Today's Guide to the Marketing Jungle from Social Media Examiner... | Presented by |  |
It's 🥌 Curling Is Cool Day, Alluser! Let's hear it for the sweepers!
In today's edition:
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Today's 👉 Tip of the Day is for AI
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☝️ Tips to get more results from your 📩 email newsletters
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A framework for 🔥 Reels-ready content
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♻️ A simplified strategy to 10X your most valuable content
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Expanded FB and IG 🔊 boosted posts feature
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♻️ YouTube Short Remixes
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🤳 More features for Instagram's Creator Marketplace
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Expanded 📊 YouTube analytics
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📣 Additional industry news from Threads, YouTube, and more
We're all learning that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help us work smarter. But figuring out where AI can best support your business rather than just jumping on AI for AI's sake is less clear.
Identify High-Value AI Use Cases for Your Business
These key questions will help you uncover the highest potential AI applications.
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What are your biggest marketing or business problems?
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Where in your workflows or processes do you spend a lot of time, money, or effort?
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Where does your team experience significant skill or knowledge gaps?
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Is there an AI tool available that could help automate or enhance this area? And what would the cost/effort tradeoff be of implementing it?
This exercise will surface overlooked areas in which AI solutions can have the greatest return on investment versus lower-impact uses like generative content writing.
Today's tip is inspired by Cathy McPhillips.
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3 Ways to Improve Email Marketing Results
Email marketing remains an extremely effective channel for engaging customers and driving conversions. But to get the best results, marketers need to use strategies based on today's current behaviors, not outdated conventional wisdom or practices.
For example, many still think that using certain words like "free" or question marks in subject lines will automatically send emails to spam folders. In reality, factors like historical user engagement rates play a much bigger role in filtering decisions than an algorithm flagging random words or punctuation.
The following small optimizations can have a big performance impact on your email messaging campaigns:
Tips to Optimize Your Subject Lines
The subject line serves as the critical attention-grabbing headline that determines whether busy subscribers ever see your email in the first place. Using numbers at the start, emojis, brackets around key terms, and capitalizing the first prominent word have all been shown to help subject lines visually stand out better in crowded inboxes.
However, avoid excessive capitalization of entire words throughout the length of the subject, overuse of random punctuation, or cryptic abbreviations of terms. Why? Because people generally only glance at the very first few characters before deciding whether to open your email.
And while personalization matters, just inserting first names provides diminishing returns compared to showing contextual relevance to the reader's interests or attributes. Subject lines that quickly identify the recipient's role, vertical, or recent life events generate higher open rates by instantly conveying applicability.
Tips for More Effective Calls to Action
Once your email is opened, persuading readers to convert relies on catchy, benefit-focused calls to action (CTAs).
Graphical buttons normally beat basic text-based hyperlinks, but the aspect to put most of your effort into is the wording of the CTA. Be sure to write the CTA wording from the reader's first-person perspective and focus it on their benefit. For instance, leading with "Get My Discount" will work much better than a generic "Buy Now" prompt.
Tips to Tackle Formats
Sticking to consistent templates month after month can inadvertently train your subscribers to automatically tune out recurring email formats. To revive their interest, try featuring a substantially different structural layout in every third message you send.
For example, instead of your standard format try including personal letters, postcards, quizzes, polls, or other atypical interactive email arrangements that present a pattern disruption.
Analyze these outside-the-box layout changes through split testing in order to scale the approaches that lift engagement metrics.
Watch for higher open rates, even if format tests also attract more opt-outs or spam complaints in the short run. Those signals can counterintuitively confirm the revised formats are succeeding at grabbing attention rather than being completely ignored as background noise.
Today's advice is provided with insights from Jay Schwedelson.
The VAT Framework for Crafting Effortless Reels
Since launching in 2020, marketers have realized immense value from Instagram Reels. But creating Reels on a consistent schedule can feel overwhelming.
By adopting a system around video capture, audio integration, copywriting, and editing, you can start building an addictive Reels presence that pulls in your ideal viewers and expands your engagement and reach.
Video: Build a B-Roll Library
Reels thrive on dynamic visuals, but filming customized footage daily takes a lot of effort. That's where B-roll comes in clutch. Creating a B-roll library gives you a content bank of your custom-made stock videos that you can reuse and repurpose for creating Reels and content.
