Today in Digital Marketing - The Argument Against “Spelling It Out”

Starting point is 00:00:00 It is Tuesday, September 24th. Today, advertising copy is full of numbers, prices, quantity, phone numbers, and more. But what if marketers have been using numbers wrong this whole time? Also, TikTok is coming for Google, Gemini is coming for free, and X decides to essentially unblock all your blocks. I'm Todd Maffin.

Starting point is 00:00:26 That's ahead today in digital marketing. When it comes to numbers in marketing, it turns out the key is to stop spelling it out, literally. Have you ever wondered whether it's better to write numbers as digits or spell them out as words, like S-E-V-E-N? New research reveals that using digits in marketing copy, like ads, websites, and packaging, can boost sales.

Starting point is 00:00:53 The study found that when consumers see numbers written as digits, they are more likely to click on ads and convert. They also found when it's used as a number, consumers consider it to be more precise and helpful. Using digits instead of words made reviews 10% more helpful, according to consumers. And an experiment in this study found that customers were up to 15% more likely to buy the product. The researchers say this works because digits look more natural and appropriate compared to words,

Starting point is 00:01:22 which makes them easier for consumers to process. The study's researchers call this the number format effect. When consumers question a brand's credibility, they rely on familiar cues, like numbers presented as digits, which, researchers say, enhances this effect. We have a link to the full study in today's email newsletter. You can sign up for free by tapping the link at the top of the show notes or going to todayindigital.com slash newsletter. TikTok is coming for the OG search giant Google with the launch of its search ads campaign tool today. This lets advertisers target ads based on what users are actively searching for, building on the existing search ads toggle. Previously, TikTok's search advertising model was relatively unique, relying on algorithms to match

Starting point is 00:02:11 ads with searches without letting marketers select specific keywords. Now with this new tool, advertisers will gain more control over how their ads appear in search results. The new search ads will support both video and carousel images, and brands will have the option to target either traffic or web conversions. But Digiday reports today that TikTok isn't likely to siphon off Google's search ad dollars anytime soon, if at all. Quoting from their piece, quote, TikTok users are on the app to be fed content, not to actively hunt for it like they do on Google. It's more of a discovery engine than a search engine in the traditional sense. What's made TikTok so unique among social media platforms is its culture-led content and an

Starting point is 00:02:56 algorithm that delivers exactly what users want to see. The big question now is how search ads will impact that experience. If promoted posts or ads start to appear in searches, TikTok risks disrupting its organic feel that users love. But if TikTok strikes the right balance, search ads could help it carve out a bigger slice of the ad market, not just from big brands, but also from smaller advertisers who've yet to make TikTok a key part of their strategies, unquote. Currently, the search ads campaign tool is only available in the U.S., with plans for a broader rollout early next year. As TikTok expands its search advertising features, the platform is also looking to address brand safety concerns by launching a new Misinformation Measurement System yesterday. is also looking to address brand safety concerns by launching a new misinformation measurement

Starting point is 00:03:45 system yesterday. This aims to reassure advertisers that their ads won't be placed alongside misleading content. The company developed this new capability with its measurement partners in response to the addition of misinformation to the brand safety industry standards earlier this year. TikTok has partnered with three third-party measurement companies, DoubleVerify, Integral AdScience, and Zephyr to deliver detailed post-campaign data. This information shows what content was shown before and after ads in the For You feed. Google announced today it's bringing its AI chatbot, Gemini, into its corporate workspace product for free. Well, included with the workspace price.

Starting point is 00:04:30 This is for its standalone app, not the AI integrated into the company's products like Google Docs or Drive. It's set to launch in Q4, and Gemini will be included as a standard feature on workspace business, enterprise, and frontline plans. The tech giant says that Gemini will follow the same enterprise terms as other key workspace services like Gmail and Docs and won't use an organization's data, generated responses, or user prompts to train its AI model. Workspace administrators will also have the option to control whether Gemini keeps generated responses and user prompts, as well as set limits on how long this information is stored. To protect against cybersecurity threats, Google is launching a security advisor tool that will deliver insights directly to IT administrators. This includes a range of safe browsing and data protection

Starting point is 00:05:19 features for Chrome, Gmail, and Google Drive, and it will be available to paying Workspace customers in the coming weeks. Pinterest today launched a new Remix feature, letting users build upon existing collages and mood boards, which could boost user-generated content linked to your brand's visuals. It works very similar to the Remix feature on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Pinterest's new option lets users borrow and personalize existing collages by adding their own text, images, and drawings to create their own version of it. When a remix is posted, Pinterest automatically credits the original creator by linking back to their collage.

Starting point is 00:06:01 For brands and users that prefer not to be remixed, there's an option to disable this in the settings. Pinterest is also making it easier for users to download and share collages in video format with different styles, like regular video, time-lapse, unscramble, ink, and analog to other social platforms. These new remixing and sharing options are now being rolled out to users globally on iOS and Android. Usually, when you block a hater from your brand account, they aren't able to see your posts anymore, right? Well, not on X. Elon Musk confirming this week that X will dramatically change how the block functionality works on the platform. While you can

Starting point is 00:06:46 still block someone, that blocked user will now be able to see your brand's public posts. This means the only way to keep your updates really under wraps is to post privately or limit visibility to your followers only. While it is true that users you've blocked have been able to see your posts if they were not logged in, that logged in block did bring down the rhetoric and abuse some accounts saw. Meanwhile, despite Elon Musk's claims that X is hitting record highs in usage, the latest data tells a different story. The platform is losing user interest. According to New Insights, X has recently seen a decline in users in both the US and UK in recent months, coinciding with Musk's continued emphasis on his political views. Last month, amid reports of race

Starting point is 00:07:32 based riots in the UK, Musk posted that, quote, civil war is inevitable, unquote, in the region, which appears to have triggered an exodus of UK users from the app. Data from SimilarWeb indicates that daily active users in the UK have plummeted from 8 million a year ago to around 5.5 million now, with more than a third of that drop occurring since the summer riots. The decline is also occurring in other regions, not just where the platform has been banned, like Brazil. In the same 16-month period, X's active users in the US have dropped by almost a fifth. This decline actually aligns with X's own reports regarding its European user base.

Starting point is 00:08:13 As part of its obligations in the EU, X must provide regular updates on its user numbers in the region. In its most recent report, covering the first half of 2024, X noted a 5% decline in EU users. That's it for today. Thanks for listening. I'm Todd Maffin. See you tomorrow.

Today in Digital Marketing - The Argument Against “Spelling It Out”

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