🧨 Walmart Ads.

Google releases another round of updates, Walmart ad sales are wayyy up, and more. February 23, 2023 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning, it’s mirror day. In Europe, today’s date is written as 23.02.2023, so it’s almost like the year is looking at its own reflection in the mirror. Does 2023 like what it sees? Here’s hoping… GOOGLE Product reviews update #6 just landed, plus other updates [article-image] Ever wish SEO were just a little more boring? We do, sometimes. Oh no, not again: Google [just released its sixth product reviews update](, just as websites were settling on the search results pages. Sigh. The update should take about two weeks to roll out and will expand to 10 other languages in addition to English, including Spanish, French, Italian, Vietnamese, and more. Definitely recommend [reading up on the details]( for that one. Access, granted: Google also [updated Search Console user permissions](, making it easier to dole out specific permissions to team members. This means you can grant access only to certain properties or data from specific periods, along with different levels of permissions like read-only or complete editing. Nice. Jack-of-all-trades = rankings: Yep, the more services you list on your Business Profile, the more chances you have to rank locally, [according to a recent study](. Now, the rankings do seem to vary depending on the industry and market. But hey, it doesn’t hurt to try! Head’s up, devs: Lastly, Google released [a new version of the Google Ad Manager API](, adding new features such as Yield Group metrics, Programmatic metrics, time zone support, and others. Why we care: Lots of SEO news today. Just take a deep breath and pay special attention to the product review update, because it may affect your rankings. On the bright side, those new permissions for Search Console could come in handy if you’re managing larger teams or giving permissions to specific people within your organization. OK, got all that? Great, let’s move to e-commerce now… E-COMMERCE Walmart’s ad business: a hopeful sign? Guess who’s wearing the biggest, yellowest smile… Walmart’s ad department [reported $2.7B in revenue in 2022](, a nearly 30% jump compared to the previous year. Whoa. Sam would be so proud: Walmart’s global ad operations saw a 20% increase during the last quarter of last year, with Walmart Connect—the company’s US ad division—being the biggest growth driver. Meanwhile, US comp sales grew 8.3% and e-commerce sales leaped 17% during Q4 – a huge increase boosted by the holiday sales. Not bad for what was objectively a tough year for many. Status? Still cautious: Walmart isn’t popping the champagne just yet. The company warned that rising prices are putting pressure on consumers, and it’s being careful as it heads into 2023. However, if the trend continues, advertising could remain a silver lining for the company and could generate steady income for the platform. Why we care: It’s no coincidence that Walmart Connect surged at the same time that [Amazon reported record-breaking ad revenue](. Both are targeting engaged, high-intent, shoppers! That’s important to note if you’re in e-commerce. Go where the customers are shopping. You may just see a lift in your own sales, too. SPONSORED BY STACKED MARKETER PRO How this Copywriting Essentials course helps you smash stress and overwhelm [article-image]( You’re busy. You’re managing multiple channels. You have ads, emails, landing pages, product descriptions, and more that you needed done… well, yesterday. What if we told you that you could level up your skills and your process in just 2.5 hours? Yeah. You can. One of our readers, Alyssa Ehinger, did. She says the course is “...a great length for anyone looking to refresh their knowledge or see the workflow/process for copywriting research and planning.” [Our Copywriting Essentials Course gives you:]( - Research, idea brainstorming, and copy frameworks you can copy and paste into your day-to-day work instantly. - Over-the-shoulder guides to collecting research and turning it into gripping copy. - Tools for turning your current products or services into fresh, compelling offers. … And so much more. No more freaking out in front of a blank page when you need to be churning out ad copy. No more wishing you could streamline your research and brainstorming process without knowing how. [Try the course for just $7 for 7 days when you join Stacked Marketer Pro.]( BUSINESS The hidden danger of customer retention, and what to do about it [article-image] Yeah, customer retention is awesome. You can automate your drips and remarketing ads, and if you do it right, you build a steady revenue stream. But retention marketing contains a hidden trap. Do it wrong… and it can actually destroy your brand’s value. How? Ad fatigue, spammy inboxes, and other bad retention tactics can hurt your brand in the long run and make customers eager to… well, never buy from you again. For that reason Alex Greifeld says your [retention strategy should match the scale of your business](. And she’s got tips on how to do it right. Ready to retain without the pain? Let’s go… #1 – For brands making up to $1M annual revenue: Right now, you’re setting business foundations so you have to be bold in the first year. Collect emails aggressively and email your customers at least once a week. Make sure your emails are clear and mobile friendly. Oh, and set up simple drips such as abandoned carts. #2 – For brands with $1M to $10M revenue: Put on your analytics goggles and start measuring. When does loyalty happen? What offers appeal to the nurture versus the loyalty stage? At this point, retention revenue is still low, but it’s enough to evaluate and start building good habits. Segment drips based on “nurture” and “loyalty,” and don’t get hooked on promos. #3 – For brands with $10M to $20M revenue: