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THE BEST GROWTH ADVICE OF 2023

A roundup of 23 pieces of growth advice, ranging from measuring product stickiness to fixing broken attribution models. It combines learnings from fast-growing startups including June, Figma, Miro, and more.

THE BEST MARKETING LEADERS ARE T-SHAPED

A quick visual of the skills and disciplines that the best marketing leaders encompass.

HOW PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT AI-GENERATED CONTENT

An MIT study found that when people had no information about the source of marketing copy, they preferred the results generated by AI. However, when people were told the source of the content, their assessment of human-generated content went up.

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EPIC CEO TIM SWEENEY ON WHY THE COMPANY DID BETTER AGAINST GOOGLE THAN APPLE IN COURT

Epic Games has won its court case against Google's Android app store. A jury found Google held a monopoly power and used anti-competitive practices that hurt consumers and developers. The outcome is starkly different from the case against Apple. Epic had documentation that showed that Google was locking up the app store market through deals with handset makers. It called out revenue-sharing deals and showed how Google scared users away from sideloading apps.

INSTAGRAM FINSTAS MAY TURN INTO A NEW PRODUCT CALLED ‘FLIPSIDE,’ MEANT ONLY FOR CLOSE FRIENDS

Finstas are alternate Instagram accounts where people post real-life photos with closer friends. Instagram is looking to productize finstas in a new feature that allows users to establish a new, private side to their profile to share photos with a subset of their friends.

INCREASE EMAIL CONFIRMATION RATE WITH SNIPER LINKS

Using sniper links resulted in a 12% increase in email confirmations for Growth·Design. These links are customized links that prompt an inbox search that will only show your company’s confirmation email, even if it landed in the spam folder. This tactic reduces friction in the signup process and prevents emails from getting lost in the spam folder.

HOW TO CRAFT WEBSITE HERO MESSAGING FOR A NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY

When a product category isn’t well-known, find a use case to anchor to in its messaging. This post includes an example of how DataCebo used this strategy to rewrite their homepage hero. Instead of non-specific jargon, hero messaging should clearly communicate what the product does, who it’s for, and when to use it.

YOUTUBE UPDATES: PRODUCT DROPS, COMMENT FEATURES, REVENUE ANALYTICS, AND MORE

YouTube's latest updates include a new 'You' tab for account control, interactive features on the watch page to boost engagement, and improved shopping capabilities for creators during live streams. The platform also introduced experimental AI functionalities such as Dream Track for Shorts music, comment topic summaries, and a conversational AI for content-related inquiries.

THE ONLY MARKETING CALENDAR YOU’LL NEED IN 2024

This 2024 calendar offers monthly templates, promotional ideas, social media posts, and relevant hashtags. It incorporates major holidays and events that can help with seasonal campaigns or initiatives.

PREVIEW OF THE WORLD’S FIRST AI-POWERED NEWS NETWORK

NO, X.99 PRICES DON’T HURT QUALITY PERCEPTIONS

MAXBONE: A MARKETING AUDIT

Maxbone is a DTC pet accessory and clothing brand. It succeeds with paid social due to its lifestyle UGC content and social proof callouts. However, the brand could add more variety to its creative. In paid search, Maxbone covers the basics but misses out on demand capture due to the lack of shopping listings. The company’s website is effective in showing customer reviews and displaying a prominent sale banner on every page, but its subscription page lacks education and customization.

AUGMENTED REALITY: A NEW ERA MARKETING

AR is reshaping e-commerce, revolutionizing retail, and transforming brand experiences. Examples include virtual fitting rooms for apparel, preview placement for items like furniture or decoration, interactive user manuals, and social media filters.

SNAPCHAT ANNOUNCES ANNUAL ‘RECAP’ ACTIVATION, SHARES TOP IN-APP TRENDS FROM 2023

Snapchatters are now able to look back on their year and Snap’s 2023 top AR filters, trending moments, and snapped locations (available in the 'Memories' section of the app).

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NEW REPORT SHOWS IN-APP SPENDING ON TIKTOK CONTINUES TO RISE

TikTok users spent $3.8 billion on the app in 2023, up 15% YoY. The growth is mainly driven by in-app purchases such as TikTok Coins, which are the biggest money earner at present. Despite the slow growth of in-stream shopping outside China, TikTok continues its expansion into a wider e-commerce space.

IPG MEDIABRANDS AND AMAZON ANNOUNCE A THREE-YEAR DEAL FOR PRIME VIDEO ADS

Amazon Ads announced a 3-year agreement with IPG Mediabrands that will connect brands with relevant audiences via Prime Video ads. TV shows and movies on Prime Video will start showing limited advertisements in early 2024. Advertisers will benefit from Amazon's first-party shopping and entertainment data to show relevant ads. In the future, Prime members will have the choice to sign up for an ad-free option of Prime Video.

