❗️YouTube Ads.

What customers are searching for this Halloween season, Google’s new reporting columns, and more. October 19, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Happy Wednesday. In honor of hump day, consider “eating the frog.” That just means doing your least-favorite task first. Apparently it makes the rest of the day feel super easy. Or so we’ve heard. GOOGLE YouTube Ads get a boost, and other important Ads updates [article-image] Hope you’re sitting somewhere comfortable, because we have several Google updates for you this morning… Let’s start with video first: There are [three new additions]( to YouTube’s advertising features, including… - Moment Blast, a premium connected TV (CTV) ad placement that positions brands “looking for awareness during key moments”—like major sporting events—on YouTube Select and elsewhere. - Product feeds on Discovery ads. Product feeds will also include local offers that show the real-time availability of products. - Audio ads and podcast ads are becoming available worldwide in Google Ads and Display & Video 360. Also, you’ll understand why Google flags videos thanks to [an updated policy]( that will lay out for you why a particular video ad isn’t serving. Google has some updates as well, starting with [three new reporting columns]( in Google Ads that should help you track conversions: results, results value, and conversions. Finally, if you’re worried that match types are fading into the sunset… Don’t worry, [they’re not.]( Google is testing a simplified workflow and a few other features related to match types. Good to know. Why we care: YouTube’s new CTV placement, and the global availability of audio and podcast ads, will be interesting to follow. They certainly sound promising. When it comes to Google Ads, reporting columns are a welcome addition as we’re approaching holidays like Halloween. Which raises the question… ADVERTISING What’s trending this Halloween? Spooky season is near… and no, we’re not talking about end-of-year marketing reports. Google released their [annual Halloween trends for 2022](, and there are some interesting insights for marketers and merchants… Sinister make-up: If you’re in the makeup industry, you may want to target the following: - Top searched Halloween-themed nails include Disney, Candy corn, Coffin Halloween nails, Hocus Pocus nails, and Nightmare Before Christmas. - Top searched makeup is Zombie, Skeleton, Clown, Witch, and Vampire. - Trending makeup includes Freddy Krueger, Venom, Black swan, and more. Spooky candy: One of the most searched queries includes “best deals on halloween candy,” so if you’re in confectionery, try to think of similar deals for the season. Pets want costumes too: We’re used to costumes for people, but… pet costumes? Yep, the pet industry will be happy to hear that users search for “Spider dog,” “Chucky dog,” and similar terms to dress up their furry friends. Why we care: When you adapt to customers’ needs during big seasons, there’s a huge chance you’ll end up with a few wins. Reports such as this one allow room for “out-of-the-box” thinking and inside information about what your users are ready to spend on. It’s definitely worth reading in full, if you have a sec. SPONSORED BY INSENSE Stop searching for influencers manually [article-image]( Yep, we’ve been there too… Finding creators that fit your brand—and make money—can be hard! It doesn’t have to be this way… Meet Insense! Insense matches brands with Instagram, TikTok, and UGC creators who know how to produce content that sells. They help you [produce high-quality UGC](, starting at $50 per video asset. And they’re trusted by more than 700 e-commerce brands, including: - Thrasio—earned 3M views for the 25 products advertised. - Wonderskin—got 100 UGC video assets for less than $5K! And there’s a nice gift waiting for you: Insense is also offering our readers up to $200 platform credits until Oct 26. Ready…Set…Go! [Book a free strategy call to claim your offer.]( AMAZON How to optimize your Amazon Ads for Q4 [article-image] If you’re an Amazon merchant or marketer, you may have the least worries when it comes to inflation and the economy… especially during the holiday season. As Evan Facinger [points out in his article](, people will buy anything on Amazon. So it’s not what you sell, but how you sell it. Evan lists a bunch of useful tips that can help you squeeze the most out of your Amazon Ads. We picked the most valuable ones for you… So let’s get optimizing, shall we? First, analyze underperforming stock-keeping units (SKUs). It might seem obvious, but if a particular SKU isn’t doing well, you should hit pause. But your job doesn’t end there… You should also ask yourself important questions like: - Which of your SKUs—and your competitors’—are performing better, and why? - Are the keywords relevant? Are product pages optimized enough? Next, play around with your keywords bids. Bidding on keywords always happens in real time and against real people, so rising and lowering your bids can greatly impact ad performance. - Look for irrelevant keywords that aren’t converting and stop bidding on them. - Review your targeting. For example, are you using phrase or exact matches for high converters? - Loose match, close match, product targeting are all opportunities you can