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Understanding Apple iOS 15’s Privacy Updates

JUNE 9, 2021

Let’s start this out with a big ‘ol “oof” heard from marketers everywhere trying to keep up with privacy and compliance rules. Apple’s WWDC21 announced A LOT. What does it all mean? Here’s the basics on the biggies that might be important to your marketing initiatives:

Private Relay: This will encrypt users’ internet traffic on Safari using two relays: one gives an anonymous IP address, the second sends the browsing query to the appropriate results. For the non-VPN nerds out there, traditional VPNs typically use one relay.

App Privacy Reports: New privacy reports will be available and include information such as which apps are using personal information, what kind of data, how frequently apps access device features (i.e. cameras, microphones, geographical data), and what data is being used for third-party tracking.

Mail Privacy Protection: This is a tab added to the Mail app itself. Users can decide how much personal information is shared with email senders. Users can also restrict access to their IP addresses and location information. Tracking pixels beware 👀

Hide My Email: This new feature enables the creation of single-use, randomly-generated email addresses that can be used to forward mail to users’ real accounts. Burner phone vibes.

Siri Updates: Our gal will soon be able to process audio without an internet connection. Siri will also be able to process speech right on devices, with the idea that it will help reduce nonconsensual audio recording.

The Drum dished up a detailed explanation of the keynote AND input from industry professionals.

Content Writing Vs. Copywriting In Digital Marketing

JUNE 8, 2021

There’s content writing, and there’s copywriting. Do you know the difference? They’re both essential in marketing campaigns, usually one used to support the other, they just have different purposes.

Who cares? Marketing nerds like us who like to prove a point! Let’s get into it.

Player 1: CONTENT WRITING

What is it: Content writing is the creation of text content to educate or entertain.
Examples: Blog posts. White papers. E-books. Tutorials. Email newsletters. News articles. Evergreen articles. Case studies. Social media posts.
Length: Typically longer form pieces.
Emotion: Can be cheerful or funny at times.
Grammar: Aim for flawless and proper.
SEO: Keyword booster!

Player 2: COPYWRITING

What is it: Copywriting is the creation of text content to persuade someone to take action.
Examples: PPC landing pages. PPC ads. Cost-per-mille (CPM) ads. Social media ads. Product pages. Website sales copy. Sales emails. Short Message Service (SMS) ads.
Length: Typically shorter pieces.
Emotion: Can invoke impulse, comfort, sometimes even urgency.
Grammar: Eh, write as you’d speak for the most part.
SEO: It ain’t gonna do the most.

So there are your fighters. The next time you’re in a position to hire a writer, or need content created, you’ll know which one to choose. There’s overlap, and copywriting is an umbrella term for a lot of text content creation, but this way you know the true difference. The Forbes article gives the full details on both, so check it out!

Best Practices to Eliminating Data Chaos

JUNE 7, 2021

Mo’ data, mo’ problems. We will not shut up about how important customer data is. But we’re all collecting it like crazy, usually making complex profiles or workflows that aren’t doing the most for us. Or worse, we’re collecting it and doing nothing. Or even WORSE, we’re not collecting it and mismanaging the data we have.

Data chaos is not fun and can end up costing you in wasted ad spend if you aren’t careful. As we are moving towards a cookie-less world, this is not where you want to be. So let’s run through your data-wrangling best practices.

Embrace Cloud Collaboration: This is where it all starts. Cloud systems mean documents, files, and records can be accessed and synced between various systems and devices without worrying about duplication or legacy issues.
Integrate Content Applications: By leveraging APIs and connectors, you can find data harmony with seamless integration of modern content services with existing systems while also getting a deeper level of analytics and insights.
Secure Your Assets: Privacy and security: two of the biggest data priorities. Data security always needs to be a priority. But if you want an open, accessible platform that allows the unfettered flow of data and information across the company and with external third-party partners…how do you keep it on lock? Luckily cloud-based platforms meet industry-specific requirements while giving strict control over access and privileges.
Empower Employees: Legacy systems often rely on IT or the person wearing the data crown of the company to configure reports for them. Cloud systems allow remote teams to take control of their workday and be more proactive with data.

See KMWorld’s full write-up on the best practices for eliminating data chaos and information silos in 2021.

Inclusive UX in an Era of Anxiety

JUNE 6, 2021

Accessibility should always come first in design and user experiences. This is especially true in industries that involve complex tasks and understanding like healthcare, insurance, and finance. As designers and developers, it’s important to remember not to have UX exist in a bubble to cater to one group or our testing alone.

