⚠️ Helpful.

Don’t make this inflation mistake, the #1 trait to look for when hiring marketers, and more. August 22, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. The days are already getting shorter—and even a little cooler. If your significant other still has your hoodie, we’ll send you a replacement. You’ll find the details in today’s Sharing Is Caring section. GOOGLE What to expect from Google’s “helpful content” update [article-image] Better pull the rakes and some trash bags out of the shed. It’s time to clean the backyard… What’s going on: Google [published more info]( about their “helpful content” update. It rolls out within the next two weeks, and will introduce a new sitewide signal that identifies low-value content. How it works: Any website that has too much unhelpful content will drop down in ratings… even if the content itself is relevant. Seems huge. Write with people, for people: Google says that you should focus on people-first content by following their official guidelines and advice, and by creating satisfying, reader-friendly articles. Does SEO still matter? Yes, if you do it right. Optimizing your content for search engines can still boost your rankings, but you should avoid taking search engine-first approaches like: - Producing tons of content and hoping some of it will rank. - Summarizing stuff others are saying without adding much value. - Using extensive automation—i.e., AI copywriting and content writing tools—to produce content. …and much more. If you need a list of actionable do’s and don’ts, [Kevin Indig posted a useful Twitter thread that can help](. Why we care: High-quality content has always been essential to a successful content marketing strategy. But with Google’s upcoming and recent changes, there’s more pressure on marketers than ever before to deliver. At the very least, removing unhelpful content from your website and leaving only what’s relevant is a good place to start. Also, Google’s not the only one with “helpful advice” today… TIKTOK New tips for lifting conversions with Instant Pages In case you didn’t know already: TikTok has its own form of native landing pages. The platform recently published tips for removing friction from your customer’s journey and driving sales with the [Instant Page ads feature](. How to use it: TikTok recommends best practices like: - Setting up several Instant Pages and testing their effectiveness. - Starting with a broad target audience and narrowing down to higher-performing segments. - Analyzing both average view percentage and view time to gain a complete perspective on performance. … And more. Why we care: If you’re running ads on TikTok, the Instant Page ad feature could help improve your shopping experience for users and get them to check out faster. Hey, when it comes to hectic shopping seasons like the holidays, use every tool at your disposal. Sometimes small tweaks can lead to big profits. SPONSORED BY CUSTOM BOX BUILDER Supercharge your influencer marketing campaigns with custom printed boxes! [article-image]( Are you a marketer, digital advertiser, or business owner that currently invests in influencer marketing or UGC (User Generated Content)? If you or the brands you represent are sending products to influencers in basic brown boxes or poly mailers, you’re missing a massive branding opportunity! As apps like TikTok continue exploding in popularity, businesses today are doubling down on influencer marketing, UGC, and video as a whole. If you have invested or plan to invest in influencer marketing, consider creating beautiful custom printed boxes that are tailored to the influencers you work with and their audience! As the first touch point businesses have with customers, packaging, and the unforgettable unboxing experiences it can create, have a massive impact on the perception of your brand! Designed specifically for e-commerce businesses and marketing agencies, Custom Box Builder allows you to [design incredible boxes in 3D](, all online, at competitive prices. Beautiful, memorable packaging in short runs shouldn’t break the bank. [Get an instant quote!]( MARKETING The #1 trait to look for when hiring marketers [article-image] … and no, structuring campaigns in an Ads Manager is not it. As Julian Shapiro points out [in his thread](, the most important characteristic of a successful marketer is curiosity. “But… you wouldn’t hire a curious pilot to fly your plane; you’d hire an experienced one, right?” Correct, which is why this trait is most applicable to creative and startup roles. Here’s why… Startups and creative departments are fueled by resourcefulness and innovation. Curious marketers use both to improve their skills, while also pushing the company’s growth. Furthermore, curious marketers are: - Persistent. They don’t quit at the first slump; they work to find solutions. - Driven. They learn and grow faster than non-curious employees. - Analytical. They test new tools, track competition, and follow industry trends. - Infectious. They elevate the self-worth of other employees. So how do you find out whether someone is genuinely curious? Julian asks questions like: - Are they interested in a more senior position? You can mix senior duties in with their daily role for them to test out. - Are they new to startups? Maybe hire someone with corporate experience who wants to work in a more creative environment. - Are they looking to master a particular side of