🏛 Not convinced.

Takeaways from the US Congress TikTok hearing, Google refreshes its product feed, and more. March 24, 2023 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Happy Friday. Our editor asked his one-year-old son to summarize the week in today’s intro. Here’s what he wrote: “Wq.” Brief. Succinct. And straight to the point. Couldn’t have said it any better ourselves, really. TIKTOK Not changing any minds [article-image] TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew [stepped into the hot seat in the US Congress yesterday]( for what might be the most significant hearing in tech since Mark Zuckerberg. And boy… was it intense. The defense: Shou distanced TikTok from Chinese ties and touted the app’s “unprecedented” data security practices, which he claimed are better than many US competitors. He also assured Congress that TikTok [intends to remove US user data from its servers]( and to move all data to American soil by the end of the year, despite seeing “no evidence that the Chinese government could have access to US data.” The response: Not convinced. Many members of Congress still called for a nationwide ban on the platform throughout the hearing. They also “grilled” Shou on general issues including privacy, addiction, children’s mental health, and the ease of bypassing child safety measures on the app. One Texas Congressman even demanded that TikTok rename "The Texas Project” because he didn’t want his state associated with the endeavor. Ouch. What’s next: Hard to say, but Chinese companies are reading the room and [trying to distance themselves]( from Chinese origins by setting up headquarters in US cities. Meanwhile, advertisers seem less concerned about the whole thing. In fact, [75% are planning to double down on ad spend]( this year. Why we care: Remember, TikTok is not the only short-form video platform out there. Data has shown that what works for TikTok works for YouTube Shorts and Reels as well, so it’s a good idea to start posting your assets on those platforms. And soon. GOOGLE Discovery ads are getting new powers Sure, they were powerful already… But Google announced [three new Discovery ads features]( that could help you promote your brand even more effectively. Product feeds for everyone: All advertisers can now combine lifestyle images with short text in the Merchant Center catalog. This should help you deliver relevant ads by showing products to shoppers based on interest and intent. Be specific: Later this month, Google will release product-level reporting to track whether specific items in product feeds are driving impressions and clicks. Google says you can pair these insights with automated bidding strategies to optimize for conversions. We like the sound of that. Better together: Also, experimenting with Conversion Lift based on geography can help you measure the combined impact of Discovery ads and Video action campaigns. If you want to use these experiments, you'll have to contact your Google account representative. Why we care: Discovery ads are already effective for capturing intent-based audiences—and it sounds like these new features will just make them even more efficient. … Especially the ability to better promote and track specific products. If you're running a store, no reason not to test the new features. SPONSORED BY STACKED MARKETER PRO AI is making waves, but it’s not here to steal your job. [article-image]( Like it or not, AI technology is here to stay. So why not master it now and gain a huge advantage over other marketers? Start with our new Stacked Marketer Pro report, ["A Marketer’s Complete Dive Into AI - Part 1.”]( Inside these pages, you’ll learn how to: - Guide AI to create things you want and need. - Use prompts that actually work—because what you enter is really important. - Become a more productive marketer. - 16 tasks AI can take off your to-do list right now, plus copy-and-paste prompts to help you free up your time instantly. Using AI the right way will make you a better and faster marketer. … And can even help you create better outcomes in your own business, or for the businesses of your clients. [Try Stacked Marketer Pro for $7 to get this report.]( SEO Shelfies: what they are and why you should use them in your local business listings [article-image] No, not selfies. Shelfies. If you’re running a local business, [Miriam Ellis wants you to grab your camera](, snap a few photos of your shelves and displays, and upload them to your business profile, Miriam Elis writes. These photos are called shelfies, and they can help you show customers exactly what you sell—and how packed your shelves are—when they look up your store. Here’s why this works so well: - Customers connect instantly when they see great images of what they’re looking for. - They use Google to learn more about your store from shelfies. - Google’s AI is getting better at parsing images and displaying them. … And that’s just the start. Miriam predicts that Google will treat shelfies the same way it treats single-product images: pulling out single objects from your shelfies when required. Okay, but where do you publish business shelfies? Try these locations: - Google Business Profile. Upload