💌: Nobody Beats The Biz

👋 Alright, y’all, we’re back with another week of what’s hot in marketing.

We closed on a new house this week, so writing this week’s letter came down to the wire. I wrote a lot of it sitting in a hotel room or on top of cardboard boxes 😂. Plus, a big THANK YOU to all of you that bought me a coffee from last week’s newsletter — you helped us get through the week.

This week’s subject line is a tribute to the late Biz Markie, a certified hip-hop legend. As a DJ, “Just A Friend” was one of those ubiquitous songs that worked in any party, with any crowd, and has closed out many a night for DJs around the world. And Biz was also a renowned DJ in his own right. Thank you for the music 🎤

And with that, let’s get into this week’s letter!

Social Media

• Twitter announced it was shutting down the Fleets feature, due to tapering usage. If you’re not in the loop, don’t worry — seems nobody else was either. Fleets are basically Twitter’s attempt at Instagram stories — you could share text, photos, videos, etc. and it would disappear after 24 hours. Wonder if this means doubling down on Spaces (aka the Clubhouse clone)?
• There’s been a ton of changes in the Facebook Ad world since Apple’s iOS privacy update. With a reported 75% of users opting out of tracking, advertisers are having to re-learn and re-strategize daily. Here’s a good 🧵detailing recommendations to keep winning in the new FB ad world.
• Ok, we are going to try to corral TikTok updates into a single paragraph this week. You can now fast-forward and rewind longer videos. Plus, TikTok became the first non-Facebook mobile app to reach 3 billion downloads.
• JK, more TikTok coming your way. This week, we also got to witness TikTok star Addison Rae’s short stint hosting the red carpet for UFC last weekend. This photo and tweet came with a ton of backlash, and apparently she was fired from hosting another red carpet.
• Khaby Lame is on track to become the most followed person on TikTok. If you’re on TikTok, you’ve seen his comedic reactions to trends on the platform. Bonus read if you missed it the first time around: How Khaby Lame Took Over TikTok.
• Snapchat is now offering certification for Snap ads. The best part? The Course is free! I’m adding this to my professional development list for later this year. Free certifications are a fantastic hack for continued career growth.
• Instagram Has Become SkyMall. If you’re part of the Venn diagram of people who know what SkyMall is, and can see how your Instagram feed is full of ads for products you don’t need, then this is the article for you. Side note: I worked for American Airlines for about 6 years, and reading SkyMall was sometimes a good escape for me as I tried to get away from disgruntled passengers 😩🤣.
• Rounding out the social section this week are 22 Instagram Stories Hacks that you can use to level up your stories game. The list covers design, photo, sticker, and video hacks. I found several I didn’t know about, and I’m gonna test them this week. So,follow me to see what happens.

Creator Economy

• We talk about the creator economy in this lil’ newsletter. A week or two ago, we pondered “Is the creator economy at its apex?” but this recent report from Taylor Lorenz offers a different peek behind the curtain, showcasing the constant flow of VC money to creators. One of the most recent success stories of this economy is The Bucket List Family, which recently raised $10M of funding to start a movie studio.
• Gaming squad turned lifestyle company 100 Thieves just previewed a collab with Gucci. If you could go back in time twenty years and explain this story to someone, it would sound so wild and futuristic.
• Speaking of gaming, other platforms continue to come for the Twitch crown. YouTube added more features this week to lure gaming streamers, and Netflix announced it will add video games next year. Would anyone here be down to watch me play games from my youth and fail horribly at them now?
• YouTube expanded coverage of their new Shorts feature to over 100 countries this week. If you haven’t kept tabs, Shorts = YouTube’s TikTok competitor — because everyone needs one! Pro-tip: If you’re starting out on YouTube now (or plan to), maximizing Shorts content could play in your favor, and you might get some sweet algorithm love.
• YouTube launched new tools for creators this week. Making the list is a highly requested feature: Automatic Video Chapters. You no longer need to manually add them to your comments. One less box to check when uploading a video!
• Oh yeah, if you’re a creator — some big platforms are trying to give you money. Facebook is investing $1 Billion in creators for their content across Facebook and Instagram. Teachable will help you create your course, so you basically get paid to launch a course.

SEO + Psychology

• Here's an SEO Spreadsheet Cheat Sheet that you can add directly to your Google Docs that’ll help you out on some basics as well as more advanced stuff. Also note: this is how you do content marketing right. Follow the creator of it here: @BillieGeena.
• If you run a local business with a physical location, or perhaps a service business in a certain area, here’s The Ultimate Google Data Studio Dashboard for Local Keyword Research. This one is in depth, so check it out when you have the time.
• Let’s talk about anticipation. Humans find joy in anticipating something, and some studies have shown it’s a key component of life satisfaction. What does this mean? When we have something to look forward to, we’re happier. The something could be a big trip, a big purchase, a life event, or maybe just a day to yourself that you’ve been planning for a while. That build up actually increases your perceived value of the experience itself. Here’s a deep dive on how brands use this in marketing, and how you can too.

Just for fun

• Here are the candidates for the next emoji to be added to iOS devices. I don’t know what the face melting one is for, but I can guarantee you it’s an accurate representation of moving in North Carolina in July

That’s it for another week! If you’re new here, feel free to reply and introduce yourself or ask me a question! I read and respond to every message and always want to meet new people! One cool person I met last week that replied to the newsletter: Sophia O'Neal. Y'all check her out!

-- Forge

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