Everybody Hates Tim (Cook)

Facebook tries to make up with marketers... Instagram has good news for those of you interested in influencer marketing... Google's final answer about author ranking... and more!

October 22, 2021

FRIDAY QUIZ: Amazon Deliveries

You can't deny that Amazon is doing crazy amounts of deliveries — especially as we get closer to Black Friday and the holiday season.

Sometimes it seems like FedEx and UPS only do Amazon deliveries any more.

There is a third delivery provider that Amazon reaches out to — its own private delivery service. But... how big is that fleet?

The Friday Quiz: What percentage of Amazon's total deliveries are handled by its own delivery network, not relying on providers like FedEx or UPS?

The answer, later in today's episode.

Q3: Snap Says Apple's Changes Hit It Hard

Image: Pexels

We start off today with another finger being pointed at Apple. Snap reported Thursday that revenue expectations were not met for its third quarter. Snap's Q3 revenue was $1.07 billion, missing Wall Street's expectation of $1.1 billion.

As for growth, the company drew 306 million daily active users in Q3, up from the 293 million it reported in Q2. While not skyrocketing, it is healthy for a platform that was almost irrelevant not long ago.

Who’s to blame for the revenue miss? According to Snap CEO Evan Spiegel:

  • Apple’s big iOS privacy change, which put new restrictions in place for apps seeking to track user behavior beyond their own borders. 

  • Broader pandemic market trends.

Quoting Spiegel:

The company was caught off guard by how disruptive the impact on advertiser tools proved to be. Without the wide view that many advertisers were accustomed to, they had to adapt to new, more restrained ways of measuring user behavior.

Although Snap's bottom line might be negatively affected by Apple's decision to build more privacy into its mobile OS, Spiegel, unlike Facebook’s leadership, has consistently supported Apple's decision.

INFLUENCERS: Instagram Adds Branded Content Tools

Image: Pexels

With the Christmas shopping season approaching, Instagram is testing new options for creator monetization so its most prominent users can maximize their earnings.

Creators will have access to three new tools being tested:

  1. A new ‘Partnerships’ messaging folder within Instagram DMs:

  • This folder is a dedicated space to keep track of sponsored content.

  • Messages will be filtered through from Facebook’s Brand Collabs Manager platform.

  • All brands getting in touch with this folder will qualify for the new connection tools by having met Partner Monetization policies.

Image: business.instagram.com

  1. A new digital storefront option for creators taking part in its affiliate program:

  • Providing another way for individual creators to promote sponsored products to their audience.

  • Creators will be able to create their own shops of products they endorse.

  • This creates more exposure for potential brands, and more revenue share options for creators.

  • This option is currently being tested with US creators.

Image: business.instagram.com

  1. New branded content ads in Reels:

  • This option looks very much like Instagram’s Branded Content tags for Reels, only with a ‘Sponsored’ marker, instead of just ‘Paid Partnership’.

Branded content ads in Reels is another step towards monetizing short-form video. Quoting Social Media Today: 

Though effective monetization of short-form video, overall, remains problematic, because unlike longer videos, you can’t insert pre or mid-roll ads into 30-second clips. That limits your capacity to attribute revenue share to specific uploads, which is why branded content formats like this are a key avenue for creator monetization, and providing more incentive for popular Reels stars to keep posting.

COMMERCE: Shopify and Microsoft Team Up

Image: Microsoft Advertising Blog

Microsoft announced a new partnership with Shopify that gives merchants access to its Search Network and Audience Network in the Microsoft Channel app.

A representative with Microsoft Advertising, explained:

To significantly expand the reach of their brands and products across Microsoft Search Network and Microsoft Audience Network, merchants can create new ad campaigns and view their marketing performance through real-time reports in their Shopify store.

Image: Microsoft Advertising Blog

How does the Microsoft Channel App work?:

BRAND SAFETY: Facebook Offers IP Protection

To brand safety now and new updates Facebook is making to maintain trust of marketers ahead of the holiday season.

A new feature of its safety tools lets marketers search Instagram accounts and posts for content that infringes on their intellectual property. 

MarketingDive reports:

As e-commerce continues to grow, digital sales are expected to hit between $210 and $218 billion this holiday season, up from $189 billion last year. Yet despite this outlook, consumers still have reason to distrust Facebook's offerings. To this end, the updates also seek to protect buyers from counterfeit products, which could help to strengthen trust in Facebook's merchants and its platforms — an especially important play this year as supply chain issues erode brand loyalty.

By using the Brand Rights Protection tool, brands can identify trademark violations, counterfeit products, and copyright infringement in:

  • Facebook or Instagram ads

  • Shops and Marketplace

  • Instagram accounts

  • Instagram posts

  • Facebook buy and sell groups

How does the tool work?

  • Users can upload up to 10 images to their accounts, for which Facebook will scan Instagram and its core social network to identify unpermitted matches.

