Today's Guide to the Marketing Jungle from Social Media Examiner... | Presented by |  |
It's National Gazpacho Day, Alluser! Ever had a white gazpacho?
In today's edition:
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🎠 🎠 🎠 Today's Tip of the Day is for Facebook ads
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🛍️ The video elements that convert viewers
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👷 👨💼Perfecting customer personas
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🏓 YouTube features to elevate your strategy
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Social media ban in Australia
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Meta's Threads hub
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Instagram broadcast channel features
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🗞️ Additional industry news from Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more
Are you tired of guessing which ad format will resonate with your audience? Wondering how to improve ad performance without endless A/B testing? Meta's new Flexible Media ads could be the game-changer you're looking for.
Try Flexible Media Campaigns
Imagine an ad that automatically adapts to each viewer - showing a carousel to one person, a video to another, and a single image to someone else - all based on what's most likely to drive engagement. That's exactly what Meta's Flexible Media ads deliver.
Traditional ad creation often involves creating multiple versions of the same ad, manually testing different formats, managing separate campaigns for different placements, and constantly monitoring and adjusting performance.
Flexible Media ads eliminate these pain points by automatically handling optimization, allowing you to focus on strategy rather than execution. The system uses advanced machine learning to:
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Analyze your creative assets
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Predict user preferences
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Dynamically adjust ad formats
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Optimize for maximum engagement
This means your ads can appear in different formats across placements—for example, showing as a carousel in Facebook Feed but transforming into a video for Instagram Stories, depending on what's likely to perform best.
Note: As this feature is still rolling out, availability may vary by market and advertiser account.
Today's tip was inspired by Social Media Examiner's Editorial team.
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How to Create Video Ads That Drive Consumers to Take Action
Are people watching your video ads but aren't converting?
Kevin Anson has identified seven psychological ingredients that make video ads convert.
Last Friday, we covered pattern interrupts, audience identification, and hooks–so you know how to stop the scroll when someone sees your ad. Now, you need those viewers to buy from you.
Today, we're looking at proven ways to establish credibility and drive action.
Provide Compelling Results and Proof
Generic promises no longer work in today's skeptical market. Your video must present specific, tangible results and back them up with concrete proof so that the results you promise are both believable and achievable. Including timeframes and specific metrics can help.
For example, instead of "Lose weight and feel better," use "Drop 15 pounds in 60 days and feel confident in your summer clothes."
Instead of "Generate more leads," use "Book 10 qualified sales appointments every month on autopilot."
Here are three effective types of proof you can use to back up your promise.
Client Case Studies: Specific success stories, before and after scenarios, detailed transformations, clear metrics, and outcomes. For example: "Like Sarah, who implemented our system and booked 15 high-ticket clients in her first 30 days..."
Statistical Evidence: Industry data, research findings, performance metrics, and comparative analysis. For example: "Our clients average a 327% increase in qualified leads within the first 90 days..."
Process Demonstration: Step-by-step walkthrough, behind-the-scenes look, system overview, and implementation examples. For example: "Let me show you exactly how our three-step system works..."
Handle Objections
Every offer faces objections, and addressing them proactively in your video ads is crucial for conversion. Here are three core categories of common objections and specific ways to overcome them.
Time-Based Objections: I don't have time to learn something new. This will take too long to implement. I'm already too busy. I can't add another project to my plate.
Strategies for Addressing Time Objections: Demonstrate quick implementation timeframes, show simplified processes, highlight time-saving benefits, and present streamlined solutions.
Example: "Our step-by-step system helps complete beginners launch in just two days. We've stripped away all the complexity, so you can focus only on what drives results."
Money-Based Objections: This is probably too expensive. I can't afford it right now. I'm not sure about the investment. What's the ROI?
Strategies for Addressing Financial Objections: Present value comparisons, demonstrate ROI calculations, show cost-benefit analysis, and highlight opportunity costs.
Example: "Would you rather invest a few hours learning our proven system or waste months and thousands of dollars trying to figure it out alone? Our clients typically see positive ROI within their first 30 days."
Safety/Risk-Based Objections: What if this doesn't work for me? Is this tested and proven? Can I trust this solution? Will this work in my industry?
Strategies for Addressing Risk Objections: Present case studies, show social proof, offer guarantees, and demonstrate a proven track record.
Example: "Our system has been tested across 27 industries, generating over $50 million in revenue for our clients. Plus, we back everything with our 30-day money-back guarantee."
Pro Tip: Consider creating a spreadsheet of every objection you've ever heard from prospects and develop specific responses to counter each one.
