👛 Live.

How to know if you should start a newsletter, expanded text ads are on their way out, and more. May 26, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. Find someone who raves about your brand the way Norel raves about his selfie stick. Norel [described his product experience]( as the “nicest picture of myself in fifty years” in a 5-star Amazon review. The photo he uploaded is pretty great, too. Looking good, Norel. E-COMMERCE Live commerce platforms are gaining popularity [article-image] You’ve heard about livestream shopping, right? Wheels are turning: buywith, a popular platform where brands can host live interactive shopping events, just secured [a seed round of $9.5 million.]( And Firework earned [$150 million in funding]( just days before. … And it’s only getting started: Live commerce companies are emerging and growing quickly, with companies like Whatnot and Popshop raising more than hundreds of millions of capital in recent years. All together, they’re expected to reach $35 billion in revenue by 2024. That’s still 12 times less than China, where live commerce has been popular since 2016 and it’s expected to hit $423 billion in 2022. Why we care: Many brands and marketers have yet to harness the potential of live shopping, and the opportunity is huge. Meta has already launched Live Shopping on Facebook, TikTok is testing live commerce… It all points to a future where online shopping happens real-time. So think about jumping on the trend while it’s still early. GOOGLE Say goodbye to expanded text ads, and other updates Would it surprise you to hear there are more updates? Yeah, we didn’t think so. First, let’s talk about the things you can’t do anymore: - No more expanded text ads (ETA): Starting June 30, you won’t be able to [create or edit ETAs.]( However, existing ones will continue running, and you’ll be able to pause, resume, or remove them. - New forbidden products: Advertising skin lightening products that promote one skin tone over another [are now prohibited](. Place your bets, Oregon: Google will allow advertisers in Oregon to [run sports betting ads]( starting June 15—but only from certified, state-licensed entities. Ew, bugs: Google [reported a technical issue]( that caused the costs-per-click (CPC) of non-US campaigns to skyrocket. So if you’ve seen some inflated CPCs, you weren’t imagining things. The problem’s been resolved since. Why we care: Numerous as they are, it’s important to keep track of Google’s updates and changes. They can make a big difference in your strategic planning. SPONSORED BY CLEARBIT This B2B company slashed CPA by 20X with this audience targeting technology [article-image]( When it comes to B2B social advertising, you probably have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. While other marketers are getting results from it, you’re struggling. It’s hard enough that the platform was created to target consumers, not companies—making it expensive to acquire B2B customers. Now throw in the increased demand for ad space and iOS14 privacy updates, and you can almost hear your budget groaning from the pinch of customer acquisition costs. [It doesn't have to be this way.]( Using Clearbit’s audience targeting, RStudio was able to reduce their cost per acquisition by 20X on Facebook. How? [In this free guide,]( you’ll learn how to create powerful audiences, effortlessly sync them to Facebook, and actually reach your ideal customers. Discover how RStudio, Gorgias, Greenhouse, and Chargebee get quality B2B leads from Facebook—[download the free guide now.]( SEO How to create “link bait” content for higher page rankings [article-image] Yes, pages need backlinks to rank. But not all pages on your website deserve backlinks. That’s why Si Quan Ong suggests creating “link bait.” Link bait refers to pages that are designed to become backlink magnets. It’s the kind of content bloggers and journalists find so valuable that they link to it. Not only do such backlinks result in more traffic—you can distribute the authority of these pages to other web pages on your website with internal linking. [Si’s blog post shares]( some best practices for creating link bait: - Create content that users can use right away, like tools, calculators, templates, checklists, and cheat sheets. - Make your link bait opinionated by giving readers something new to think about. Share a different perspective about a popular topic, a controversial idea, or discuss a subject from a unique angle. - Make your content visually appealing so it’s easier for users to consume and enjoy your piece. - Add newsworthy elements to your content will help you get more links. Journalists and bloggers are constantly looking for news, so give them what they’re looking for! - Tell a story. Sharing facts and stats through stories makes your content more appealing, easier to digest, and magnetic enough to attract backlinks. As author Yuval Noah Harari wrote, “Humans think in stories rather than in facts, numbers, or equations, and the simpler the story, the better.” Solid practices, right? Si also includes several [examples of pages]( that gathered thousands of backlinks by following these guidelines, so check them out. SPONSORED BY INBOX MAILERS Increase your open rates by up to 300%! Send emails when your subscribers enter their inbox, here’s how… [article-image]( Spike your engagement and revenue with a new technology that enables you to know when your subscriber enters their inbox! It simply works like this: Step 1: Inbox Mailers identifies when your subscribers are checking their inbox. Step 2: Inbox Mailers triggers your ESP to send an email while they’re checking it. This boosts opens, clicks, aaaand… sales! [Grow your email engagement and revenue.]