Facebook is not the only company enhancing brand safety ahead of the holiday season:

SEO: Blog Post Author is "Not" A Direct Ranking Factor

Image: Canva

One of the common refrains we hear from Google on its search algorithm is that the content should be trustworthy. And the author of the article, if named, should have some authority on the topic.

But is the name of the author an actual ranking signal?

Google says, no. 

During a video hangout with Google's John Mueller, he explained that the author of an article isn't a ranking factor. 

 

For instance — when asked if it matters if you have a recognized and authoritative doctor write or review your medical content, when it comes to Google’s E-A-T recommendations, he said no.

Quoting Mueller:

There would be no "quantifiable difference" between using a doctor who is well known versus not well known in terms of SEO or ranking. Purely from an SEO point of view it probably doesn't matter either way to have a top doctor or lesser known doctor write or review the content.

Which is great and all, but in the past Google has previously recommended having doctors review your medical content and having an expert write your content. 

At the very least, it can't hurt.

TRENDS: Reddit Outlines Pandemic-Inspired Platform Trends

Image: Canva

Through a new, 20-page report, Reddit today provided insight into key content trends that it's seeing on its platform, and highlights key shifts in interest that we digital marketers might want to pay attention to.

Social Media Today had a good outline on Reddit’s four key pandemic-inspired trends:

Quoting the piece:

  1. Mental Management – Two-thirds of Americans say that they developed at least one healthy habit during the pandemic they plan to continue, and Reddit’s overview looks specifically at the rising discussion around meditation and hobbies, like knitting, that people have taken up as a form of stress relief.

  2. The Romanticized Life – The WFH shift has prompted many to reconsider their lifestyle, and how they want to live, which has led to rising interest in things like gardening and ‘nomadism’, with more freedom to travel while they work.

  3. Revitalized Residences – Similar to the previous trend, more time spent in the home has also led to more people re-assessing their home set-up, and considering how they can improve their living conditions, with communities like r/carpentry and r/homeimprovement gaining traction amongst DIY enthusiasts.

  4. Cognizant Consumption – And finally, people are also increasingly aware of their environmental impact, with key trends relating to more thoughtful consumption and transport options.

Even if you don’t use Reddit, and don’t see the benefit in Reddit marketing, the data may provide a glimpse of broader trends relating to your brand, and can help guide your strategic thinking.

You can get a link to Reddit’s first ‘Reddit Radar’ report in today’s Premium newsletter.

And if Reddit marketing is something you'd like to try out, jump into our Slack community where nearly 700 digital marketers just like you are chatting about all sorts of platforms. Tap the link in today's episode notes or go to TodayInDigital.com/slack.

QUIZ ANSWER

Back to the Friday quiz: What percentage of Amazon's total deliveries are handled by its own delivery network, not relying on providers like FedEx or UPS?

The answer: 72%.

Yes, that shocked the hell out of me too.

Amazon now delivers 72% of its own packages. In 2019, that was at about 46%.

In fact each year the company has had its own delivery service, it's grown by 50% year-over-year.

It now has more than 400,000 delivery drivers around the world, 40,000 semi-trucks, and 30,000 delivery vans. It has its own airline too with 73 planes.

The company now offers same-day delivery in 12 U.S. cities, including Chicago and Dallas.

BUGGY McBUGGERTON: Facebook Ad Platform Belches Out Another Bug

And finally, I saw a bunch of reports on Twitter today that there was.... Brace yourself... a bug on Facebook — this time, people were getting their ad campaigns rejected for being "misleading" and then told their Page was banned.

Don't panic if this happened to you — this is a bug and Facebook is apparently fixing it.

One thing they're not doing, sending the usual notifications of account action, so you may want to check your Ad Account just in case.

Join Our New Facebook Group (shut up)

At the request of dozens of you (and against my better judgement lol), we have started a Facebook group for this community. We'll be posting recaps of the show and you're all welcome to chat about whatever.

We have a thread up now where you can promote what you do... You can find it at facebook.com/groups/todayindigital.

Weekend Edition Coming Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, a special treat in your feed — a deep-dive into Google Ads for this Black Friday season. Jyll Saskin Gales joined me for a live taping of that episode earlier today. We covered a tonne of ground, including process changes, targeting, creative, bid strategy, budget.

Premium Newsletter subscribers will also be getting a full transcript, a link to the video version, and a kit of Google ad resources.

And if you're not a Premium Newsletter subscriber yet, you can try it out for 14 days completely free — it's at todayindigital.com/newsletter.

Today in Digital Marketing is produced by engageQ digital on the traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw first nation on beautiful Vancouver Island. Scripting and production support by Steph Gunn. Podcast music licensing by Source Audio. And our theme composer Mark Blevis is that first cup of real coffee you have after you ditch the annual attempt to go decaf.

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