materials, emphasizing durability and quality.

WHY ARE TIKTOK MOMS MAD AT KYTE BABY?

A summary of why Kyte Baby, a baby apparel company, is under fire for denying an employee time off to take care of her adopted baby.

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TIKTOK USAGE IS STARTING TO SLOW

Monthly TikTok active users grew at a slower pace in 2023 compared to the previous year. Recent data indicates a deceleration in growth after the U.S. launch of TikTok Shop in September 2023, with concerns raised about the platform becoming saturated with ads and cheap products leading to user frustration.

DAVOS 2024: CAN AND SHOULD LEADERS AIM TO REGULATE AI DIRECTLY?

Leaders debated whether to regulate AI directly or focus on regulating its effects post-development at the Davos 2024 World Economic Forum. Some suggested implementing policies that evaluate and audit algorithms from the start. Others argued for regulating the effects of AI once it’s developed. Concerns were raised about stifling innovation with direct regulation.

THE STORYTELLING HACK FOR 10X BUZZ ON REDDIT

A founder orchestrated a Reddit post to promote his startup using clever storytelling, which spiked his company’s website traffic for a few days. To do this, write a story where your product is the solution that could have solved everything—but don’t mention it in the post. After the post gets some attention, post a comment from a different account that casually suggests your product. Finally, edit the original post to mention the product. For this tactic to succeed, it’s critical to avoid making it sound promotional.

THE SMART MARKETER’S GUIDE TO ACCURATE LEAD SCORING

By helping prioritize quality leads over cold ones, a good lead scoring model can improve sales productivity, increase conversions, and promote better alignment between marketing and sales. This guide uses website activity, campaign responses, and demographics/firmographics to build a scoring model. It recommends capturing website activity through first-party cookies, scoring diverse campaign responses, and gathering crucial demographic and firmographic details to continuously refine the model and improve accuracy.

HOW TO UNDERSTAND CLV AND 5 WAYS TO GROW IT

Customer lifetime value (CLV) helps you maximize return from user acquisition and marketing, set sustainable sales goals, and double down on customer retention. It’s calculated using average order value, number of purchases per month or year, and the length of the customer relationship. Providing excellent user onboarding, rewarding loyal customers, upselling, and cross-selling can increase CLV.

HOW TO FIND HIDDEN HIGH-CONVERTING KEYWORDS IN YOUR SEARCH CONSOLE DATA

This guide walks through how to identify lower-funnel keywords in GSC to create or optimize content for. First, add a Regex query filter for all the lower-funnel keyword modifiers you can think of, such as “alternatives” or “solution.” Next, filter the data to the last 28 days and only positions greater than 25. Review this list to identify keywords that are highly relevant to your product/services and check to see which pages are receiving the impressions. Plug these keywords into a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to get the difficulty and review the current SERP. Use this data to prioritize the keyword list.