This past year has been, understandably, increasingly difficult for many to cope. Handling more and more of daily life online doesn’t always make things easier. Here are some ways of making UX less stressful for all involved:

Backups and Alternatives: For any essential task, the more channels the better. This could be web, phone, email, chat, or the forever important medium: paper. Make sure every channel you have talk to each other so that your users have options without obstacles.

Back to the Basics: Write your copy to be as clear but concise as possible. For the sake of brevity in a digital experience, only request information you absolutely need. We’re huge fans of knowing our users, but nobody wants overkill with questions on forms, or unrelated fields.

Better Glitch Fixes: Prepare for both System failure and human error. Without proper error states and messaging explaining what’s next or an alternative path, some may be completely at a loss. Yeah, we’re human, and mistakes happen all the time, so think through all the ways something could be goofed and fixed.

For more insights on user experience being accessible to those with anxiety and depression, check out the rest of the UX Collective’s piece.

A Guide to Defying Rainbow-Washing

JUNE 1, 2021

Pride Month is officially here, and we’ve already been giving you the skinny on all the lovely, rainbow campaigns we’re seeing. The thing is, it’s not enough to participate. Consumers want allies and advocacy outside of June. Brands need to put their money where their rainbow logos are.

Some examples of brands doing just that:

Procter & Gamble: This year, they released a landmark study with GLAAD, “LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media,” and featured lesbian moms with a transgender child in their Pantene ads.
Pepsico: With their brand, Bubly, they hosted the year-round “Drag for All Flavors” showcase of talent from people of color, drag kings and queens, and transgender artists.
Citi: The first bank to launch a version of Mastercard’s “True Name” initiative in the U.S., allowing trans and nonbinary people to use their self-identified first name.

How to Avoid Rainbow Washing:

Get Educated: There is an intersectionality of culture and semiotics that has a huge potential for brands to engage with on personalized levels. Make LGBTQ+ education an ongoing commitment for your company and MarCom team.

Hire LGTBTQ+: Use a predominantly queer team to develop queer campaigns (makes sense, right?).

Get Involved: Partner with LGBTQ+ nonprofits, advocacy groups, and projects to fuel a year-round narrative with groups such as GLAAD, GLSEN, The Trevor Project, It Gets Better, Our Family Coalition, The Transgender Law Center, and PFLAG. Brands can impact their own community by sponsoring local queer spaces.

Go All the Way: Many brands launch LGBTQ+ campaigns in progressive cities. Advocate in markets where the work will make people uncomfortable.

Read the full piece on MediaPost for more information and ideas.

Key Takeaways From the Google Marketing Livestream 2021

MAY 31, 2021

In the Google Marketing Livestream last week, Google announced new features and tools. There’s a large shift in focus on local search support, travel ad features, and insight upgrades. Search Engine Journal has given a thorough recap of the features and rollouts.

A Continued Focus on Privacy

Custom audiences rollout
Consent capabilities added to Google Tag Manager

Expanded Automation Solutions

Expanding target ROAS
Expanding Performance Max out of beta

Deeper Insights and Standing Out in the SERP

Image extensions included in search ads
Extending modeling capabilities to the Behavioral Report
Advertiser Report in Google Analytics
Incorporating YouTube & Display in attribution models

New Solutions for Retailers

New attribute tags to help consumers connect with like-minded businesses
Using AR to allow prospects to try on makeup and clothes
Google’s integration with loyalty programs
Surfacing deals for prospects with “deals results page”
Advertising options like available for store pickup, curbside pickup, and now later pickup
New “Shop Pay” buying option for Buy on Google listings
New eCommerce Integrations

New Solutions for the Travel Industry

Hotel booking extensions
Vacation rentals added to hotel results pages
Enhancing commissions (per stay) bidding

That’s a lot of stuff to keep on top of as an advertiser. See the full, detailed summary from Search Engine Journal.

Mobile App or Website?

MAY 26, 2021

We’re not just living in a digital world, we’re living in a mobile world. Sometimes it isn’t enough to have a website, you need a mobile app. It has a lot of benefits. So when a brand is deciding on the choice between mobile apps and websites, it all depends on their cost, usability, required features, and the audience they serve.

