😬 $300k fine.

WhatsApp introduces one-touch checkout, a US government agency cracks down on fake reviews, and more. April 12, 2023 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Happy Wednesday. Don’t forget to show your houseplants or office plants some love today. Because if you don’t, they just might “click.” You’ll see what we mean when you get to today’s Poolside Chat. Now please pass the tissues. E-COMMERCE Need-to-knows about reviews, WhatsApp, Instagram’s creator marketplace, and more [article-image] Want a pair of earplugs? Just asking. Things are pretty loud over in e-commerce… Review police: For the first time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined a business for faking reviews to make it appear like they are better rated than they actually were. The punishment? $300k. Ouch. Hey, we get it, reviews are important. Recent research shows that a product with a 3-star review has [67% less chance of being purchased]( than one with a 4-star review. … But it’s worth getting good ratings in non-shady ways. Slide into their DMs: Instagram [launched an API]( that allows brands to easily reach creators in a priority inbox and publish structured creator briefs to the marketplace from third-party sources. Moreover—if you’re a brand agency—you can get dedicated access to the marketplace, giving you the ability to discover, manage, and communicate with creators on behalf of clients. Nice. One tap: Also, WhatsApp just introduced [one-touch checkout in Brazil](, which means users can pay for goods and services directly on the platform. Useful if you’re advertising in this market. Up and down: Meanwhile, [online prices fell by 1.7%](, the seventh consecutive year-on-year drop despite inflation. However, the stats aren’t all they appear. Prices of essential items like groceries (10.3%), apparel (6.6%), and personal care products (4.4%) all rose, while flowers and gifts (24.3%) and toys (6.6%) fell. So depending on what you’re selling, you may want to consider price adjustments… TIKTOK Dipping into subcultures can improve your results We know it sounds like we’re talking about a cup of yogurt, but the fact is, TikTok is booming with a huge variety of cultures. And according to TikTok, [you can benefit by structuring your campaigns]( so they resonate with more than one subculture on the platform. Like that time with the sneakers: For example, eBay created content specifically for a sneakerhead community titled #SneakerShowdown. The campaign used voting stickers to reach the community, grabbing 25.8B views on TikTok and a significant performance increase during March Madness. Your turn: TikTok recommends three steps for reaching broader groups on the app and creating community-specific content… - Find communities. Consider “passion points” like #gaming, #parenting, and others as starting places. Also, explore insights on the Creative Center, or use Keywords Insights tool to find related hashtags and interests… - Develop content strategy. Create valuable and diverse content that entertains, educates, but also serves different customer states like planning or buying. Also, stay in the TikTok video mindset – shooting vertical, lo-fi, videos with real people, etc. - Start creating. Experiment with new content formats that TikTok users embrace or are familiar with, like photo mode or street interviews. You can read more about each of these steps in the [original article.]( Why we care: Remember, a TikTok ban is a real possibility. But If you’re using the platform, familiarize yourself with all the recent platform trends – and the wide range of different communities. Tapping into these groups is a useful tactic that could go a long way. And speaking of tactics… SPONSORED BY TACTICS Announcing: Tactics by Stacked Marketer [article-image]( So you’re seeing decent success as a marketer. You’re getting results and making the right people happy. … But you don’t want to settle for “decent.” You want to be the best of the best. The kind of marketer who can charge higher rates than anyone else because you’re not just good… you’re excellent. A true pro. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce [Tactics by Stacked Marketer.]( It’s a weekly, 5-minute read that reveals advanced, field-tested marketing tactics for growing your business, your clients’ businesses, or simply advancing in your career. Every month we spend 200+ hours researching straight-from-the-trenches growth tactics and insights that we use to create our Stacked Marketer Pro Reports. Normally members pay $99 per month to get these reports. But [when you subscribe to the Tactics newsletter](, you get two advanced marketing tactics from these reports—for free! If you like Stacked Marketer, give Tactics a shot. We think you’ll like what you see. [Sign up for free here.]( VIDEO MARKETING Produce these three types of content to create a successful video marketing strategy [article-image] Setting up your video gear is easy. … But figuring out what content to produce and promote? No amount of tech can solve that problem for you. So instead of falling into a trap of over-experimenting and overproducing content that you don’t know how to promote… Keep it simple. Alex Cattoni [shared a three-tiered video strategy]( that’s super easy to replicate and can help you hit your audience at all stages of the journey. Check ‘em out before you click the clapperboard… First, make short form videos. Just like the one Alex recorded above. These types of videos are easy to follow, super engaging, and most importantly, have the potential to go viral. Then upload them as TikToks, Reels, Shorts, and more. Your purpose here is to grab the attention and attract users who are least aware of you. Then, do longer videos. And by longer, Alex means 7–8 minute videos that expand on your ideas and educate your