For example, think of glancing at your watch to signify time passing or focusing on typing hands when you're discussing work. Film 10–20 second clips of your:
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Daily tasks and work processes
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Expressions and reactions
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Walking from different angles
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Business location scenes
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Product showcase montages
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Weekend activities and hobbies
As you set up your shots, pay attention to your composition within IG's user interface. Usually, the top third of frames is where your hook or text will go, the bottom third is where you'll see your username and caption. So, it's a good idea to position your subject in the middle of the frame. Also, be mindful of IG's side icons (like, comment, and send). Keeping inside IG's "safety zones" will ensure everything is in frame for your viewers.
Next, organize your clips into topical albums so you can access them quickly. Then, store clips locally on your phone or in the cloud via Google Drive or Dropbox for security.
Audio: Narrate With Intention
Trending sounds, original voiceovers, ambient songs, or standard music all have different benefits, and the sound you choose to accompany your Reel depends on its purpose.
If the goal is to entertain, a trending sound will work well. But if your goal is to inspire or educate within your niche, forgo mainstream sounds in favor of an original branded voiceover with complementary ambient music. This is especially useful for those marketers looking to discuss products, share a realization, teach a new skill, or tell an origin story.
Pro Tip: Align the vibe of your B-roll and your ambient music.
Use these tips to help your Reels gain further traction:
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Use songs and samples that are familiar to your audience
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Trim songs and samples to fit your Reel's duration precisely
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Adjust music volume to 6–8% behind voiceovers/narration
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Enable closed captions to incentivize listening
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Use Meta's royalty-free sound collection to avoid copyright issues, especially if you are running ads with your Reels. You can find this collection by swiping up and selecting the music sticker in Stories or by tapping the audio icon in the Reels camera.
Text: Craft an Effective Hook
Just like a headline, an opening hook grabs your audience's attention and conveys your Reel's value.
Draft hooks that immediately speak to your target viewer within the first two seconds of your Reel. For example, "Five Hook Ideas to Save Time" or "I Asked AI to Audit My Instagram Account, and This Is What It Said." The best hooks give your audience a reason to watch your Reel the whole way through, thereby boosting your completion rate.
Keep hooks succinct in one brief sentence, utilizing keywords. They should be clear, concise, personalized, and provide context for your Reel. Next, display your hook for 5–7 seconds on screen so your audience can digest the message before you elaborate.
To guarantee your hooks shine, ask yourself these questions:
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Is the text contrasted against the background?
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Is the font legible and sufficient size?
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Is the messaging personable?
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Is the text readable?
Today's advice is provided with insights from Laura Bitoiu.
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How to Repurpose Content for More Awareness and Engagement
Having a content marketing strategy is essential for businesses today, but consistently creating high-quality, engaging content can be a significant challenge. The following "atomization" framework will guide you in exponentially amplifying your existing content to maximize its impact and value.
For example, take a comprehensive research report. Instead of just posting the report link on socials or adding it to your website, brainstorm all the possible ways to divide it into smaller content formats.
The key is matching formats to social channels and audiences. For example, determine how an infographic looks on Instagram as a post versus a Reel. How does this live in your email? How does this live on a podcast?
Some repurposing ideas include:
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Social media graphics with key stats
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Short video summaries
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Blog post series based on main sections
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Infographics around major findings
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Email newsletter nuggets
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Presentation decks
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Podcast interview snippets
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Quotes for sharing
Systematize Your Content Amplification
Center your efforts on four key elements:
Content Pillars: Connect content to overarching topics and themes your brand focuses on. This allows you to identify areas where a piece may have additional applications.
Audience Stages: Map content to target audience mindsets across your sales funnel. For example, how could a report be formatted differently for prospects who are new to your company versus longtime customers? Different groups will have unique needs.
Angles: Determine the core narratives or angles you want to highlight and feature. For a report, these could be major conclusions, actionable recommendations, surprising revelations, etc. Covering multiple angles allows you to generate more variants of the content.
Formats: Finally, consider what formats will work best based on social platforms, use cases, and audience preferences. Would your content resonate more as a LinkedIn article, Instagram carousel, or email newsletter? Align formats to your audience's consumption habits.
Here's an example: Say your cornerstone content is a report. First, start with your core content pillars. If the report applies to 2 pillars, that's a great starting point. Next, look at tailoring parts of the report to two potential audiences or buyer journey stages per pillar, such as prospects versus existing customers.