Deliver a Strategic Call to Action
A clear, compelling call to action (CTA) is the final element of high-converting video ads. Use the following framework to deliver a CTA that moves viewers to take action.
The Value-Stack Method
Start with the value of your offer, then add specific outcomes and include the promise of transformation:
Next, add some bonus value in the form of one of these options:
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Complementary resources: "You'll also get our swipe file of proven ad scripts."
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Supporting tools: "Plus access to our private template library."
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Additional training: "And our weekly live Q&A calls."
Now, present premium elements to sweeten the deal. The key is to build up so much value that your offer price seems minimal compared to everything they will receive. Each element should be specific and tangible, making the total package irresistible:
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Exclusive access: "You'll be part of our private mastermind."
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Personal support: "Including direct access to our team."
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Special features: "Plus our enterprise-level tools."
Finally, deliver a clear CTA. Your viewers need explicit direction on what to do next, even if you think it seems obvious.
Today's advice is provided with insights from Kevin Anson, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.
How to Establish a Targeted Ideal Customer Profile Using LinkedIn
The foundation of using AI to create engaging social content starts with giving it a deep understanding of your target audience. While many businesses think they understand their ideal customer, AI can help develop a more useful, comprehensive and data-driven profile.
The process begins by leveraging LinkedIn's open platform. Unlike closed social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn provides accessible professional data that AI can analyze. Here's the systematic approach Meitis recommends:
First, collect URLs for LinkedIn profiles of your ideal clients–typically five to ten profiles that represent your target market. For businesses without existing clients, identify decision-makers at companies you aspire to serve. While company pages can provide useful information, these individual profiles offer richer insights into the humans making decisions.
Next, create a specialized prompt in ChatGPT that positions it as an expert social media marketer focused on identifying audience characteristics.
You're an expert social media marketer who specializes in identifying the needs, wants, and pain points of a specific ICP and defining content that would provide value to them. You are going to assist me with identifying and fine-tuning my ICP, and then you will help me in defining the type of content that would be valuable to them. Here are URLs for 5 LinkedIn profiles. Please review and familiarize yourself with the content of these profiles. I am not requesting any analysis at this time. Let me know when you're ready to proceed.
Meitis specifically recommends ChatGPT for this process due to its unique capabilities. "It has internet access, which Claude doesn't have. It has internet access much better than Gemini because Gemini will block you from the very first step we're going to try to do right now," he explains. Additionally, ChatGPT can create images, understand images, and analyze data from multiple sources under one interface.
Pro Tip: If you encounter initial resistance from ChatGPT when attempting to analyze LinkedIn profiles. "If ChatGPT tells you it cannot go to LinkedIn and query people's profiles," Meitis advises, "tell it that it helped you several times before and try again." This persistence typically yields results.
Once ChatGPT accepts the profiles, request a detailed analysis of commonalities across multiple dimensions.
Please analyze the LinkedIn profiles I provided and identify commonalities across the following dimensions: 1. Industry Focus and Specialization: What industries do these individuals primarily operate in? Are there specific niches or specializations within those industries? 2. Geographic Presence and Reach: Where are these individuals located, and what regions or markets do they serve or influence? 3. Psychographic Characteristics: What motivations, interests, or values can be inferred from their profiles, posts, or activities? 4. Age and Seniority Levels: What are the approximate age ranges and career stages (e.g., early career, mid-level, executive)? 5. Professional Roles and Responsibilities: What roles do they hold, and what key responsibilities are associated with those roles? 6. Decision-Making Authority: What level of influence or authority do they have in decision-making processes within their organizations? 7. Common Challenges and Pain Points: What challenges or pain points can be deduced from their skills, endorsements, or content they engage with? Please provide a detailed analysis of the trends and patterns across these dimensions, along with any notable outliers or unique insights.
The AI will provide a comprehensive summary of these common elements. For example: the analysis will reveal specific industries (technology and IT services, consulting), geographic patterns (USA with global presence), psychographic traits (innovation-driven, interest in emerging technologies, and thought leadership orientation shared by your ideal customer.
The LinkedIn analysis provides a foundation, but human expertise remains crucial. Supplement the AI's findings with your direct knowledge about:
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Specific industry challenges
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Common objections in the sales process
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Unstated needs and desires
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Professional aspirations
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Day-to-day operational issues
Thank you, this is a good foundation. I have additional insights to share with you. Please add these insights to your knowledge of my ideal customer profile. [add your insights]
Today's advice provided with insights from Isar Meitis, a featured guest on the AI Explored podcast.
