MARKETING MAYHEM + MORE
"Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart." - Joe Chernov
Hello there. We’ve got a lot going on so let’s just jump to it.
MARKETING - MY 5
SEARCH AS YOU KNOW IT IS CHANGING. AND QUICKLY!
From Marketing Dive:
Google starts testing generative AI in search, ads included
The race to transform search using generative AI is kicking into high gear. While Google’s implementation of the technology is not surprising — and has basically been a given since February — more formal tests demonstrate that the tech giant is moving quickly to address the competitive threat posed by rivals that were early to jump on the trend. Google’s announcement comes a week after Microsoft shifted AI-powered Bing from limited to open preview, welcoming more consumers into the fold.
From Mentionlytics:
TikTok is not going away.
TikTok Continues to Rule The World
The popularity of TikTok as a social media trend is not going to diminish in 2023. On the contrary, by launching new features and adaptations from other leading social media, TikTok aims to become THE all-in-one social medium.
The success of TikTok is not bound to user-generated content. TikTok ads have been on the rise over the past few years.
TikTok’s short video feature, photo modes, the “now” mode, and many other features make this app super user-friendly and attractive for users, mainly Gen Z.
But the favorite feature for any brand is, of course, TikTok shopping. This feature allows brands to directly sell their products on the platform.
And people actually love TikTok shopping.
By September 2022, Tiktokers spent $914.4 million on TikTok globally
AF NOTE: Hey You! You know, you. The one who reads something like this and calls me and says LETS GET ON TIKTOK asap! People are buying and we need to get on social media asap. DOING IT WRONG, QUICK OR STARTING THEN STOPPING IS A WASTE OF YOUR TIME AND DOESN’T WORK. It’s not like, ummm, newspaper where you hear everyone is doing it so you place an ad and checked that box. Call me if you want to hear more.
OMG. You’d have to be living under a rock for not hearing about this one! My girl! 81 years old on the cover of Sports Illustrated. What in the world can she not do?
From MarTech:
We deal with CTA’s daily. I deal with CTA’s daily. Buy now, shop now, click now. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked “What is the best practice for a CTA? Now you know.
Beyond ‘click here:’ 4 rules for better email CTAs
"Click here" is a terrible call to action for email campaigns. Here are tips and examples to help you develop better ones.
1. Focus on the relevant next step
This tells customers what will happen when they click on your website and hints why they should take that next step. “Download the whitepaper” is better than “Click here,” but only marginally so. What will they learn when they get your whitepaper? “Streamline your operations” might resonate more with time-pressed customers.
Ditto for “Read more” or “Learn more,” which are popular CTAs for publishers and content marketers who send newsletters with snippets of articles that lead to the full version on the website.
They aren’t awful but they don’t deliver that “oomph” that nudges a casual reader into action. Look for ways to incite your reader’s desire to read more.
(see how I did that CTA? Following my own advice…)
From Trendhunter:
I love innovative billboards. Love them. They really need to be different to gain 2-3 seconds of eyeball attention from a driver, right?
Minute Maid's New Billboards Help Passersby Get a Daily Dose of Vitamin D
Minute Maid is committed to helping consumers get their daily dose of Vitamin D, so much so that it created a billboard that helps passersby bask in the sun. The Open Billboard has a large cutout that serves the purpose of framing the sun, bringing awareness to two sources of Vitamin D that people might have otherwise been unaware of.
Alongside The Open Billboard, Minute Maid also introduced The Reflective Billboard in an area with tall buildings to bring sunlight down to street level, and The Extended Shelter, which adds a seat to the side of a bus shelter so that people can soak up the sun while they wait for their ride to arrive.
MAYHEM - MY WEEKLY 5
Moving stinks. We moved last week and it was dramatic. It always is. Although I have to say my husband packed up the entire place himself AND moved 70 boxes even though we had a moving company as well. Shout-out to ROF! Anyhoo, Wirecutter has put together an entire playbook to help you move.
Bill Gates delivered the commencement speech at Northern Arizone University and these were his main points:
Your life isn’t a one-act play.
You’re never too smart to be confused.
Gravitate toward work that solves an important problem.
Don’t underestimate the power of friendship.
You’re not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack.
Thanks to someone with the initials D.B. for RUINING MY LOVE FOR MCDONALDS FRENCH FRIES FOREVER!
Reading this
Have a great week!
