Random November 2021 Shouts to Keep You Sharp !

11/23/2021

• More than two-thirds of respondents perceived at least 50% their Google searches to be local, with very minor differences among countries.
• And 37% said that at least 70% of their search activity was local. So there’s a fair-sized contingent of very heavy local search users.  
• This isn’t a behavioral calculation; it’s self-reported data. But it’s a strong indicator that much (or most) of what people search for online is local.
• This month’s global insights show a world slowly returning to normal, with an increase in searches centered on holiday activities. 
• Make the most of marketing budgets and engage with new consumer groups.
• Google announces more exposure and support for local news.
• New local shopping features for Google Maps (e.g., restaurant prices).
• Survey: 63% of SMBs “satisfied” with social media marketing.
• Rethink omnichannel strategies and capitalize on opportunities in CTV and Addressable.
• With millions of visitors a day, YouTube presents numerous opportunities to enhance the traditional shopping journey.
• Incorporate first-party data supplemented by second- and third-party data.
• Despite years of omnichannel rhetoric, most analysts and pundits still treat e-commerce and local retail sales as completely separate
• Multiple retailers in the US and Europe have shuttered stores, seeking to reduce overhead, in favor of anticipated e-commerce sales booms
• But those sales expectations may – or likely will – be frustrated because of the way in which stores enable consumers to buy online with confidence
• In order to succeed now, SMBs must improve their online visibility/discoverability and make it easy for consumers to do business with them. GBP completeness is an absolute must
• Google PageSpeed Insights update is now live
• Samsung grows global smartwatch market share (despite mediocrity).
• The outlook among SMBs directly corresponds to business size: the smallest SMBs are most pessimistic, the largest more optimistic.
• Build direct relationships with your customers.
• Ensure your measurement remains accurate and actionable.
• Drive performance by keeping your ads relevant.
• DuckDuckGo building new app-tracking prevention for Android.
• Apple games own App Store reviews for its podcast app.
• Viable smart glasses are definitely coming – eventually.
• Pew: 44% of Americans w/o kids (under 50) don’t plan to have them.
• 47% of Consumers Will Turn to Smartphones for Holiday Shopping
• Facebook Offers Insights on Emerging Shopping Behaviors
• Taylor Swift has shattered records and grabbed headlines with re-recorded hits on her “Red” album. Watch the 10-minute Short Film of her most revealing and deeply personal hit, “All Too Well.”
• Multiple Google Maps Updates in Time for the Holidays
• Twitter, Search Engine Land Dropping AMP
• The November 2021 Core Update Is Live
• Snapchat Adds “Layers” to Snap Map
• Committing to a hiring strategy that seeks out a wide range of experiences and cultural understanding ensures your company will have its finger on the pulse of customer needs. But diverse perspectives won’t help if you don’t build a culture in which people are encouraged to share.
• With more than a quarter of the US population living with a disability, it should go without saying that your business website should be accessible. 
• Looks like folks are getting their holiday shopping done early, suggested by a spike in Contact Growth across industries, especially consumer goods
• Ad Spend is up 48% after dipping in September, however this recovery was not displayed by large companies
• Creating campaigns that resonate in the crowded personal care market can be a tall order. 
• Sales Calls hit an all time high – a pattern we also observed last year – which leads us to predict a drop in November and December
• The importance of bringing order to your marketing operations processes

11/15/2021

• In the smart speaker/display market, as of June 2021, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) estimated that Amazon controls 69% of the market, Google has 25%, Apple has 5% and Facebook has 1% (cumulative sales)
• Google, Facebook, Amazon control 64% of digital ad spending
• What consumers are expecting from their preferred brands
• Methods to win and nurture the trust of your consumers
• Best practices of collecting and using first-party data as third-party cookies fade away
• The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Board approved the creation of the Main Street Micro Business Loan, which will provide financing of up to $50,000 to eligible micro-businesses in New Jersey with ten or fewer full-time employees
• Never post typos again with Undo Tweet. Set a customizable timer of up to 60 seconds to preview, undo, and make changes to your Tweet, reply, thread, or Quote Tweet before it posts to your timeline
• Amazon released the first generation Echo (feat. Alexa) in November 2014. It’s now seven years old
• Most of Facebook’s 21 acquisitions since 2018 in gaming and VR
• New FB shopping features: Group shops, products recs, live shopping
• Amazon opens 35K sq-ft. cashier-less grocery store in Illinois
• Google Earth Engine: A powerful “contribution to climate science.”
• Gathering data isn’t enough. Measurement unlocks success
• Digital transformation is a journey, and each brand will navigate it in its own way
• Drive conversions with Performance Max campaigns
• There’s been growth in searches related to new jobs
• From people to platforms to governments, concern about online privacy is growing

11/11/2021

• Google has now new tools for publishers to activate first-party data
• Another search engine has launched: You.com. It appeared in public beta
• Yelp has introduced a new scrollable homepage feed featuring local restaurants
• Professional Profiles are a new tool on Twitter that will enable your business to have a unique and clearly defined presence on the platform
• 2021 has been a year of high expectations and unprecedented developments in digital marketing
• The EU’s General Court in Luxembourg has upheld antitrust regulators’ nearly $3 billion fine from 2017, involving Google Shopping search
• SMBs losing supply chain war to Amazon, Walmart (WaPo)
• Apple launches “Business Essentials” device management for SMBs
• NRF predicts ~10.5% holiday sales growth this year, online up to 15%
• Facebook kills some interest, identity ad-targeting (NYT)
• SMS marketing boosts revenue for local restaurants

11/10/2021

• Holiday shopping is starting earlier

• Expected scarcity due to supply-chain challenges

• More support for local, small businesses

• How to avoid duplicate content issues with unique local landing pages for multi-location businesses
• Why citations still play an important role
• The importance of competitor research
• The challenges of managing Google Business Profile at scale
• Email marketing is essential to any industry and doing a routine clean up can be beneficial to your company’s data reports and conversion rates
• The holiday season is prime time to hit quota and set your team up for months to come

11/09/2021

• Today, the platform has over 1 billion monthly users and brands are using TikTok ads to reach them
• Global marketing can be complicated — and we’re not just talking about scheduling a Zoom meeting across 4 different timezones
• Celebrating National Entrepreneurship Month…
• How will personalization and customer experience drive how organizations build and maintain their brand equity?
• Who will consumers trust with the protection of their first-party data?
• Google My Business Is Changing Its Name, Again
• Facebook for Business Is Now Meta for Business
• Desktop Version of Page Experience Update Slated for February 2022
• Google Maps Reaches 10 Billion Play Store Downloads
• Data is useless unless it helps companies make smarter decisions, improve customer experience, and enhance business outcomes
• Google Maps has more than 10B Android installs (but only a 3.9 rating)
• Nearly 84% of email is opened on mobile devices, with the iPhone leading the way
• In October, the FTC notified major US brands that “misleading use of endorsements could lead to major financial penalties.”
• Companies in nearly every industry seek to use data to make better decisions. But the need for better data in decision-making is just half of the challenge

11/08/2021

• GMB Rebrands to Google Business Profile: What Does it Mean for Local Businesses?
• Agility in business is nothing new
• Businesses have always needed to be agile—experimenting, adapting, and changing—to succeed
• The difference today is the speed and scale of change required
• Different ways to increase marketing velocity by focusing on optimizing and becoming more agile in your approach
• The importance of centralizing work in one place for better visibility and alignment
• The need to automate workflows and standardize campaign processes to save time