🤯 Big updates.

A ton of new Google updates, a simple way to improve landing page conversions, and more. May 25, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Hello Wednesday. Turns out Google doesn’t know everything. We tried typing “there was a plethora” in Google Docs, and saw an automated prompt telling us to change it to “there were a plethora,” which is incorrect. So if you use Docs, maybe keep a dictionary handy. And now, for some things Google does know… GOOGLE Big updates for YouTube Shorts ads, Performance Max updates, and more… Google made several product announcements before their annual Google Marketing Live event. And as expected, there was [a plethora of updates](. We’ve picked the most relevant of the bunch: - YouTube Shorts ads: Your Video action campaigns and App campaigns will gradually start showing up on Shorts. Product feeds are next and will appear in the near future. - Performance Max is [getting six updates](, including in-store goals, optimization store recommendations, and more. - 3D product models: Augmented reality advertising is coming to Google. Soon you’ll be able to [display 3D models]( of your products on the search engine results page. - Insights page: Updates to the Insights page should provide a better look into attribution and what drives conversions. You’ll also get to see which audience lists are driving the best campaign performance. - Video ads available in Discover… A major addition that will allow you to show video ads within shoppers’ personalized Discover section. … And Google also announced a feature that is still in test mode: Checkout on Merchant. If implemented, shoppers would be able to go directly to the checkout page from Google’s product listing, skipping all the in-between pages. The last feature could have some drawbacks… While it could help users make quicker purchasing decisions, it could also keep them from browsing your website, skipping your upsells and possibly decreasing average order value (AOV). Why we care: Many of these updates will have a significant impact on Google Ads. Knowing what’s coming and how it affects your tools should help you use these updates to your advantage. SOCIAL MEDIA Snap’s growth takes a halt, more ad companies may follow [article-image] How it started: Snapchat had a great Q1… How it’s going: …But it looks like Q2 won’t follow the same trend. Snap’s CEO [Evan Spiegel warned his staff]( that the company will miss this quarter’s expected revenue and may also need to slow hiring. That was fast: Spiegel said the “macro environment deteriorated faster than anticipated,” citing rising costs, supply chain issues, and the ongoing war in Ukraine as factors in Snap’s not-so-rosy earnings forecast. … And there’s something else: Apple’s privacy changes. [The company needed to adjust their measurement]( infrastructure to comply with Apple’s privacy regulations—and it looks like the changes left some scars. Why we care: Snap might be the beginning of a larger trend. [Analysts are predicting negative “read-through” for other advertisers, too.]( Don’t worry, we’ve got helpful marketing strategies for you below, so keep reading. SPONSORED BY SUPERSIDE 400+ companies are getting high quality creative assets fast… without increasing their headcount [article-image]( You need a video or design ad for your next campaign, and you need it done by yesterday… But there’s nobody on your team with the necessary skills to pull it off. And you don’t have time to vet and hire a good designer. So how do you get quality creative assets as soon as possible? Facebook, Amazon, Salesforce, and Shopify solve this problem by using [Superside.]( Superside is a design subscription service that combines top designers with purpose-built technology to deliver quality design at lightning speed. Here’s what you get with Superside: - Access to the top 1% of global talent. - A dedicated design team—including a project manager—to make sure you always get the highest quality work. - Fast project delivery. Submitting a request at 3 AM and need it by noon? No problem! Superside works on your request immediately, no matter the hour. - No surprise bills or requests to “revisit a deal.” [Start getting high-quality design work—fast.]( MARKETING Recession-proof marketing strategies [article-image] To be clear, we’re not announcing the arrival of any recession. But, with so many people worried about an economic crisis, we thought it might be good to discuss the marketing side of things. [And we found this discussion]( that Justin Goff started on the Nothing Held Back Facebook Group useful. Here’s the main takeaway from that discussion: A recession can be a great opportunity for smart marketers who adapt fast. Why? Because companies will cut their advertising budget, pushing down cost per mille (CPM) and, generally speaking, reducing competition. Which means a recession is an opportunity to expand your market share… even as the market is contracting. Also… Business opportunity and make-money offers will explode: During a recession, people look for ways to make money, so if you operate in this niche, you’ll enjoy a sales bump. Compete on complexity: Everybody can create a funnel these days, and simplicity is easy to replicate. That’s why Alen Sultanic suggests adding complexity to your business, because doing so helps you build moats. For example, competitors might copy your webinar, but they can’t replicate what they can’t see, or what requires a bigger investment, a bigger team, or the processes and know-how that only your team has. Expect more resistance: The problem is not that there is less money in the market. The problem is that it moves slower and people become more sensitive to price… and more sophisticated about spending. If you sell to businesses, it will be harder… especially for services with a long-term commitment: Entrepreneurs will become savvier about where they spend their money and will keep you more accountable for the results you bring. These are just some of the nuggets shared during the discussion. [You can find more lessons here.]