🍏 Push notifications.

Big tech growth slows slows down, Apple’s making ad moves, and more. October 26, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. We read in the New York Times that some people are “soft launching” or “semi-announcing” their new romantic relationships as a way of avoiding scrutiny on social media. Fair enough. If that’s you, we wish you happy returns on your emotional investment (ROEI) and a good brand partner fit. APPLE You’ll be able to track your ads better, plus push alerts are coming to Safari [article-image] Apple’s flipping the cart this week… We mentioned yesterday how the company [dished apps a new blow]( by making it mandatory to use Apple’s in-app purchases feature for social media boosts and promoted posts. But that’s not the only “pushy” thing: Apple also announced web push notifications support in their recent macOS update, which means [push notifications are coming to the Safari browser](. Since push alerts can be a good retention tool, it’s nice to know that you’ll be able to use them to notify Safari users, too. Also, the new SKAdNetwork version could help advertisers better [track and measure their ad performance.]( Basically, the updated framework will help you know if an ad is working by attributing app installs to specific ads campaigns. Good news! Why we care: Apple clearly has big advertising revenue goals, and better attribution and web push notifications are certainly handy for marketers. Here’s hoping the other changes are as useful… ADVERTISING It's slowing down... A number of big tech companies shared their Q3 earnings this week. And there's some good news and some bad news. The good news: [Google](, [Microsoft]( and [Spotify's]( advertising revenues have increased compared to the same period last year. ...all except for Youtube. The bad news: The growth rate was slower than expected: - Google's total advertising sales increased to $54.5 billion from $53.13 billion the previous year, but fell short of analysts' expectations of $56.58 billion. - Microsoft's search and news advertising revenue increased by just 16% over the previous year. - Spotify's ad-supported Revenue grew 19% year-over-year to €385 million. The growth [was slower than expected.]( YouTube shrinks: YouTube ad revenues fell for the first time since Google began disclosing them publicly. They were $7.2 billion last year, and today they were reported to be $7 billion. According to Evelyn Mitchell, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence: "When Google stumbles, it's a bad omen for digital advertising at large." Why we care: There's a common trend among tech companies of growth slowing... barring exceptions. But from adversity comes opportunity... And there might be more opportunties to buy ads from the "big hitters" for discount prices as advertisers keep cutting their ad spend. SPONSORED BY INSENSE 9 times out of 10 whitelisted ads win on paid social [article-image]( Thumbstops, CTR, and watch times are almost always better than other ads. With BFCM quickly approaching, there’s no better time to test out whitelisting – especially with UGC content. UGC adds the social proof, and whitelisting improves the ad experience. It’s a win win! There’s still time to get UGC for your BFCM campaigns as it only takes a few weeks through Insense. [Insense is a one-stop shop]( where you can collaborate with creators for UGC, organic posting, and whitelisted ads on Instagram and TikTok Spark Ads. Also, the whitelisting process is integrated into the platform, so you can run whitelisted ads in just 1 click! [They’re also offering Stacked Marketer readers up to $200 platform credits until Nov 2.]( Ready… Set… Go! [Book a call to claim the offer.]( EMAIL MARKETING How to craft an apology email that puts out fires quickly [article-image] Ooops! You just realized there’s a massive mistake in your email… but you’ve already hit “send.” Your stomach sinks into your shoes while your error lands in thousands of inboxes. Believe it or not, this happens to the best marketers too. And while you can’t turn back the clock, you can make amends with a good ol’ apology email. [According to email expert Kath Pay](, an effective apology email can maintain customer trust. It can even amplify brand loyalty and add personality to your business! Of course, do it wrong and… well, that’s two mistakes in a short time. And that may cost you. So Kath recommends a few essential things every apology email should do: - It should go out quickly, preferably as soon as you discover your error. - Apologize and explain the mistake clearly and sincerely. - Correct the error and offer reassurances if needed. - Use your original email template to match your brand tone and keep consistent. - Give customers a reason to click regardless of the mistake. And most important of all… get the subject line right. Kath recommends against putting “Ooops” in the subject line. It may seem friendly, but it won’t make your customers feel any better. Also, avoid mentioning the error in the subject line without explaining the problem. Customers may think you’re trying to push another campaign through. Kath also shows how a few brands nailed their apology emails: - [Just Eat]( resolved an issue in a timely manner with a concise, on-point copy and a juicy discount. - [VisionDirect]( used a clever pun (“turtle-y sorry”) and a concise explanation, and they extended their deadline to appease users. - [Secret Escape]( sent their entire email in Norwegian so they had to apologize… in Norwegian! Clever way to introduce the rest of the email. Hopefully you never need these tips. But if you do, as long as you’re sincere and quick, a good apology email can help customers move on—and even make them like you more. SPONSORED BY SALESFORCE Most marketers wouldn’t reveal the secret sauce behind their successful B2B campaigns. These 6 companies did… [article-image]( How did Sika Group get a 540% increase in registrations to their live webinars and generate 50,000 new leads? Or how did Torani generate 349 marketing qualified leads, with 197 business conversions, and smash their sales targets? [Salesforce put together six case studies from six different companies to show how you can also get more customers and more profits.]