Good Things
This weekly newsletter from Big Pond Digital is going to make you laugh, it’s going to help you fall in love with new ways of thinking, and introduce disruptive ideas you can action. I promise not to take your attention for granted. Ever.
So let’s get started!
Bigger Companies Make More Expensive Mistakes
Trust me, it happens.
More money to spend doesn’t guarantee success in marketing. If anything, it just creates more pressure to deliver.
Whether you’re a tiny startup or small-to-medium sized business, take heart in knowing that even global brands with huge budgets WILL make mistakes this year. They’ll drop £100K on YouTube ads with nothing to show for it. Trust me, it happens.
If ever there was a moment to hammer home the idea of ‘Shop Local’, it’s now.
Logistic issues are all over the news. Shoppers are buying earlier than ever before. People want to support local businesses. At Big Pond, supporting local businesses is what we do. Every single day. OK, except weekends. But every week day we’re on it.
It’s time to toot your horn!
What we love this week
Using Google Search Console to solve mysteries!
Like where the funk did my website traffic go? Let’s take the example of somebody using Google to search for “Mother of the bride dresses over 40”.
Why so specific you might ask.
A recent mystery we’ve had is finding out what people searched for, when it *isn’t* the main thing that the page was intented to answer.
We might create a page for a client that is aimed at “Mother of the bride dresses”, which just so happens to pick up other longer phrases such as age or locations.
Recent Google updates have shifted more weight onto pages that serve that exact longtail phrase, as opposed to ranking broader content. The loss of traffic to broader pages isn’t because anyone did anything wrong. Google simply prefers to deliver results that answer that exact query more closely.
Lack of relevence should never be forgotten or underestimated as a cause. Often it hides in plain sight.
The more specific the answer, the higher probability of satisifying the user, meaning higher conversion rates for leads and sales.
Rankings, after all, are only as good as the visitors they deliver to you. By themselves rankings are meaningless. They don’t make you money. You wanna make money? You gotta win that click.
Understanding what your potential customers are searching for should always guide your content plans. ‘People Also Ask’ sections in Google results is a goldmine for content inspiration.
SEO can be complicated, sure, but it doesn’t have to be. Get more specific = Get more ready-to-buy customers. Intent is everything.
What we learned this week
New way to crush your Facebook CPMs.
It’s been two years since Apple triggered the Cookie Apocalypse with iOS updates that obliterated the ability of advertisers to track visitors beyond a 24 hour window.
For many Facebook advertisers, this has meant it’s become much harder to know what works. It’s easier than ever to waste budget on ads in Facebook and Instagram. Even if you’re pretty good at it, the ad auction competiton has increased year-on-year CPMs up to 80-100% depending on which media outlet you read (Digiday, Statista).
Summary: How to test generating cheaper Facebook leads.
Users don't have to leave Facebook to opt-in with Lead Generation Forms. There's no need for a pixel.
Facebook lead generation chat campaigns. Click to Messenger Ads have primarily been used to initiate user conversations.
You can, however, use the Automated Chat as the lead method in a Facebook Ads campaign with a lead objective.
Tests have shown CPMs have dropped by nearly half.
CTRs for chat were lower, but the conversion rate was comparable to that of standard forms.
This netted out in a 30% lower cost per lead.
Also, in Messenger you're in conversations, meaning you can convert prospects using this channel.
Worth a test!
News
Microsoft partners with Shopify to help retailers expand their reach - SearchEngineLand. LINK
The ROI of SEO - Moz. LINK
The Playbook This Startup Used to Get Their Founders on 100+ Podcasts in 6 Months - FirstRound. LINK
Is your measurement plan ready for 2022? - ThinkWithGoogle. LINK
New interview with Elon Musk about technology & space travel - Recode. LINK
Web Vitals Q&A - Google. LINK
How to Use Pinterest for B2B Marketing - Kalicube. LINK
Meet Scotland's DIY Rocketeers - Motherboard. LINK
Two experts debate how the perfect PPC account structure has changed - Optmyzr. LINK
How to Develop and Optimize Affiliate Websites - Aleyda. LINK
And finally…
If you’re ever going to reclaim your time from the inbox of doom, why on earth would you subscribe to another newsletter? **drumroll**
Answer: Because this writer has almost 20 years of digital marketing experience to inject straight into your eyeballs once a week for FREE.
You see, sometimes you really do need to toot your own horn in order to make a point.
And as a local business, good things come to those that HUSTLE. So consider this part of your weekly hustle. Together with Big Pond, we can climb mountains.
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