( SPONSORED BY CAMPAIGN MONITOR This tool shows you how your email campaigns rank against the competition [article-image]( Ever wondered how your email marketing compares to the competition? [Thanks to this free tool created by Campaign Monitor](, now you can find out. This tool compares your campaigns to millions of other emails that have been sent, gives you a score, then offers actionable insights for improving your conversions! Ready to see how you stack up against your competitors… And where you can level up? [Get your email score.]( THE CREW'S INSIGHTS An easy way to boost your landing page conversion rate in a couple of minutes [article-image] Want to boost conversions on one of your landing pages? Many people will try to rewrite the entire page, which can take weeks… or try to rebuild the page, which can also take weeks… and then publish it before they get a chance to test the new page against the old. But there’s an easier way to test your messaging fast, and it’s got everything to do with your above-the-fold (ATF) copy. - Above the Fold: The section of your website that a user sees before they scroll. The term comes from newspaper jargon, hence the “fold.” Your ATF copy is important. Not because it makes a sale, but because it gets people to read the stuff that will. So before you spend weeks on major restructures, try the following steps: - Write three or four different ATF copy combinations. This is normally a title, a subheader, and a call-to-action (CTA). Test different angles, writing styles, and value props in each. - Set up multivariate testing with each combination you’ve written. If you’ve written four combinations, you’ll now be sending 25% of users to each one. - Monitor results for a week, pick the winner, and build from there. This is easy if you’ve got analytics set up on your site. Why this works: It’s a low-friction way to test a lot of messaging in a short time period. Once you find the angle that gets users interested, you can use that angle to guide how you revise the rest of your page. It’s an easy way to boost conversion. And it’s waaaay more time-efficient, too. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [MARKETING:]( Semrush Pro gives small businesses access to the market data and tools reserved for big companies. Market research, keywords research, competitors analysis, social media listening, monthly reports, KPIs tracking… All from one tool, for a small-business-friendly price. [Find out more.](* [SEO:]( Panic buying often means panic googling and panic clicking. Apparently taking advantage of these trends—and increasing your click-through rate—can boost your rankings. Nice. [WHATSAPP:]( Messaging apps ain’t slowing down! WhatsApp reports 55% of monthly active installs become everyday users, which is 16% higher than this time last year. Telegram, Line, and Messenger have reported positive numbers as well. [META:]( Ad Library lets you go deeper into targeting insights for more sensitive topics. Namely, you will be able to see exactly how advertisers use social issues, elections, and politics in their campaigns… And how they spend their money. [SEO:]( Transparency is overrated… That is, if you want Google to index your videos. So make sure most of your thumbnail’s pixels have a transparency value higher than 250. [PAYMENTS:]( Stripe is dipping into the app marketplace, which means we’ll see familiar third-party business apps built into the platform’s dashboard. Dropbox and DocuSign are already onboard. *This is a sponsored post. BRAIN TEASER What weighs more: A pound of feathers or a pound of stones? You can find the [answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT If there’s a can, then yes, we can! [article-image] … is what Northwestern Passage explorers at the beginning of the nineteenth century probably said to each other. Why? Because they’d [discovered canned food](. Believe it or not, canned food made daunting expeditions to the vast Arctic possible. And if you’re wondering how long it can last… One tin of roasted veal lasted an entire century with nutrients almost intact. A cat ate it… with pleasure, apparently. Who knew tin cans were once breakthrough technology? SHARING IS CARING How would you like complete access to our content library… for free? All you have to do is get four people to subscribe to our newsletter. That’s it. Just share the link below with other smart marketers, CEOs, or entrepreneurs, and you’ll earn access to our growing library of The Crew’s Insights. Takes just 30 seconds! [article-image]( [CLICK TO SHARE]( Or copy your referral link: [ [SUBSCRIBE]( | [INSIGHTS]( | [ADVERTISE]( You are receiving this email because you want to know what is going on in digital marketing. If you aren't thrilled about our emails, reply and let us know why. Or you can unsubscribe from all daily updates by clicking [here.]( Our postal address: Spectrum IT Solutions GmbH, Canettistrasse 1/Top 0107, 1100 Wien, Austria