( Each of these six stories includes tips and tricks you can replicate in your own marketing efforts. [Get inspired by successful B2B campaigns.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS When should you ask people to refer your brand to their friends? [article-image] A while back, we did a report on Goli, a nutritional gummies brand that makes millions in revenue each year. While Goli does a lot of things well—particularly in their paid advertising campaigns—we noticed one tactic they could have left out. After we purchased their product, Goli immediately asked us to refer them to a friend in exchange for a $10 gift card. Hmm… While we love referral programs, this is one of the worst times you can ask someone to refer your product to a friend. When you ask someone to refer immediately after they buy, it’s a lose-lose. They’ve already paid, so they’re not getting a discount off their order. And if they’re a new customer, they don’t know whether or not they’ll buy from you again. Our advice? Offer your referral incentive both before, and a couple weeks after, a customer places an order. Here’s why: - If you ask someone to refer your product for a gift card before they buy, you’re offering them a discount on their first order, which incentivizes them to buy, evokes a positive emotion with your brand, and creates brand awareness. - If you ask someone to refer your product for a gift card a week or two after they buy, they’ve had enough time to try your product and likely know whether they want to order again. If they do, you’re incentivizing them for a discount off their next order. See? Much better times to ask for referrals. By the way, this insight came from our report on Goli, which you’ll find in [Stacked Marketer Pro.]( You’ll also find nearly two-dozen reports on everything from Goli to Huckberry to Morning Brew, plus ROI-boosting playbooks on landing page copywriting, TikTok marketing, and more. Happy marketing! ROUNDING UP THE STACK [DIGITAL PERSUASION:]( The human brain is susceptible to 50+ cognitive biases. In The System 1 Manipulation Report, Part 2, you’ll find 30 sales closing techniques that leverage these biases to turn a customer’s “maybe” into “yes.” [Check out a preview here.](* [META:]( Um… wow. Facebook published some surprising new Self-Serve Ad Terms. Basically Meta admits ad targeting isn’t great, they’ll still reject ads for any reason, and… they’re pulling credit reports, among other eyebrow-raising things. Just… wow. [ADVERTISING:]( “Deepfakes” of celebrities have started appearing in ads—some without the approval of said celebrities. Featuring Elon Musk or Tom Brady in your ads might be a great idea… if they consent. [AMAZON:]( Good news for sellers. Amazon announced it will allow users to process payments through Venmo, a PayPal-owned service. The option will be available for select customers first before it rolls out to all US-based users in time for the holiday season. [META](: Did someone call the brand police? Meta's new IP reporting API for Brand Rights Protection tool will help you find and report content from brands that are stealing your content in a matter of minutes. Seems useful! [E-COMMERCE:]( Online shopping started as a necessity during the pandemic, then became a habit. Especially in the UK, where one in four shoppers now make 80% of their purchases online—and the number is rising. Seems huge, right? [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:]( If you can’t beat them… join them? Shutterstock plans to start selling AI generated images made with OpenAI’s DALL-E 2. So don’t be surprised if your stock photos appear less stock-y in the near future… [TWITTER:]( Uh oh. More and more users are interested in crypto, porn, and NSFW content, while interest in news, sports, and entertainment is in decline. Seems Twitter is also losing its most active users, too. Just so you know… *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER How many bananas can you eat if your stomach is empty? You can find the [answer here.]( [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT A walk down Google memory lane [article-image] Where were you when Nokia was trending on Google? Or when UGG Boots dominated shoe searches in 2004? We don’t remember where we were… but [Google’s trending topics for each year]( is definitely a fascinating romp through time. Here are a few examples of what was trending back in the day: - 2001—Osama Bin Laden, Napster, Shrek, and Windows XP - 2011—Fukushima, Rebecca Black, Planking. - 2021—Afghanistan, Dogecoin, Squid Game. Time flies, right? 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