Busy, busy, busy! That’s the net/net in October so far. On that note, let’s jump right into this week’s What’s Hot Wednesday for digital marketers:
- Last week, Google announced that it will move its auction from a second-price model to a first-price model. This means that if you win an auction for the top position, instead of paying slightly more than the second position ad, you will pay the full price of your bid. In other words, if your current bid is $1, but your average CPC is only $0.25, when the move to first-price auctions takes effect, you will likely see a large increase in spend and average CPC if bids are not adjusted. For now, the move will only affect Content, Video and Game advertising with Search and Shopping remaining on a second-price auction model. Read about it here:
- Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn in China. While they’re scrapping the social media aspects, job search features may continue.
- When do you play games on your mobile device(s)? Are you among the 53% who do it while watching TV? Or the 45% who do it while in bed before sleeping? For marketers, the data reinforces how much multi-tasking is going and that timing of ad placements can make a difference.
Do Good Spotlight: Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALFS)
One of DBE’s employees suggested we showcase Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, and we thought that was a great idea. We learned that when Alex was 4 (she was diagnosed with childhood cancer just before her 1st birthday), she wanted to set up a lemonade stand and use the money she earned to help doctors find a cure. Her first “Alex’s Lemonade Stand,” raised $2,000 in one day. She continued to grow the program with the help of an amazing community of supporters. When she passed away at the age of 8 — her stand and inspiration had raised more than $1 million. ALSF was started by her parents in 2005 to continue the work that Alex began. Their mission is simple: to change the lives of children with cancer through funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families, and empowering everyone to help cure childhood cancer. We are inspired by Alex’s story and donated to a local in memory of Ronald Hogas. Here’s where you can learn more and support a wonderful cause.
- Shopify’s SEO Director, Kevin Indig, shares three keys to getting executive buy-in for SEO initiatives. Emotions are a factor to consider according to Indig, which surprised us, but we liked it. So check out this story in Search Engine Watch.
- Imagine a search results page that just lists direct links to relevant websites with no other features like maps, images, and, most importantly, ads. That’s what Neeva just launched with its FastTap Search website/app. There are no ads because Neeva is using a $4.95 subscription model for revenue instead. It will be interesting to see if they can gain traction with this simplified approach to search. Time and their bottom-line will tell.
- American Marketing Association toplines the findings and this link provides access to various slices of the report. Fascinating info, strongly suggest you grab a cup of something warm and settle to see what other marketers are thinking—could be helpful for your 2022 planning.
- Time to revisit phone meetings? Phone calls enable some people to pay more attention because there are fewer stimuli. Here’s more from Chief.
That’s it for this week. Please let us know if you want to talk through anything as you plan for 2022 or as the end of the year draws near. Stay well and keep on marketing!