always test out. Study the search performance dashboard. This report can show your customers’ buying journey compared to competitors’ customer journeys and each search term’s volume. It can also help you see how potential shoppers are discovering your products and find potential issues. For example, a low click-through rate might mean some of your assets (headlines or images, for example) don’t resonate with the audience. Have you considered the above? If you did, good job. If not, try to implement these optimization steps and let us know if they work! SPONSORED BY VIDICO Stellar video production that wins hearts and wallets [article-image]( Companies like Airtable, Square, and Digital Ocean use Vidico to get [effective videos that communicate their product’s value props](. [Take a look at this campaign they ran for Cascade](. Vidico turned a regular B2B strategy software company into a brand that's fun, ambitious, and bold. And the video got a 93% view rate and over 1.4 million views on YouTube. Curious how much such a video would cost for your brand? [Take this short quiz to get an estimate in seconds.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS Yes, simple writing makes more money. Here’s why… [article-image] Harvard Business Review recently came out [with a brilliant article]( re-affirming what we’ve been saying here for quite some time: Simple writing makes money. In fact, the simpler your writing is, the more money you make. There was one part of the Harvard piece, though, that caught our eye: Generally, the fewer caveats you make, the more readers will be engaged with what you write. … And the more money you’ll make. What often happens is this: A copywriter sits down and fills a page with copy. Along the way, they think “I need to counter this objection,” and “Oh, what if they ask that?” And by the end, half of the copy is caveats designed to handle objections. In reality, clear and effective copy can make a sale without falling into the caveats trap. To close sales more often, here’s a simple framework to use: - If an objection is primary—meaning most customers will not buy without having it cleared up—try including it in your important copy. - If an objection is secondary, try leaving it to your FAQ section at the bottom of the page. For example: - “But does it have gluten?” is a primary objection for a company selling food products to gluten-free customers. The answer should be front-and-center. - “But what if the plane crashes?” isn’t an objection airlines need to mention in their primary copy, because it isn’t actually a primary consideration for most people booking flights. Want more insights like this one? You can sign up to Stacked Marketer Pro for $7 and [get access to a library of tactical insights and reports designed to boost your ROI.]( ROUNDING UP THE STACK [COPYWRITING:]( Don’t have the time, team, or talent to write copy? Add a professional to your team… like Joe. But hurry—his 2023 calendar is already filling up and he’s raising his rates in January. [Book him now to get 2022 rates.](* [GOOGLE:]( Not feeling the FLEDGE. Google’s version of cookieless retargeting is failing to get traction with ad tech vendors. Nobody wants to “venture into the unknown,” especially with the downsides FLEDGE carries… like lack of accurate conversion data, for example. [SOCIAL MEDIA:]( Because of competition concerns, the UK watchdog ordered Meta to sell Giphy, the GIFs creation website they acquired in 2020. Ouch. [E-COMMERCE:]( Some brands are betting big on livestream shopping, even though it hasn’t “stuck” in the US yet. Optimists believe livestream shopping will grow to $20B this year compared to $6B in 2020, and to $57B by 2025. Guess we’ll see… [ADVERTISING:]( For Gen Z, life is more about recession-proofing their lives than enjoying parenting or even marriage. This interesting study gives some insight into what they’re thinking. Super useful if they’re one of your target audiences! *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER A plane crashed between the border of France and Belgium. Where were the survivors buried? You can find the [answer here.]( [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT Not your average McDonalds [article-image] When you talk about unusual architecture, McDonalds isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But just go to Freeport, Maine, and you can eat a McWrap in an 1850 home. In Rome, you can eat while staring at a 2500 year old Ancient Roman wall. Whoa. [And those are just two examples of McDonalds “rebels”]( that—due to circumstances like local laws or historic preservations—had to mash their fast food interior with a piece of history. Now that’s a fun way to savor unusual experiences and juicy burgers at the same time! SHARING IS CARING How about schnitzel with us in Vienna? Attention, Stacked Marketer fans: If you get 1000 people to sign up for our newsletter, we’ll fly you to Europe for a weekend with us in Vienna. We’ll eat schnitzel, see the sights, and talk marketing. It’ll be awesome. And of course, you’ll unlock other rewards, too, including: - The Marketer Mug (30 referrals). - The Marketer Zip Hoodie (50 referrals). Hit your custom link below to unlock exclusive content, merch, and membership! [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