⚠️ Attention.

This is why Coursera is not to be trifled with. Feeling a little scatterbrained when it comes to marketing data? This should help, like…a lot. September 16, 2021 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Happy Thursday! We have been talking an awful lot about ourselves lately (and marketing news of course). But today, we want to know what’s new with you. Are you enjoying the transition from summer to fall? Is pumpkin spice in everything driving you crazy yet? Have you already started preparing your cover story for Thanksgiving dinner? Hit “reply” and let us know how you’re doing on your side of the world :) GOOGLE Google merges Standard and Smart Display campaigns, plus adds optimized targeting on top Another day, another Google feature that is becoming more automated. This time, it's all about Display Campaigns. The changes: [Google has announced that Smart Display]( and Standard Display campaigns will be combined into a single campaign type. From now on, you will have only one option to create a Display campaign. Furthermore, Google is introducing optimized targeting to Display campaigns. By “optimized” we mean optimized by Google, not by you. Google always knows better (or, at least, that's what they've been trying to tell us with the last 4,354 ad updates). How to adapt: Almost every recent Google Ads update has been centered on automating something that advertisers used to do manually. To adapt to his changing reality, [be like]( a data scientist. Feed the AI as much data as possible and allow it to work its magic in the background. That means you’ll need to do two things: - Tell exactly what you want. More conversions? More impressions? Higher ROI? - Set up tracking so the algorithm knows which users convert the best for you. This way, it can go and find similar users to show your ads to. The more generous you are with your data, the more AIs and Google will like you in return. REDDIT Reddit makes it easier to predict how much you’ll pay for their ads [article-image] Someone once said to us, "Reddit is small." Sure, if by “small” you mean the [11th most popular website]( in the US with an [ad network]( worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Reddit also has a self-service advertising platform, [which recently got]( three new updates: - Bid recommendations. Reddit will now show you an estimated and recommended bid after you narrow down your targeting. - Improved bulk editing. You can now update budgets and bids for multiple ad groups at the same time. - Faster loading times. We’re looking at you, Facebook! Reddit ad dashboards now load twice as fast. Why this matters: If you want to start running ads on a new platform, one of the first questions you usually ask is “How much does it cost?” The new bid recommendation feature should provide you with a good estimate, allowing you to compare the CPC to another platform on which you are running ads (like Google or Facebook). The last thing you want is to invest 100 bucks and receive only two clicks (LinkedIn advertisers know the feeling). SPONSORED BY SAILTHRU Attention marketers: do we have a *guide* for you [article-image]( 59%. The percentage of marketers that thought about quitting their job at least once this past year. The pressure has been real, all due to a number of reasons: keeping up with consumers across channels, Apple and Google privacy changes, the pandemic, and so much more. So, how do you keep reaching your goals without getting weighed down? [Through data and automation.]( [In this guide](, Sailthru explains how to leverage data and automation to gain more from your campaigns. More specifically, the guide will walk you through: - How to identify new online shopper segments from your 2020 holiday data. - How to fully utilize your technology stack. - How to speed up the workflow processes of your creatives. - The new KPIs to focus on. [Learn how to work smarter, not harder.]( MARKETING How Coursera crushes their competitors by finding the balance between B2B and B2C communication [article-image] Coursera started as a B2C company. Their initial mission was to provide the highest-quality educational content from respected and prestigious universities to learners worldwide. This proved to be effective: In 2020, this business model generated $193M. But moving to B2B with the launch of Coursera for Business was an even smarter decision. Their B2B model brings in about 1/3 of the company’s annual revenue. That’s about $136 million. How do they keep the balance between B2C and B2B? The way a final consumer makes a buying decision is way different from the way a company forms a buying decision. [Ross Simmonds from Foundation Inc explains]( how they do it: First of all, Coursera didn’t radically change its positioning. They still define themselves as the global online learning platform that offers access to online courses to “anyone, anywhere.” And they still use one main landing page: Coursera.org. But how do they balance their communication? - They have a dedicated landing page, Coursera For Business, where the language is more business-ey. They focus on course-ROI and speak to decision-makers. - Chatbot: On the business platform, they use a chatbot to pre-qualify leads. - Salespeople: When it comes to high-ticket products, a one-to-one interaction is critical. Their process to get potential clients on a call is seamless. Coursera does not push you with Calendly links to book a meeting. The process is smooth and leaves little room for aggressive sales. - In-demand courses: This is one of the characteristics that set Coursera apart from the rest. In-demand courses teach skills that give access to jobs that are in high demand. This positions Coursera as the go-to platform for a company that wants to upskill its workforce. - Dominating the SERP: Coursera has probably the most effective SEO approach in the MOOC industry (Massive Open Online Courses). The dedicated Coursera for Business landing page generates 1.8 million traffic and ranks for 726K different keywords. They achieve this by matching the intent of high-level professionals looking to achieve strategic business goals. These individuals understand a specific language, have goals, and need to track ROI. And Coursera’s content is created accordingly. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [TEXT MARKETING:]( It’s the message almost everyone opens, but 89% of companies ignore this valuable marketing channel. Why is that? This free guide by TapOnIt will show you how to crush it with your text marketing, in a way customers will actually thank you for it. [Read the free guide here.*]( [COPYWRITING:]( The holidays are right around the corner. If you want to bring home the turkey bacon, be sure to avoid having these three things in your copy. [INSTAGRAM:]( Business discovery is coming to Instagram. The social network is experimenting with a feature called "Map Search" which allows you to see popular businesses in your area. [WHATSAPP:]( Yup. Business discovery is also coming to WhatsApp. [E-COMMERCE:]( Shopify and Pinterest are teaming up to host a webinar on how to reach shoppers who spend more. (Isn’t this the type of customer we all want?) [MICROSOFT:]( Let’s face it...Google is starting to feel cluttered. Microsoft appears to have recognized this opportunity and is now experimenting with a “Compact” view for its search results. [GOOGLE:]( What’s driving Google’s tag rewrites? This article delves deeper into the topic. [PINTEREST:]( Shopping on Pinterest is expanding to 7 more countries. The list includes Austria, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland. [SEO:]( Category, tag, search, filter page. They all appear the same in Google’s eyes, according to John Mueller. *This is a sponsored post. BRAIN TEASER What is cut on a table, but is never eaten? You can find the [solution here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT Why are hyperlinks blue? [article-image] Since the dawn of humanity, millions of people have been in search of the answer to this question. A little dramatic? Maybe, but lots of us really did want to know why. So, if you’re reading this, consider yourself to be among humanity’s elite because you will finally get an accurate answer to this question. [And right from Mozilla's mouth](, the browser that played a big role in popularizing what we have all come to know today. It all began in 1964. For the first time in history, “Project Xanadu” connected two pages of information. 1983 - Let there be color. Although it wasn't blue, the HyperTIES system did introduce color in links. These links were cyan and set against a black background. April 19, 1993 - It finally happened! This was the exact date when Mosaic, one of the very first browsers, released version 0.13 with a "minor" change that made links blue rather than black. And, as they say, the rest is history. Now you’re one of the select few to possess this coveted knowledge. Guard it well. SHARING IS CARING Share this email with your friends and get cool rewards! From our Insights Poolside Chat, to stickers, T-shirts, one-of-a-kind coin, custom-made magazine cover, to lifetime Insights full membership and a trip to Vienna, Austria! Just click the button below! It takes less than 60 seconds to share. 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