( THE CREW'S INSIGHTS Should your brand start a newsletter? [article-image] It’s normal to feel like you should start a newsletter for your brand. But is it a good idea? And if it is, what type of newsletter should you start? That’s what we’re aiming to answer here. OK, so should you start a newsletter? The answer is usually yes—as long as you have the right goals in mind. Most brands benefit, at least a little, from running a newsletter. There are three different types of brand newsletters: - Newsletters that stand on their own. Some brand newsletters add so much value that they stand on their own instead of functioning as promotional tools. These are helpful if you want to grow the largest audience possible, and if the majority of that audience hasn’t purchased from you before. - Newsletters that combine product info with interesting content. These newsletters focus on product, but contain enough unique content to keep a lukewarm audience engaged. That’s helpful if you’re sending emails to customers and people who have spent lots of time on your site. - Newsletters that are entirely product-focused. Some brands prefer to send a newsletter that revolves solely around their own product: News, discounts, sales, and more. These are helpful if you’re sending emails primarily to current customers. The bottom line: Newsletters are great. If you evaluate what your goals are, where your audience is coming from, and how much time you have to spend on creating your newsletter, you’ll be on your way to creating something memorable. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [INFLUENCER MARKETING:]( Traditional influencer and creator partnerships, and campaigns are delivering better results, in many cases, than traditional online ads. This free report uncovers 5 trends shaping the industry, and key strategies to [get big ROI from micro influencers and creators.](* [SEO:]( There’s another core update rolling out, but don’t be shaken by the news. At least, not until we have some data on how it will impact rankings. [INSTAGRAM:]( New font, who is this? Instagram announced “Instagram Sans,” a typeface they developed with the help of language specialists. Will it help your posts and ads get more engagement? Guess we’ll see. [ANALYTICS:]( Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has started using Consent Mode for conversion modeling. In theory, this should help attribute conversions to the right channel in these days of stricter privacy regulations. [APPLE:]( Small developers are thriving on the App Store. To give you an idea… Developers with less than $1 million in annual revenue from the platform saw downloads increase by 118% since 2019. Not bad. [WORDPRESS:]( Good news if your website runs on WordPress. Arturo, the most recent update, brings improvements to Gutenberg, as well as new styles, templates, and design tools. *This is a sponsored post. BRAIN TEASER Forward I’m heavy, but backwards I’m not. What am I? You can find the [answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT How long would it take you to eat this giraffe? [article-image] We love chocolate. And we love writing about chocolate. So imagine how we felt when we saw an 8.3 foot tall giraffe made of… chocolate. A talented sculptor combined the plastic arts with cuisine to make a huge, tasty, giraffy treat. This chocolatier Michelangelo shared [the entire production process on Instagram](, and it’s as creamy and dippy as you think. And there are more chocolate animals in this zoo: If you look at his profile you’ll see a chocolate squid, king cobra, pterodactyl, and more… Be right back… on our way to the pantry to grab a snack… SHARING IS CARING You don’t want to give away your competitive edge, we know. But there are three reasons why you have nothing to fear in sharing Stacked Marketer with other marketers: - Just because the content is actionable doesn’t mean they’ll act on it. - Even if they acted on it, it doesn’t mean they’d execute nearly as well as you. - You just look insanely well-informed and smart. No loss there! Plus, when your referrals subscribe to our newsletter, you unlock prizes like free access to exclusive content, awesome merch… and even schnitzel in Vienna! [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