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Mention Brand Rivals on Social

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Mention a rival—not just any competitor—to boost engagement and purchase intentions.

As part of a series of 3 experiments and an analysis of over 1.2 million tweets from 100 brands across 20 categories, researchers found that:

Tweets that referenced a rival brand received on average 196.7% more likes.
The effect is stronger amongst loyal customers, as well as when the rivalry is strong and when social media posts are slightly critical or mocking.
The effect disappears if the brand is not a rival, but just a regular competitor.

How to implement it:

Identify if any competitors are true rivals by considering customer perceptions, frequency of competition, history, and brand distinctiveness. Focus on direct rivals in your campaigns.
If you have a genuine rival, use playful comparisons to highlight your strengths. Tailor your tone—positive, neutral, or slightly competitive—based on the intensity of the rivalry and your audience’s preferences.
Playful jabs can boost customer engagement, but avoid negativity, as it can harm your brand. For loyal customers (e.g., in forums or email campaigns), a competitive tone is fine; for broader audiences, keep it friendly.
Use this approach in social media, ads, and marketing materials to strengthen your brand’s appeal, especially to loyal followers.

Find out the psych behind why this tactic works at Science Says.

Google Updates URL Parameter Best Practices

OCTOBER 28, 2024

SEOs and Devs! Google has released new, consolidated best practices for URL parameter structure.

DO use standard encoding methods:

Use equal signs (=) to separate parameter keys and values, and use ampersands (&) to separate different parameters.
- https://example.com/category?category=dresses&sort=low-to-high&sid=789

DON’T use these parameter formats:

Bracket and Colon Method:
- https://example.com/category?[category:dresses][sort:price-low-to-high][sid:789]
Comma Separation Method:
- https://example.com/category?category,dresses,,sort,lowtohigh,,sid,789

Find out more at Google Search Central.

Checklist: Are LinkedIn Ads a Good Fit?

OCTOBER 27, 2024

On Friday, we shared a discussion about LinkedIn ads from our Facebook community.

Building on that, here’s a 10-step checklist to know when LinkedIn ads are likely to be a good fit for your business:

You’ve achieved product-market fit. Without clear targeting, a defined core offer, price point, and value proposition, LinkedIn can be a costly research tool.
Your target audience is active on LinkedIn. Just because you can target them doesn’t mean they’re logging in frequently enough to see your ads.
Average Contract Value (ACV) exceeds $8,000. LinkedIn ads can be pricey, with lengthy sales cycles. Higher ACVs help ensure your pricing supports this investment.
A website or landing page that already converts. You need a well-optimized site that can handle traffic and turn visitors into leads or customers.
Monthly budget of at least $3,000 for 3 months. LinkedIn’s CPCs are high, so sustaining a consistent presence is necessary to guide your audience through different messages and stages of the buyer journey.
An established performance across other channels. LinkedIn ads should be part of a broader marketing strategy, complementing efforts on SEA, SEO, email, affiliates, and organic social—not the sole focus.
A well-set-up LinkedIn company page. Ideally, your LinkedIn page has informative content, regular posts, and over 1,000 followers.
You have a CRM. This helps you manage leads and track engagement effectively.
Bonus: Someone on your team actively posts on LinkedIn.
Bonus: You have a highly visual product that performs well with image and video formats.

Get the full guide to LinkedIn ads from MRR Unlocked.

3 Brands That Get Gen Alpha Humor

OCTOBER 23, 2024

We know you’re seeing it, too. Brands are starting to cater to Gen Alpha’s frankly bizarre sense of humor, and it’s working.

Let out a collective sigh, and let’s break down how they’re doing it.

Sour Patch Kids. They were already uniquely positioned to tap into a sense of playful rebellion that resonates with Gen Alpha. Through socially-native, non-sensical content and chaotic memes, they’re able to play on the edge and stay true to the core brand. Plus, their interactive content engages Gen Alpha by encouraging tagging and sharing.

Nutter Butter. They have leaned so far into the unhinged that they might have scared off some elders, but they’ve connected with the kids through absurdism, unpredictability, and Internet randomness. The content is short, it’s punchy, and it’s apparently very funny. This is a lesson in embracing the weird.

Crocs. They’ve always led with self-awareness. They’re not for Cool Kids, but they’re for kids that are cool. They stay relevant with Gen Z and Gen Alpha (Zalpha, if you will), by strategically hopping on Internet jokes and trends, like “crafting and yapping” and “Crocsmaxxing.” In short, they’re authentic, and that goes far with the youths.

Take a closer look at Marketing Dive.

How to Make Paid Social Ads Feel Native

OCTOBER 22, 2024

The best advertising emulates the platform on which it appears.

If you want to increase conversions on social, lower CPAs, and build brand trust, it’s important that your paid social ads feel real and authentic.

