Today in Digital Marketing

How Bid Strategies REALLY Affect Your Google Ads

Sep 25, 2024 | Newsletter Issues

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Today in Digital Marketing

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Today's News

How Bid Strategies REALLY Affect Your Google Ads

WhatsApp Channels Give News Outlets Hope

Google Flagging Fake Reviews

Adobe Predicts Record Holiday Sales

LinkedIn Releases Attribution Guide

Getting Into TikTok’s Holiday Guide Will Cost You

How Bid Strategies REALLY Affect Your Google Ads

Every other week, our Google ads correspondent Jyll Saskin Gales walks us through the latest platform changes. Jyll spent six years at Google in a senior ad role, and today runs the Inside Google Ads training program.¹

This week: The PPC management tool Optmyzr just released new data about the impact of bidding strategies on Google Ads performance. Jyll brings us the details.

Key Takeaways

Bid strategies in Google Ads achieve the specific goal set for them, such as target ROAS or target CPA.

Many marketers remain skeptical of smart bidding, though studies show it delivers expected outcomes cleanly.

Every bid strategy comes with trade-offs, and campaigns can only optimize for one goal at a time.

Spending more money doesn’t necessarily improve performance; having at least 50 conversions in 30 days yields better results with smart bidding.

Bid caps and targets can sometimes negatively impact campaign performance, limiting the effectiveness of smart bidding strategies.

The recommended Google Ads setup for product-based businesses starts with manual CPC or maximize clicks, transitioning to smart bidding strategies like target ROAS or CPA as data volume increases.

Be sure to check out Jyll’s Inside Google Ads training program¹

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WhatsApp Channels Give News Outlets Hope

News sites have seen a sharp drop in traffic and ad revenue. Google and Facebook made news less prominent on their platforms, and now publishers are looking elsewhere for eyeballs.

Some have found a glimmer of hope in WhatsApp, the world's most popular messaging app.

WhatsApp Channels lets brands send links and headlines directly to followers. And many outlets are now using it to draw in readers and build relationships with audiences outside the US.

WhatsApp Channels exist in a separate tab from the main messaging section, and users don't have to provide private info to follow a channel.

The TechRadar channel on WhatsApp

Big Names on Board

Noticias Telemundo's WhatsApp channel gained over 30,000 followers in two weeks and now has over 820,000 followers. The outlet creates original content for its channel, like short videos and polls.

Numerous media outlets have signed up for WhatsApp Channels, including CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. They already draw millions of followers.

But some publishers are cautious, given Meta's complicated history with news organizations.

A Path to Monetization

Google Flagging Fake Reviews

Google is now placing a warning on some Google Business Profile listings in Google Maps when it suspects fake or fraudulent reviews.

The notice reads, “Suspected fake reviews were recently removed from this place.”

Consequences for Fake Reviews

Businesses with suspected fake reviews may face penalties, including not being able to receive new reviews or ratings for a set period, having existing reviews or ratings unpublished, and displaying a warning to consumers.

Google hasn’t said anything specific about whether this is a test — so far it’s only been spotted in the U.K., but if history is any guide, expect this to be rolled out worldwide soon.

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Adobe Predicts Record Holiday Sales

As most marketers are deep into holiday shopping plans, a look at what the season’s sales numbers might look like.

Adobe has released its online shopping forecast [PDF] for the 2024 holiday season.

It expects US online sales to reach $240.8 billion, an 8.4% increase from last year.

Mobile Shopping Dominates

Mobile devices will drive a record $128.1 billion in sales

That’s almost a 13% growth year-over-year

This represents 53.2% of online spend this season.

Cyber Week, which includes American Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, will drive $40.6 billion in online sales, up 7.0% from last year.

Discounts Drive Sales

Adobe anticipates major discounts this season — perhaps more than seen in previous years.

The company expects discounts to peak during Cyber Week

The best deals likely happening before Cyber Monday

Holiday deals are also expected to start rolling out in mid-October

With discounts lingering through December

Social Influencers Play a Key Role

Social media influencers are expected to drive sales — 37% of Gen Z respondents said they have purchased something based on an influencer's recommendation.

Paid search will remain the top driver of retail sales, but affiliates and partners, including social media influencers, will see the fastest growth.

LinkedIn Releases Attribution Guide

LinkedIn is helping marketers better track their in-app ad spend.

The company has released a new guide [PDF] to its Revenue Attribution Report, a tool that provides detailed insights into campaign performance.

The 32-page guide explains how to set up the report and connect CRM data to the system.

Measuring Performance

The report provides an overview of available data and how to use it to measure performance.

Marketers can track performance at account and campaign levels over specific time ranges.

To use the report, marketers must connect their CRM (here’s how), which may be a concern for some — LinkedIn says shared data is stored securely with data isolation and secure access.

Getting Into TikTok’s Holiday Guide Will Cost You

At one time, the pinnacle of marketing was getting on Oprah’s Favourite Things list. Land a spot there and companies would be overflowed with orders.

TikTok wants to capture that magic too — but there’s a big catch.

The company is offering brands a spot in its “Holiday Emporium Gift Guide.” The guide will be featured in TikTok Shop and promoted by influencers and in-app marketing.

Ad Requirements

But to qualify, brands must commit to a large ad spend.

There are two tiers:

Silver, which requires $12,500 in ad spend over three months

Gold, which requires $19,500

Brands that meet these thresholds may be featured in the gift guide and get extra exposure in the app.

No Guarantee

However, there's no guarantee that a brand's products will be included in the guide.

TikTok will choose which products to feature, regardless of ad spend. This means brands may pay thousands for ads without getting the promised benefits.

And depending on how it’s rolled out, the guide may end up feeling fake.

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Scale your influencer marketing by driving high engagement and improving your brand's social media presence. Book a demo with Popular Pays, today.

Upgrade Your Media Buying Skills:¹
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Inside Google Ads: Advanced
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Foxwell Digital Courses

Tools We Use and Recommend:¹
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¹ Some links provide affiliate revenue

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About the Podcast

Every weekday, Tod Maffin brings you a fast-paced 8-minute rundown of what you missed in the world of digital marketing and social media. Thousands of senior marketers listen each day.

About the Host

Tod Maffin is a veteran tech-business journalist. He spent a decade as the National Technology Reporter for Canada’s public broadcaster, and has written for major publications like the New York Times, Globe and Mail, and more.

Besides hosting the podcast, Tod is president of engageQ digital, a social media engagement and moderation agency, and is author of several books, and spent 20+ years as a professional conference keynote speaker.

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