by Tod Maffin and Steph Gunn
Today's News
How Bid Strategies REALLY Affect Your Google Ads
WhatsApp Channels Give News Outlets Hope
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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