Study your audience’s tastes.

Create a TikTok account to explore content through your customers’ lens.
Ask AI tools like ChatGPT for suggestions on top creators in your niche (e.g., beauty, skincare).
Follow and engage with creators, analyze content trends, and evaluate which videos resonate most.

Start with sound.

Lead your concepting with sound for vertical ads (TikTok, Reels) to significantly improve performance.
Custom sounds lowering CPAs by up to 50%.

Mimic the content on the medium.

UGC always wins.
The “fake podcast” ad format works well on TikTok, because podcasting is also a sound-first medium.

Check out the full post at Motion.

Cyber Week: 2023 vs. 2024

OCTOBER 21, 2024

What can last year’s Cyber Week tell us about this year’s sales?

2023 by the numbers…

Brands start promotions earlier, so consumers shop earlier, reinforcing the cycle.
Despite economic concerns, Cyber Week 2023 hit $38B in sales, a $3B jump from 2022. However, inflation-adjusted figures show stagnation for some sellers.
67% of shoppers prefer online shopping during BFCM.
Cyber Monday surpassed Black Friday in revenue.
Popular categories include clothing, electronics, and health & beauty, with discounts being highly competitive.
Gen Z shows post-shopping regret, but older generations still love the deals.
34% of consumers sense that deals are overstated, with 20% suspecting inflated prices.
Many smaller retailers are shifting away from major sales events due to high costs and competition, focusing on niche events or year-round offers.

So, how to prepare?

Shoppers are sharper than ever. Prioritize transparency in discounts.
Focus on Cyber Monday and target more specific product categories.
Focus on niche events and targeted value offers throughout the year to maintain a steady flow of customer engagement.

Check out the full report from Stacked Marketer.

The State of Meetings

OCTOBER 20, 2024

Calendly surveyed 1,200 business leaders to better understand how meetings impact productivity, engagement, and workplace dynamics in 2024.

Here’s what’s happening:

This email could have been a meeting. 81% of respondents feel more meetings could be beneficial, especially for team collaboration and project visibility.
What works: The most effective meetings focus on planning, decision-making, and problem-solving, with clear agendas and follow-ups. These are usually external meetings, no surprise.
What isn’t working: Internal meetings that lack agendas, critical attendees, or follow-up notes are getting old.
Unscheduled time for scheduling. 43% of respondents are spending at least three hours a week just scheduling meetings, up from 36% last year.
Don’t put it on my calendar. 67% of Gen Z respondents establish regular boundaries with their calendars, compared to 53% of Millennials, 48% of Gen-Xers, and 48% of Boomers.
I’m listening, I swear. 52% of workers often multitask during virtual meetings, which means we probably need more engaging, well-structured meetings. Gen Z is more likely to multitask and use AI summaries.

Spend some time with the complete report by Calendly.

The Problem with Image-Only Emails

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Image-only emails are pretty.

That is, pretty bad for your subscribers, your email program, and your brand.

Here’s why:

People won’t see them. Many email clients, like Gmail and Outlook, block images by default if they detect an imbalance in image-to-text ratio. Users may also intentionally block images. This can leave subscribers with incomplete or confusing messages, reducing engagement and making a poor first impression.
They’re not mobile-friendly. Most email viewers use mobile devices, and image-only emails designed for desktop can be difficult to read and navigate on mobile. This leads to a loss of engagement and conversions, as mobile users struggle to interact with your content.
They’re not accessible. Image-only emails are inaccessible to people using screen readers, and ignoring accessibility can violate laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act. People with visual impairments, physical limitations, or those who use assistive devices may find it impossible to interact with your emails, harming both user experience and brand perception.

Find out how to balance beauty and usability at MarTech.

3 Tips for Marketing in Taboo Industries

OCTOBER 15, 2024

Sexual wellness, body-hair grooming, weed… It’s not easy marketing in taboo industries (especially on social). If you’re up for the challenge, keep these tips in mind:

Embrace creativity and risk. Playing it safe doesn’t get you noticed. Brands in provocative categories have the opportunity to generate a little more buzz than your average brand. Lean into bold, breakthrough moments that feel authentic and aligned with your brand’s core values.
Use multiple channels to your advantage. Social platforms often restrict products related to adult wellness or grooming, which is particularly frustrating for DTC brands that rely on the social channel. That’s why it’s crucial to take a multifaceted, omni-channel approach that includes email marketing, influencer collabs, and other creative offline strategies.
Partner authentically. This applies to both influencer collabs and larger brand or celebrity partnerships. Consumers can easily detect when something feels forced or out of place, especially when the content relates to personal or controversial subjects. Working with influencers who have a track record of discussing these topics thoughtfully and respectfully can build trust and engage audiences more effectively.

Take a closer look at Chief Marketer.