audience. YouTube videos, for example, are a good way to keep nurturing your audience after you grab their eyeballs with Shorts. Finally, produce live content. When you feel like you’ve accumulated a decent audience, it’s time to create content where you can interact with them. Live webinars, live streams, and other types of live shows can turn doubters into brand loyalists. This content allows you to build strong relationships and answer questions, remove roadblocks from potential future conversions, and even upsell a product. There you have it… a simple video marketing strategy that covers all steps of the sales funnel. Once you automate Alex’s system, you can start testing new formats without worrying about the overall efficiency of your video marketing. Time to turn on the camera… SPONSORED BY WISTIA How to host stress-free webinars that rack up results [article-image]( Do you love everything about webinars - except making one? Losing connection. Talking with the mic off. “Oh no… Did I hit the record button?” Wistia Live takes the stress out of "going live.” [Create, host, market, and analyze webinars in one place]( — and make lasting content your audience will love. - Set up your event in seconds. - Easily edit your recordings. - Create on-demand replays. - Measure your ROI with analytics. Try Wistia for yourself. [Start a free trial.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS Why the location of your ads can make or break your entire campaign [article-image] So you want to advertise a product. You run ads on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok—and, hey, why not try a podcast too? Well, that’s a good start… But have you thought deeply about where you should be reaching your customers? Because, as we’ve learned, the place you choose to advertise to your customers can have a huge impact on how many sales you make. Here’s an insight from The Crew: People who subscribe because they saw Stacked Marketer advertised in another newsletter are far more likely to stick around than people who subscribe because of an ad on Facebook. The more relevant your ad placement, the more likely it is that people will end up engaging with your product. For us, newsletter placements work because they’re reaching people who already enjoy reading newsletters. To use a different example, imagine you’re running marketing for a DTC chewing gum brand. A low-cost, impulse buy item. - Advertising on a podcast. This has low relevance—and most people aren’t actively on their phones or computers while listening to a podcast. - Advertising on Twitter. This is better, because people are on their phones or computers and can order your product right away. Only thing is, most people don’t go to Twitter with shopping in mind. - Advertising on Instagram: This is a highly-relevant place to advertise. People on Instagram are often on their phones and looking for places to shop. See what we mean? Location matters. So choose the channel that fits your audience and your goals. Best of luck out there! ROUNDING UP THE STACK [SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT:]( Unbelievable fact—you can speed up cross-posting, in-depth analytics, content approval, and report creation by up to 80% using Cloud Campaign and their new AI-powered caption generator, CaptionAI. Manage multiple brands quickly and easily from this one AI-powered platform. [Try Cloud Campaign for free](.* [REGULATIONS:]( Oof. Google has been fined $32M for uncompetitive practices. Again. This time in South Korea, where it forced developers to publish apps only on the Play Store, ousting the competition. Wonder if these fines will ultimately win some flexibility for devs… [GOOGLE:]( Papers, please. Looks like Google Ads is testing a feature that will allow you to submit your ID verification so you can use a business name and business logo on your search ads. Hmm… OK, Google. [META:]( If innovative businesses, marketing priorities, and new advertising trends make you feel like partying, you may want to check out this video series from Meta’s recent Performance Talks conference. Might be some useful stuff in here. [SEO:]( Google doesn’t understand link “stereotypes.” According to John Mueller, “the web is the web,” and links from news websites aren’t treated differently from other articles online. He says to focus on website architecture and think about how pagerank works. Got it. *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER Two girls have the same parents and were born at the same hour of the same day of the same month, but they are not twins. How can this be possible? You can find [the answer here.]( [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT Uh oh, the snake plant is clicking again… [article-image] Turns out plants can talk. Sort of. When scientists placed ultrasonic microphones next to living plants, they discovered that [plants actually emit tiny sounds when stressed](. Like when they’re thirsty, for instance. If you have a houseplant, it could be crying for some water at this very moment… you just can’t hear it! And there are different chants for different plants, too: - Tomatoes tend to be quieter. - Tobacco plants “click” less. - Non-thirsty plants are mostly quiet. Satisfied, we guess. Makes us wonder… how many years are we away from the first plant choir? SHARING IS CARING Say you’re on top of your marketing game without saying it. We’d love to send you a mug to go with your coffee, tea, or… whatever you drink in the mornings. All you have to do is share our newsletter with other smart marketers. Once you get to 30 referrals, we’ll send you our coveted Marketer’s Mug totally free. A mug that proves indisputably that you’re not just in the marketing game—you’re on top of it. Sip. Mmm, that’s good. Share the referral 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