The weekly Digital Download is out. Get all the Marketing hot news, quick tips, and highlights you need to get you through the week, rolled up into a five-minute read.
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In the News
Hot Off the Press
- Google Introduces the New Google Analytics
- Google released a new Google Analytics experience with several new features, including automatic alerts to significant data trends, anticipates future actions customers may take by calculating churn probability, and new predictive metrics such as potential revenue. Google Analytics 4 also has an improved, deeper integration with Google Ads, can measure app and web interactions together, allows for a better understanding of customers across their lifecycle and new, simplified reporting. Consider creating a new Google Analytics 4 property alongside any existing Google Analytics properties to allow your instance to start gathering data.
- Google to Lift Political Ad Ban on Thursday
- Google told advertisers it is planning to lift its ban on political ads on Thursday after a blackout of more than a month because of concerns over misinformation, according to an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
- Google’s Year in Search 2020
- Google released its annual “Year in Search” list Wednesday. The list acts as a sort of chronicle of the decade’s worth of newsworthy things that took place during this one weird year. The list features the year’s top trending searches, which had a high spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2020 compared to 2019.
- Google released its annual “Year in Search” list Wednesday. The list acts as a sort of chronicle of the decade’s worth of newsworthy things that took place during this one weird year. The list features the year’s top trending searches, which had a high spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2020 compared to 2019.
- TikTok is Experimenting with Longer-form, Three-minute Videos
- TikTok has started to stray from their classic 60 second video platform by offering some users the ability to upload videos up to three-minutes long. The rollout has already started and has been met with negative reviews, “My attention span is now a minute long thanks to TikTok. And now they think we’re gonna watch three-minute videos?” The general rule is that users hate updates until they embrace updates. Time will tell.
- Social Media Marketing Trends for 2021: Predictions from the Pros
- Want to tap into the latest social media marketing changes? We know the answer is yes so here are the Ten top marketing experts to share 2021 social media marketing predictions. Learn why you should humanize your content, embrace short form video, stop spamming LinkedIn with sales messages and show some personality.
- How Much Time Do People Spend on Social Media? [63+ Facts to Like, Share and Comment]
- Feeling bad about your screen time report? Don’t feel too bad. Projections for social media use estimates the average adult will spend 6 years and 8 months of their life on social media.
- Internet users spend an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networking in 2019.
- Facebook has 1.4 billion active users daily.
- As of March 2019, Snapchat reached 90% of all 13-24-year-olds and 75% of all 13-34-year-olds in the US.
- LinkedIn drives more than 50% of social traffic to B2B sites and is considered the most credible source of content.
- Twitter has 330 million monthly active users
- Feeling bad about your screen time report? Don’t feel too bad. Projections for social media use estimates the average adult will spend 6 years and 8 months of their life on social media.
Projections for social media use estimates the average adult will spend 6 years and 8 months of their life on social media.
- How Technology Marketers Can Work Smarter in the Age of Agility
- LinkedIn’s annual report on B2B technology purchasing reveals 5 key trends for marketers to succeed, which offers great data and channel-specific insights to consider when creating strategies and building campaigns. At a glance:
- Empower IT’s evolving role as a guide — There is a wide range (63%) of non-IT functions now collaborating throughout the B2B technology purchase process, and IT must guide this increasingly diverse group toward consensus.
- Aim for fame in the customer journey — A majority of decision-makers (54%) are now responsible for identifying, researching, and evaluating new problems that can be solved by technology.
- Address the committee’s paradox of needs — In the decade ahead, buyers will navigate more options, requirements, and stakeholders than ever before. And while 1 in 2 technology decision-makers are favorable toward innovative, challenger brands, 2 in 3 remain hesitant to award business to a new vendor.
- Spark the virtual watercooler — Over half of technology decision-makers shared with us that professional peer input and validation drive the most overall influence in the purchasing process. Marketers must work hard to ensure they are giving existing users and potential customers something worth talking about.
- Seize the post-sale frontier — Enhanced budget scrutiny has placed even more importance on post-sale support. According to our survey, nearly half of buyers select a vendor based on whether they understand their business and needs — and over half of buyers cite post-sale support as a major factor when evaluating technology solutions.