HOW TO CRAFT MESSAGING THAT RESONATES

Sequencing messaging by persona enables you to reach your target audience more effectively. This post contains a framework for creating messaging by persona type. It includes both product users and relevant stakeholders, as well as a structure to break down their needs into promised value. The post uses Calendly for an example breakdown.

UTILIZING REDDIT TO CREATE KILLER BLOG POSTS

This author shares a 3-step strategy using Reddit to write blog posts. First, use Gummy Search to identify relevant subreddits. Second, dig through comments and posts to uncover the problem, obstacle, and dream (POD). Lastly, design the content of the blog post to utilize the exact language used in the POD to demonstrate a deep understanding of users’ needs. This shows that you not only hear them but also possess the solutions they need.

IMPROVE YOUR GOOGLE ADS PERFORMANCE: 3 SIMPLE SETTING CHANGES

There are 3 setting changes that can help boost campaign performance by tackling irrelevant clicks and impressions: turn off or heavily vet auto-applied suggestions that are on by default for newly created accounts, dig deeper into advanced location settings to avoid incorrect targeting when you select 'presence or interest', and carefully assess your use of broad match and monitor your search terms.

AI TOOLS TO CREATE ‘KEY MOMENTS’ IN VIDEOS

Google ranks YouTube videos prominently in organic search results. Having timestamped “key moments'' can make your video even more visible in the SERP. This article identifies 4 AI tools you can use to generate “key moments'' in seconds: Instant Chapters, Zubtitle, Decipher, and Taja.

UNDERSTANDING GOOGLE’S EEAT IN SEO

Prioritizing E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) in SEO planning is a must. It plays a crucial role in determining the credibility of a website’s trustworthiness and judging if a website and its content benefit users. This post goes back to the basics and explains the 4 pillars crucial for ranking well in Google’s search engine.

HOW TO USE THE RED SNEAKER EFFECT

The Red Sneaker effect is when people break established social conventions to signal higher status. Modestly dressed tech billionaires and Lady Gaga’s meat dress are examples of this. Breaking conventional norms can also help brands differentiate. One way to do this is to make your core values your marketing material. Do something unique on traditional “sale” days, like an “un-sale.” Brands should find ordinary opportunities to be extraordinary.

5 PPC TRENDS TO PREPARE FOR IN 2024

Many advertisers will struggle with conversion tracking in 2024 due to the deprecation of third-party cookies, increased privacy regulations, and other factors. Brands should instead use server-side tagging, consent mode, or third-party attribution. Advertisers should also tweak their offers and positioning often to stay competitive. Finally, expect Google to push video campaigns (specifically Shorts) more next year.

GOOGLE’S YEAR IN SEARCH 2023

Google Trends released 2023’s Search recap, highlighting news, people, books, and more.

2024 SOCIAL MEDIA PREDICTIONS

A creator’s 2024 predictions on social media jobs, the future of content, AI, and more.

TEENS ARE MORE ONLINE THAN EVER, BUT PLATFORM PREFERENCES DIFFER

Teen boys prefer Discord and Twitch, while teen girls prefer TikTok and Snapchat.

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TIKTOK, GAMING, AND AI WILL DEFINE THE ADVERTISING LANDSCAPE IN 2024

TikTok is on track to potentially claim the majority of ad budgets that marketers targeting Gen Zers are diverting from linear TV in 2024. In-game advertising will be the fastest-growing media channel. Ad agencies are anticipated to permanently integrate AI into all their operations next year.

WHY BRAND MARKETING IN 2024 MAY RECLAIM ITS GLORY DAYS

Fashion companies are set to revive brand marketing in 2024, steering away from the dominance of performance marketing. With increased privacy regulations and higher costs, 72% of fashion marketers plan to spend more on brand advertising to engage shoppers. Other trends gaining traction are identity revamps to cater to younger generations, an increase in storytelling and emotional affinity, and a focus on cross-funnel strategies in developing long-term brand stories.

HOW HUBSPOT DELIGHTS THEIR CUSTOMERS

HubSpot uses a Hierarchy of Customer Delight framework to ensure it meets its users’ needs. Survival and support are at the foundation—it’s making sure the product works and providing support if something goes wrong. The next level is community and making customers feel seen and heard. The highest level of the hierarchy is understanding what motivates your biggest fans and enabling them to become even better versions of themselves. For example, HubSpot enables passionate customers to "become their final form" by having them teach boot camps for HubSpot Academy.

HOW TO PRICE A NEW PRODUCT WITH VALUE WALKS

Companies often leave money on the table by setting prices solely based on costs. An alternative to that is to use Value-Based pricing, where the price is set by the value to the end customer. 'Value Walks' is a method to define the price based on how much customers value your product. Starting from the price of the next best alternative (NBA), you can add or remove a certain dollar amount depending if your features are better or worse than the NBA.