This is where smart segmentation happens. You have to lose the “dollar for dollar” mindset and align money and time with customers’ predicted lifetime value (LTV). Think about offers and bundles that can raise first purchase lifetime value (LTV), or brainstorm ways for squeezing every dollar from your email and remarketing segments. To wrap up: Your entire brand strategy should attract and keep customers, whereas retention is one tool for keeping your brand top of mind. Combine the two, and you will reap the rewards. SPONSORED BY THE PEAK STUDIO Steal Robinhood’s secret weapon—without having to buy a media company [article-image]( B2B marketers are competing with media publishers and apps for customers' attention. That's why HubSpot and Robinhood bought media companies. But if you don't have $30M to spend on a newsletter… [there's always The Peak Studio](. [The Peak Studio team grew their flagship daily newsletter to 100,000+]( subscribers with a 50%+ open rate. And now, they’re ready to help you create your own high-engagement newsletter. All you have to do is hit send. [Book a chat.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS Does button color really matter when it comes to conversions? [article-image] One oft-repeated piece of marketing advice is that the color of your call-to-action (CTA) buttons affects clickthrough rate. It sounds nice in theory, right? Change the color, make more money! But is it that simple? Well, we did some digging. Here’s what we found… - Everything depends on context. Studies on color and marketing [have shown]( that what customers prefer depends entirely on what sort of brand they’re looking at. There’s no “winning color” that works for everyone, contrary to what some Twitter gurus may tell you. - Success has more to do with overall branding. Customers form an opinion of your brand as they interact with your site. Color plays a part in this, but it’s all color on your site, not just CTA color. - Clicking a button has very little to do with color. While studies show that color can play a subconscious role in conversion, customers aren’t stupid. They care about what you’re selling and whether it’ll be useful to them. The Crew’s insight: Unless your button color is unusually ugly, it’s improbable that changing the color will have any serious impact on how many people buy your product. And more importantly, it’s rare that focusing on something like button color is a high-ROI activity. Whether it’s copy, design, or offer, there are always higher-leverage things to work on. Want to learn more about those high-ROI activities? [Sign up to Stacked Marketer Pro]( and take our Copywriting Essentials Course, which’ll get you from zero to “competent” copywriter in just a few hours. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [SEO:]( Google is getting smarter. Your SEO link building needs to be smarter too. dofollow.io delivers high quality, user centered backlinks from DR65+ websites like The Washington Post and Zendesk. [We recommend building your traffic and domain authority with dofollow.io.](* [TWITTER:]( Whoa, is Elon Musk about to let the Twitter algorithm out of its birdcage? Elon suggested that Twitter could make its algorithm open source “next week.” Unless he’s joking, of course. Nothing is certain these days… [GOOGLE](: Suspensions, suspensions everywhere. Advertisers are complaining their accounts have been wrongly suspended across multiple verticals this week, suggesting there’s a glitch of some sort. Just a heads up in case you’re among the unlucky ones. [BUSINESS:]( Klarna has officially conquered the US market. The Buy now, pay later platform reported a staggering 71% year-on-year growth in the US—its biggest market by revenue. Something to think about if you’re offering a BNPL option in your store. And who isn’t? [WHATSAPP:]( Are newsletters coming to WhatsApp? Apparently there’s code in the upcoming Android version that includes a new and unannounced “Newsletter” feature. If WhatsApp actually launches this kind of mass broadcast option to followers, that would be handy indeed… [AI MARKETING:]( First AI chatbots came for the browsers, now they’re taking over the apps. Microsoft announced that its “copilot for the web”—Bing’s AI-powered chat—is coming to Bing and Edge mobile apps, and to Skype, too. Wow, those bots move fast… [META:]( New details about Meta verified just dropped. The company’s subscription plan won’t let you change your name, user name, date of birth, or profile photo… at least for now. *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER What is brown and has a head and a tail, but no legs? You can find [the answer here.]( [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT The Disney-esque neighborhood that never was [article-image] Imagine this: a small, luxurious neighborhood full of tiny Disney-style palaces. [Now, look at these pictures of Burj Al Babas]( in northwest Turkey. That’s right… someone literally woke up one morning and thought 600 palaces outfitted with pools, jacuzzis, and underfloor heating was an awesome real estate idea. Since then the project has suffered a less-than-dreamy outcome: debt-stricken, half-completed, and finally abandoned. Now only a roadless, towering ghost town remains. Moral of the story? A little bit of kitsch on top of a bad investment decision will leave you with a B-movie horror set. And a darn scary one, by the looks of it. SHARING IS CARING Hey, don’t forget… Exclusive content and awesome merch are just a few referrals away. When you share our newsletter with other smart marketers—and they subscribe—you can earn access to premium content, like: - Two of our Stacked Marketer Pro reports (8 and 15 referrals), which are normally worth $99 each. - The Marketer Mug (30 referrals). … And more. Hit the link below to get started! [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