- LinkedIn’s annual report on B2B technology purchasing reveals 5 key trends for marketers to succeed, which offers great data and channel-specific insights to consider when creating strategies and building campaigns. At a glance:
- PAN Communications 2021 CMO Predictions
- Our 2021 CMO Predictions are finally here. We have predictions from Larry Kim, Paige O’Neill, Michael Brenner and Tamara McCleary (to name a few). What should we be thinking about as we head into 2021? Empathy, creativity, and brand values with data to give us the edge we need to stand out.
Creativity
Out of the Box
- Snapchat is launching its answer to TikTok
- Snapchat has integrated a new “Spotlight” feature in the app that aims to take on TikTok’s viral popularity. It will feature a constantly updating selection of the best video Snaps from across the platform and is designed to showcase the best Snapchat content from Snapchat’s full community of users. This is designed for everyone. You do not have to be a major content creator for Snapchat. Do you have dreams of becoming a Snapchat influencer? Create a video Snap, tap the “Send To” button, select the new Spotlight option at the top of the screen, and then tap Send. You are now a Snapchat content creator.
- Spotify 2020 Wrapped: How to find what music, podcasts and playlists you listened to this year
- Spotify has released its 2020 Wrapped lists of the most streamed artists, songs and other content on the subscription service. Listeners have been sharing their Wrapped roundups on their social platforms, and artists are sharing their results. “The intent of this years’ experience is to show people that despite everything collectively and individually we have gone through, art, creation, listening, all of that has been a bright spot, a comfort, an inspiration, a call to action,” Alex Bodman, Spotify vice president and global executive creative director, said.
- Graphic Design Trends 2021
- The graphic design trends for 2021 are rich and varied, adapting to technology and societal changes quicker and better than ever before. Cutting edge web design is creating a ripple effect in all areas of design. We are seeing both trends towards depth and realty but also fun and simplicity and an interesting rise in cool chaotic, illusion design. Be inspired in 2021.
- Color psychology in UX
- Designers use color to tell brand stories, visually. Colors contain physiological and psychological properties that can induce positive or negative feelings and behavior. A carefully chosen color palette will upgrade a design, while a hastily selected color palette will decrease the user experience and interfere and the ability to use a website or app efficiently. Colors just may be the secret to meeting those revenue goals.
“A carefully chosen color palette will upgrade a design, while a hastily selected color palette will decrease the user experience and interfere and the ability to use a website or app efficiently.”
Tricks of the Trade
Tips and Tricks
- Activating Empathy: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Market with It
- Creating empathetic content pushes marketers to think a little deeper about who their audience is on an emotional level, and what makes them tick. Why should marketers shift their focus from transactional needs to building connections? Beyond empathy’s aspirational and psychological benefits it can improve the quality and effectiveness of your content. Even better, it can deliver other positive outcomes for both your business and your audience.
- Utilizing Storytelling in B2B Content Marketing
- Humans love stories. We always have – fairy tales, bedtime stories, ghost stories and movies. We can’t get enough. B2C brands such as Apple, Nike and Dove connect with consumers on an emotional level using stories to make us laugh and cry, ultimately building trust and creating advocates for life. There are 5 quintillion bytes of data created each day. By using a combination of creativity and emotional storytelling, B2B brands can break though the noise and beat the competition. Check out the interactive infographic here.
- The Best Times to Post on Social Media
- The ideal posting structure varies not just by industry, but also by every organization. The best way to determine successful days and times to post is by creating a testing schedule and structure and monitoring the highest engagement periods for your account and channel. If you do need an overarching recommendation before you can test or to help break the tie of your test, click here for Social Media Today’s helpful infographic.
- How to Use Instagram to Develop Your Brand’s Visual Tone
- Consistent visual branding does not mean every social image from your brand should look the same. They should feel similar, but they should not be repetitive. Especially on Instagram. Your Instagram feed should be recognizable, your posts should stand out as coming from your brand in a feed. Recognition is important, but variety is equally as important. How do you find that balance? Try rotating through templates, using a consistent color palette, and choosing consistent imagery. Consistent visual branding builds trust. Repetitive imagery creates boredom.
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