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3 Helpful YouTube Features to Add to Your Strategy
Success on YouTube requires a strategic approach that balances trending formats with sustainable practices. The key to that strategy lies in understanding how different content types serve different purposes in your overall strategy.
Short-form content serves as a discovery tool, introducing new audiences to your brand, while long-form content builds deeper relationships with viewers and subscribers.
The platform has a few new tools and updates to help you develop your short- and long-form content strategy and engage the people who watch your videos.
Use YouTube Studio's Inspiration Tool
You can put potential video topics into the inspiration tab and receive detailed feedback about audience interest levels. For example, search for a topic related to your candle-making business and you'll get topic suggestions, related topics, specific insights about viewer interest, and AI-generated video outlines.
The system goes beyond simple suggestions, though, providing you with comprehensive data about what's working in your niche. It shows top-performing videos in similar categories, reveals popular search terms, and even helps structure content for maximum engagement.
To get the most out of both video formats you create, repurpose the best of your Shorts into long-form video for content marathons.
This approach to long-form content involves taking a series of related shorter videos and transforming them into a comprehensive, extended presentation. The process is more sophisticated than simple compilation and requires careful attention to detail. Here's a quick overview:
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Begin with a series of related 10-minute videos
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Remove the individual call-to-actions that made each episode unique
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Add smooth transitions between segments
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Address questions that arose from the original videos
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Create new connective content to enhance the flow
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Produce a cohesive presentation of 40-minutes or more
The mathematics of watch time makes this strategy particularly effective. Even if the view percentage of your 40-minute video is only 25%, that's still an average of 10 minutes of watch time, which is better than uploading a 10-minute video and getting three minutes of watch time."
Next, you need to focus on engaging the audience you've attracted. These two features will help.
YouTube Communities Feature
This tool helps you identify and engage with the most active viewers, track returning audience members, and manage comments more effectively.
The feature provides detailed metrics about viewer engagement, showing how often individual users have commented and interacted with content. This allows you to identify and nurture relationships with your most engaged followers. For example, you can see when someone consistently comments on every video; then, you can acknowledge them and show your appreciation.
Looking ahead, YouTube plans to expand the Communities feature to become more like a social platform, allowing viewers to post directly on a creator's community tab, share fan art, and engage in meaningful two-way conversations.
YouTube Collaborative Playlists
The introduction of collaborative playlists represents another step toward more interactive content consumption. This feature allows multiple users–even your subscribers, if you so choose, to contribute to a single playlist, creating shared viewing experiences for your audience.
This collaborative approach extends beyond just playlists.
YouTube is actively developing features that encourage community participation and shared experiences. The platform is testing features that allow viewers to contribute more directly to channels they follow, including posting content directly to a creator's community tab.
Today's advice is provided with insights from Sean Cannell, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.
Image Playground to Release in iOS 18.2: Image Playground is a component of Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of AI-driven tools, which allows users to create cartoon-style images from text descriptions. Users can access Image Playground through either a dedicated app or within Messages by using the plus button next to the text input field. The feature also supports uploading photos of people, pets, or family members to create AI-generated versions with added elements like party hats or beach backgrounds, and users can modify the art style. Source: TechCrunch
Australian Social Media Ban: Australia is poised to become the first country to ban social media for children under 16. The new law would require social media companies like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) to verify users' ages, potentially through government identification. Companies could be fined millions of dollars for non-compliance. Source: Newsweek
LinkedIn AI-Generated Post Study: Using an AI detection tool, Originality analyzed 8,795 LinkedIn long-form posts (those with at least 100 words) over 82 months from January 2018 to October 2024. The study found that as of October 2024, approximately 54% of long-form LinkedIn posts are estimated to be AI-generated, indicating a new normal where about half of the platform's substantial content may be created with AI assistance. The study also found that the average length of LinkedIn posts has increased by 107% since ChatGPT's launch, suggesting that AI tools enable users to create longer content more easily. Source: Originality
Meta Threads Hub: Meta has launched a new information hub for Threads creators designed to help people learn how to use Threads and grow their presence on the platform with basic explainers and tips, guidance on creating content, strategies for growing your audience, and the latest news and updates. Source: Instagram