VWO gave a list of 10 benefits to having a mobile app over just having a mobile-friendly website. Let’s get into ‘em:

Better personalization: Apps make it easy to treat users with a personalized experience. Users can also set preferences in-app, customizing their experience from the start. Don’t forget about the amazing trackability for UX apps offer.
Easy notifications: Push and in-app notifications can be instant, interactive, and more relevant to users.
Access to mobile device features: Mobile apps, being on mobile devices an all, can utilize features like camera, contacts, GPS, phone calls, accelerometer, compass, etc. While some mobile websites can as well, apps have fewer technical constraints.
Use offline: While most features would likely still require internet connectivity, apps can offer basic content and functionality to users while offline.
Design freedom: Apps can be designed with more functions, based on device gestures as opposed to websites depending on browser navigation.
New branding experience: Companies can use apps to experiment with new looks or transition into a brand style for themselves with a more controlled platform.
Users spend more time on apps: In time spent on connected devices, mobile users spend 86% of their time on apps and 14% of the time on websites. Note: This includes gaming/social as well.
New stream of conversions: Apps can be great to push users down the conversion funnel in a much more targeted manner.
Brand presence: Your branding or logo is present on someone’s device any time they open it. Uh, winning!
Apps can work faster: Apps usually store their data locally on devices rather than use web servers. Meaning data retrieval happens swiftly and well-designed apps function better than a site overall.

If you can’t choose between both a mobile website and a mobile app, maybe this list helped you see the case for apps. See all the deets at VWO’s post.

Your CAPTCHA Crash Course

MAY 25, 2021

You have probably used them a million times or have implemented them on your own website – the good ol’ CAPTCHA.

Maybe you’re a web newbie. No judgment. Let’s review what CAPTCHAs are used for:

Maintaining poll accuracy
Limiting registration for services
Preventing ticket inflation/bulk buys
Preventing false comments

Basically, wherever a bot can lurk, you want a CAPTCHA to fend them off. Sounds good right? Sometimes they can get in the way of a beautiful user experience or become clunky. BUT there are plenty of options nowadays.

Let’s break ‘em down!

Text-based CAPTCHAs: The OG human verification methods. These CAPTCHAs can use known words or phrases, or random combinations of digits and letters. Different methods will distort or colorize them.

Image-based CAPTCHAs: These were developed to replace text-based by using recognizable graphical elements, such as photos of animals, shapes, or scenes. While easy for humans to understand, they can pose accessibility issues for visually impaired users.

Audio CAPTCHAs: The alternative for accessibility to visually impaired users. These are often used in combination with text or image-based CAPTCHAs. Audio CAPTCHAs give a userr an audio recording of a series of characters to enter.

Math or Word Problems: Ew. Math. Luckily these keep it basic like “3+4.” Another variant is a word problem, asking the user to complete a sentence.

Not CAPTCHAs, but like, kinda:

Social Media Sign In: This requires users to sign in using a social profile such as Facebook, Google, or LinkedIn. Details will automatically fill in using single sign-on (SSO) functionality provided by the social media website.

No CAPTCHA ReCAPTCHA: These usually provide a checkbox saying “I am not a robot” which users need to select – and that’s it. If the test fails, reCAPTCHA provides a traditional image selection CAPTCHA as a fallback. Google is a huge fan of these (so are we) and has a variety of fast and “invisible” reCAPTCHA options.

Imperva, a cybersecurity company, gives the full scoop on CAPTCHAs in their article (no human verification needed).

Beyond the Basics of Reviews

MAY 24, 2021

We all know reviews are important. Are you collecting them as effectively as possible? Putting together a review collection strategy is absolutely the first step in using reviews in your user-generated content strategy, and, of course, your reputation management.

G2’s Learn Hub gives us insights of how any business model can be collecting reviews, but especially how B2B businesses should be paying attention to B2C.

Where to collect your reviews:

Real-time review solicitation: The best time to collect the best possible snapshot of what your clients and customers are thinking is while they are using your services. In-app review solicitation is one way to strike while the iron’s hot.
Build a Community: Discussion boards and forums for troubleshooting are your chance to directly engage with your users and gather their feedback. Managing online communities for your users is a great way to maintain transparency while controlling the conversation.

Now what? You have valuable feedback for your team. That’s great. Now take your clients’ words and use them to your advantage as user-generated content.

Where to take your reviews:

Testimonials and Case Studies: Share those reviews out with prospective clients!
Engagement Boosts: Wherever you are hosting your reviews, make sure you can reply to them. Dialogue can only build your brand’s engagement and your users will appreciate it.
Video Content: Encourage your customers to leave video reviews on your product profile. Boom. The most valuable content type made for you, supporting you.

Even if your reputation is looking good, take advantage of collecting fresh stuff to build up your brand in user-generated content. Rather than passively waiting for customers to volunteer feedback, meet customers where they already are and ripe to provide feedback.

See the full article by clicking below.