LINKEDIN ADS TRAFFIC CAMPAIGN TEMPLATE

This post contains 8 core elements for structuring a LinkedIn ads campaign for a B2B SaaS company. It includes objective, targeting, ad format and placements, conversions, budget, bidding, ad visuals, and metrics.

15+ BEST LINK BUILDING TOOLS FOR HYPER GROWTH

Link-building tools help marketers research potential link opportunities and reach out to owners, editors, or content managers. This article reviews 15 tools, lists key features that set them apart, and provides pricing options in addition to links for a free trial or sign-up.

HOW TO TRAIN CHATGPT TO WRITE IN YOUR BRAND’S TONE OF VOICE

This post contains 100 characters that can be used on ChatGPT, from Jerry Seinfeld to Don Draper to Indiana Jones - just add “Write like [insert character]” at the start of the prompt.

16 BEST DISPLAY ADS OF 2023 + WHAT MAKES THEM STAND OUT

Good display ads capture attention and can translate into more clicks or actions. Examples include LinkedIn focusing on recruiting pain points, Spotify employing the power of FOMO, and Asana showcasing measurable benefits through key data points.

HOW TO BUILD AN EFFECTIVE TRIAL FOR YOUR PRODUCT

SHOPIFY’S GROWTH STRATEGIES

Shopify went from $1.5 to $5.6 billion in annual revenue in 3 years. It did this by addressing a booming industry with an affordable option, including a trial. It also reduced the "Time to Value" to increase activation and retention rate. Passive buyers were converted into active ones through educational content. Finally, it implemented a merchant-focused customer success strategy to activate the growth flywheel.

GIFT GUIDES & LIVESTREAMING: HOW RESALE PLATFORMS ARE WOOING SHOPPERS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Resale platforms like GoodwillFinds and Poshmark are ramping up holiday marketing to earn a place on shoppers’ wish lists.

THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL ADVERTISING

The emotional pull of an advertisement can make or break performance. Brands should test running static ads, each with an emotional message, to see which ones resonate best.

RECORD $15.9BN IN US POLITICAL AD SPENDING EXPECTED FOR 2024

Political ad spend is expected to hit $15.9 billion, up 30% compared to the 2019-2020 election cycle. It’s poised to become the 10th largest singular ad market next year.

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THREADS ROLLS OUT TOPIC TAGS TO ALL USERS GLOBALLY

Threads' topic tags provide more ways for users to find relevant discussions in the app. They’re like hashtags, but not. Users can only add one tag per post. Topic tags are meant to guide conversations in the app and drive more topical engagement.

ADOBE’S 2024 CREATIVE TRENDS

Adobe's report highlights the upcoming year’s biggest creative trends. With mental and emotional health now a global priority, soothing and rhythmic visuals are being used by a growing number of brands. Consumers are also craving visuals that inspire a sense of awe, joy, and enchantment. Additionally, thanks to the multiverse and the continued rise of gaming, VR, and AR, it has become common for multiple asset types and dimensions to inhabit a world in motion together.

LIST YOUR PRODUCT’S ‘JOBS TO BE DONE’ TO INCREASE ECOMMERCE CONVERSIONS

By listing the typical ‘jobs to be done’ for each product, alongside a relevant customer testimonial, Vessi increased its ecommerce conversions by 9% across its product pages. Its team looked through customer reviews and carried out user research to identify the typical use case for each shoe product. They then added a section to each product page that highlights each use case matched with relevant customer reviews.

5 NEW YEAR’S MARKETING IDEAS

Consumers spend less after the holidays, making January and February slower months for retailers. This post contains 5 New Year’s email marketing campaigns to serve as inspiration. Origins, a cosmetics brand taps into popular New Year’s resolutions directly in its subject lines. Meanwhile, Flamingo Candles urges its subscribers to check out its range of slogan keytags by using real-world customer testimonials specifically tailored to the product category.

HOW TO MEET GOOGLE AND YAHOO’S EMAIL SENDER REQUIREMENTS IN 2024

Klaviyo prepared a checklist for marketers to prepare for Google and Yahoo’s new sender requirements going into effect in February 2024. It includes tips on removing Gmail from your friendly “from” address, setting up a branded sending domain, and more.

HOW TO UNDERSTAND BUYING INTENT

Despite their best efforts, marketers cannot force buyer intent. Intent is influenced by many external factors. Marketers should focus on understanding what all of these factors are and identify ways to help develop intent around them. Then, make sure their brand is top of mind when the intent appears and be prepared to convert the intent into a purchase.

19 RANDOM MARKETING TIPS

This post contains an assortment of learnings about growth marketing. You should solve the Conversion Rate problem before the User Acquisition problem. Answering relevant, long-tail keywords on Reddit is more effective than trying to do content marketing on Reddit. Sharing your "why?" can outweigh the lack of social proof and features.