a new shelfie twice a month to your listing’s main photo set and also to the Product section of your listing via new Merchant experience. You can also use shelfies in your Google Updates. - Apple Maps. Apple recently launched Business Connect. You can use its “Showcases” feature to microblog your shelfies from time to time. - Your older structured citations. In other words, any local business listing that supports images. - Your website. Then wait for search engines to pick it up. - Your social media profiles. See above. Miriam recommends slow-dripping your shelfies into these listings and letting search engines do the rest. It won’t hurt and it could benefit you in the long run. So why not try it? So go ahead, snap a few shelfies. And remember, it’s just like taking a selfie. You want to find the right angle and best possible lightning, but also keep it natural. Snap, snap! SPONSORED BY FLIPBOARD What do you get when you cross social media, magazines, and RSS readers? [article-image]( You get a gorgeous app called Flipboard! Flipboard is [”social magazine” made for and by enthusiasts, consisting of news, popular stories, and conversations.]( Dive deep into the stories that matter to you, including pieces by The Guardian, The Verge, and The New York Times. Download the app, pick your interests, and watch Flipboard create a curated magazine just for you. [Download Flipboard now for free.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS Mistakes to avoid when building your mobile app [article-image] So, you’ve decided to build a mobile app for your e-commerce store. Great choice. You’re an expert in the e-commerce world, so you've already got the sales chops. But what you may not realize is that there are a few blunders you want to avoid when building your app. Let’s take on these mistakes one at a time: - Assuming what works on your website will work on your app. Mobile apps have a unique set of user behaviors and requirements. Don't assume that the strategies that work on your website will automatically work on your app. - Overloading your app with features. While it may be tempting to include all sorts of features in your app, your customers want a streamlined experience. Focus on the features that will provide the most value to your customers. Don’t make it hard to buy something! - Focusing too much on acquisition and not enough on retention: While it's important to drive downloads, it's equally important to retain those users. Have a strategy in place to keep users coming back. This can include personalized recommendations, exclusive discounts, and loyalty programs. The golden rule? Keep testing. What might work for another brand won’t necessarily work for you. So create your own tests and draw your own conclusions. Good luck! ROUNDING UP THE STACK [FAST PAYMENTS:]( Chasing late client payments is the worst, right? Marketing agency or freelancer—Ignition’s free workshop will show you how to automate your proposal and payment process so you get paid on time every time and improve cash flow. [Sign up for free here.](* [E-COMMERCE:]( Want to look like a pro? Shopify just introduced Shopify Certifications, a free program that helps you make the most of the e-commerce platform. Might be a badge worth getting if you’re working with clients. [AI MARKETING:]( Bing Chat is far ahead of Google's Bard chatbot – or so says Microsoft's Ads and Web services CEO Mikhail Parakhin, at least. He claims Google is “trailing” by at least six months, but that they’ve “learned to never underestimate Google.” Probably a good call… [E-COMMERCE:]( Pro tip, fashion brands – optimize for mobile. According to research, 81% of consumers use mobile devices to shop for fashion, even if spending is higher when they shop from computers. Guess it's best to prepare for both. [SEO:]( Yes, your unlisted videos can sometimes still be indexed… if you embed them in a different page. And by the way, Google Search Console can now report if the videos have this new "indexifembedded" tag. Sounds useful. *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER Always in you, sometimes on you; If I surround you, I can kill you. What am I? You can find [the answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT iPhone > Canon? [article-image] Fancy cameras? Long-focus lenses? They’re cool. But maybe smartphones can do it better… Just take a quick look at the [Annual Mobile Photography award winners](. If you asked us to find a difference between smartphone photos and Pulitzer prize-winning photos… we’d probably be [as stumped as Creed in The Office](. Just goes to show it’s not the tool, it’s how you use it. And if you’re like us… you’re already turning on your smartphone camera. It’s time to win some awards, right? SHARING IS CARING Hey. Did you know you can join Stacked Marketer Pro… for $0? Yep, when you get to 100 newsletter referrals, you get one month of Stacked Marketer Pro membership for free. It’s like getting $99 in your pocket just for clicking links! And you unlock other rewards along the way, like: - The Crew’s Top 10 Insights (2 referrals) - The Ultimate Holiday Marketing Deep Dive (4 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