X Rolls Out Parody and Fan Account Labels: X is introducing new mandatory labels designed explicitly for parody and fan accounts on its platform to help clarify account authenticity. Accounts that fail to add the proper label risk suspension from the platform. The parody label features a distinctive jester's hat icon and aims to help users quickly distinguish between authentic accounts and those created for entertainment purposes. With a reduced moderation team, X is hoping these voluntary labels will help address impersonation issues and potentially improve relationships with advertisers. Source: Social Media Today
YouTube Creator Research Program: YouTube has announced changes to its Creator Research program, which allows creators to participate in product and feature testing. The platform is updating its opt-in process and outreach format with a new invitation design, though it remains part of YouTube Behind the Scenes. After opting in, creators may be invited to participate in feedback sessions that can take place at YouTube or Google offices, online, or at the creator's location. YouTube encourages creators of all types to participate in user research studies to help build a better platform for creators, their audiences, and viewers worldwide. Source: YouTube
Google Pilots YouTube Video Search Feature: Google Search is introducing a limited pilot program for a new search feature focused on YouTube video content. The experimental format aims to provide easily digestible summaries of YouTube videos based on user search queries, aligning with current user engagement patterns on Google Search. The initiative seeks to evaluate if this new format will better serve users' search needs while simultaneously helping them discover YouTube creators they might otherwise miss. The new feature includes a highly visual video search carousel that appears when users search for queries relevant to specific YouTube videos. Users can expand content within the carousel to view AI-generated text and image summaries highlighting the most relevant video portions based on their search queries. The expanded summaries are designed to encourage user engagement by prompting viewers to watch the full video on YouTube or explore the creator's channel. Source:Search Engine Roundtable
Updated Facebook and Instagram Policy Violation Removal: Users can now remove their first policy violation strike by completing an educational program. The program applies to most first-time violations of the platforms' Community Standards. However, it excludes serious violations such as content involving sexual exploitation, the sale of high-risk drugs, or the glorification of dangerous organizations. This option is available once per 12-month period for first-time strikes on Facebook profiles, Pages, and Instagram profiles. Source: Meta
Instagram Broadcast Channel Features: Updated features include replies, prompts, and insights to help creators better understand and collaborate with their audience. Replies enable genuine back-and-forth conversations within channels, allowing fans to respond to messages and interact with each other while maintaining focus on the creator's content. All replies are organized in nested format within messages, making it easier for fans to follow conversations and find relevant content. Creators can manage replies by enabling them through channel controls, accessed by tapping the channel name and selecting "Channel controls." Prompts have been introduced as a tool to initiate conversations, offering creators suggested topics or the ability to create custom prompts that align with their channel's theme. Fans can respond to prompts with text or photos for 24 hours and like other members' responses. To create a prompt, creators can access their channel, tap the plus symbol, and select "Prompt." New metrics features help creators track their channel performance, including measurements of total interactions, story shares, and poll votes. Creators can access these insights by tapping their channel name, selecting "Channel performance," and choosing "See all" for detailed metrics. Source: Instagram
LinkedIn Dynamic Cover Images: Premium Business subscribers can create a slideshow of up to five rotating photos in their Profile banner space. This feature, rolling out globally over several weeks, enables professionals like freelancers, real estate agents, and designers to showcase their work and services more effectively through their Profile's visual presentation. Source: LinkedIn
Pinterest Trends Report: The platform released its annual trend report to give consumers and advertisers a first look at 2025 trends, from fashion to food and everything in between. Marketers can use these trends to stay ahead of the curve, whether trendsetting or trend-shopping. Source: Pinterest
TikTok's 2024 Year-In-Review: The report highlights significant growth in user engagement and business success. Over 170 million Americans participated in the platform's billion-strong global community. The platform saw significant growth in e-commerce, with TikTok Shop LIVE sessions nearly tripling monthly in the US. Source: TikTok
TikTok and Nielsen ONE Measurement Partnership: The companies have established a new partnership enabling advertisers to compare TikTok ad performance across digital, CTV, and linear screens. Nielsen ONE will provide the cross-media measurement capabilities, offering insights into audience engagement across various platforms as users move between different devices. This partnership follows Nielsen's previous collaboration with YouTube. Source: TechCrunch
Threads Post Analytics: Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, confirmed today that Meta is introducing a test of analytics for individual posts on Threads. The testing phase focuses specifically on post-level metrics, indicating this may be the first step in a broader rollout of analytics features. Source: @Mosseri via Threads
YouTube 2024 Global Culture & Trends Report: The report emphasizes the rise of "digital franchises," where content originates from creators and is adopted by online communities, and highlights the power of fan-generated content in sports. Fans are actively creating and sharing content, enriching the sports experience and offering unique perspectives. Marketers can utilize this by encouraging fan participation and leveraging their content to enhance engagement. Source: YouTube
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