If you have 5 key report takeaways and 2 target audiences, you have 10 angles. Cover each angle for each audience in 2 formats, like a historical comparison and a demonstrative example, and you have 20 ways to repackage the content.
Extend Content Amplification
Many signals indicate a chance to amplify pre-existing content.
An important one is aligning with the seasonality of your business and sales cycles. If prospect engagement spikes at certain times of the year, have relevant lead gen and top-of-funnel content ready to exchange for contact information; free giveaways, or on-site handouts/checklists—the types of "free before you buy" content that get attention.
Timeliness also matters. An annual report, for example, will have the greatest relevance for two quarters—Q4 when it is released and Q1 of the following year. But reports often maintain value for 1–2 years as an interesting benchmark of progress. The content you published two years back could resurface as a "then versus now" comparison spotlighting your evolution.
Alternatively, if a hot topic is gaining traction and you have relevant content, pull that asset forward for amplification—your target audience analytics provide the best signals for what to amplify.
The goal is to identify successful evergreen and seasonal pieces that merit replay after publication. This will prevent you from reinventing the wheel each quarter or from losing traction from past efforts.
Today's advice is provided with insights from Lauren Teague.
🗞 Boosted Posts on Meta: Facebook and Instagram have announced alternative options for small businesses to boost posts and avoid a new 30% Apple service charge on in-app purchases. Facebook and Instagram have now made it possible to access the full boosted posts experience via mobile and desktop web browsers at Facebook.com and Instagram.com. Source: Meta
🗞 YouTube Shorts Remix: The platform announced the rollout of the Remix feature to its short-form video content. Source: YouTube
🗞 Instagram iOS App Clip: Instagram is rolling out an App Clip in its latest iOS app update—a mini version of the app that lets users quickly access specific functionality without installing the full Instagram app. The App Clip, currently in beta testing, focuses solely on the Reels short video feature. It will allow iPhone users to watch an IG Reel sent via iMessage directly in the clip instead of their web browser. Users can scroll through and share other popular Reels for a limited time before being prompted to download the main app. While the App Clip aims to improve the IG experience, the app still lacks an iPad version, disappointing users requesting an optimized iPad app. The App Clip feature is expected to launch publicly soon. Source: 9To5Mac
🗞 YouTube Retains Top Spot for Streaming: YouTube has been named the number one streaming platform by watch time for 12 consecutive months by Nielsen. This means YouTube is the top destination where viewers are choosing to watch their preferred content from creators, artists, and media partners. Key metrics demonstrating YouTube's top position include: over 1 billion hours of YouTube content is viewed globally per day on internet-connected TVs on average; the number of top YouTube creators who get the majority of their watch time on TVs has grown by over 400%; and views of YouTube Shorts on connected TVs have doubled from January to September 2023. Source: YouTube
🗞 Instagram Creator Marketplace Expansions: Instagram will invite creators and brands in 8 additional countries—Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Brazil, and Chinese export brands—to join the marketplace over the coming weeks. For brands in the United States, Instagram is also testing the use of machine learning recommendations to suggest relevant creators for partnership opportunities based on Instagram data. These updates aim to make it easier for brands and creators to discover each other and collaborate on branded content and partnership ads, which allow brands to promote content featuring a creator's handle. Source: Instagram
🗞 Cross-Posts Testing for Threads: Meta is currently testing a new feature for its messaging app Threads that allows seamless cross-posting from Facebook. This test, which is only available on iOS and excludes the European Union, lets Facebook users simultaneously share text and link posts to both platforms. A spokesperson for Meta confirmed the limited test for this Facebook-to-Threads cross-posting capability. Source: TechCrunch
🗞 YouTube Viewer Experience on Desktop: YouTube is testing new layouts for the video-watching experience on the desktop website. The goal of these tests, which are only occurring with a small group of users at this time, is to make it easier for viewers to discover related videos and engage with comments. The experiments involve changing the position of certain features like the comments section, video description area, and recommended videos. Those users included in the tests may notice that these elements have moved from their usual locations. YouTube is conducting these localized tests to determine if tweaking the desktop-viewing interface results in increased viewership and interaction before considering broader implementation. Source: YouTube
🗞 Enhanced YouTube Analytics: The updated revenue report will now show creators not only how much total revenue they are earning from YouTube Shorts (short vertical videos), video on demand (longer uploaded videos), and live streams, but also reveal their top earning videos in each of those categories. Source: YouTube
Did You Know?
Tulip bulbs were once exchanged as a form of currency.
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