startups? For example, product growth. Give them some wiggle room to pursue these “side goals” within your company. - What have they done to further their skills in the current job? Listen for signs of proactivity and experimentation, main traits of a curious employee. - What tools have they tried to make their jobs easier? Curious people will always tinker, learn, and try out new things. Keep in mind this is a two-way street. If you position yourself as someone who rewards creativity and curiosity, potential hires won’t have to worry about getting cramped in a box. Getting two to four years out of such an employee is more valuable than decades of someone who’s there just to “do the job.” When they leave, the knowledge still stays. And that’s the beauty of hiring curious marketers. SPONSORED BY SEMRUSH Your competitors are sleeping on this… [article-image]( Not many brands know how to master content hubs. But if you can master this strategy, you gain SEO authority and engage customers in new ways. [Semrush’s Topic Research tool]( can help you build a winning content hub strategy with an easy workflow: - Find relevant topics with good search potential. - Filter topics based on popularity, ranking difficulty, and efficiency. - Explore subtopics and related questions. [Build content hubs, rank higher, and reach more customers.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS Don’t make this inflation mistake [article-image] Inflation. It’s in the news, and it’s in your group chats. The last time inflation was this high, most members of The Crew weren’t even born yet. But even though we’re not economists, we regularly see one big mistake in how news outlets comment on inflation… and it’s a mistake we’ve made ourselves, too. So that’s why we’re writing this quick insight. We want to clarify something that, while basic, is not always clear when you read reports around the topic: First, inflation is a result. News outlets often treat it like a cause. But inflation doesn’t cause prices to rise… things like increases in production costs do. Second, inflation measures how much prices went up over a given time period. So when you see increased sales in Q3 or Q4, especially for big companies like Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, or Google, it begs the question: Did they sell more merchandise… or did prices just go up in line with the inflation rate of their product category? Here’s why this matters for the marketing and advertising industry: Selling the same number of products or fewer for higher prices can seem like growth. But that doesn’t mean there’s a healthy and organic increase in demand and long-term growth. Instead, it could mean that they’ve raised their prices to adjust for inflation, for example. Basically what we’re saying is, don’t get fooled by one result or one metric without understanding the context around it. And certainly don’t make the mistake of saying “it’s because of inflation that prices go up.” Understanding this will help you make smarter marketing decisions… and help you avoid cutting or investing in the very things that could hurt your brand or business. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [GROWTH MARKETING:]( Imagine a metal detector, but for finding proven revenue-boosting tactics. That’s basically what Stacked Marketer Pro does for you. We look for the growth hacks. You get to apply them... and watch the sales roll in. [Deal?](* [SEARCH:]( Contrary to popular belief, TikTok is not replacing Google among Gen Z. At least not in the near future. According to new independent research, youngsters still turn to Google or Google Maps first. Good to know. [SEO:]( Nothing is permanent… not even indexed pages. According to Google’s John Mueller, any URL can drop out of Google’s index over time. Yes, even your most important pages. What can you do? Keep that URL relevant, unique, and helpful. [INSTAGRAM:]( Confession time. Instagram admits they’ve “leaned too far into video” in recent months. Does this mean their algorithm will prioritize images soon? [GOOGLE:]( Wave your last goodbyes to Bid Manager API v1.1. Google announced that they’re shutting down this version on February 28, 2023, so make sure you migrate to v2 by then. *This is a sponsored post. BRAIN TEASER Who is bigger: Mrs. Bigger, Mr. Bigger, or their 4-year-old son? You can find the [answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT It’s baaaack… [article-image] The “business in the front, party in the back” hairstyle is making a comeback. Yep… we’re talking about the mullet. And more specifically, the [USA Mullet Championship Kids]( competition that went viral recently. The finalists went all in. One boy even shaved the US flag into his sides! Sounds like a generation of memorable yearbook photos in the making… and probably a meme or two. SHARING IS CARING “Cool hoodie… where’d you get it?” —your jealous coworkers. Yep… when you refer our newsletter to other smart marketers—and they subscribe—we send you the coveted Stacked Marketer Zip Hoodie (50 referrals). And you unlock other rewards along the way, like: - The Crew’s Top 10 Insights (2 referrals) - Access to the growing library of The Crew’s Insights (4 referrals) … And more. Zip. Mmm… cozy. Share your custom link below to get started! [article-image]( [CLICK TO SHARE]( Or copy your referral link: [ [SUBSCRIBE]( | [SM PRO]( | [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