Happy Marketing May 2024

Hi there,

Welcome back to another Happy Marketing edition.

This month, we’re diving into best practices for emails that drive results, how to really use social media, and how Facebook’s AI-generated Shrimp Jesus has been confusing Boomers around the world.

Let’s jump in! 🦐

Don’t Wanna Blow My Own Trumpet, But…

I’m always saying it, personalization is key.

But last month I got confirmation that it’s working in the form of this reply in my inbox:

*chef’s kiss*

So, what did the Nouvel team do that generated cold emails that actually got replies/calls booked? Here are three things we do that your team can learn from right now:

   1. We personalize by industry

It’s tough to get personalization right. Using [%FIRSTNAME%] just doesn’t cut it anymore. But on the other hand, we don’t wanna get too personal.

So, where’s the balance? We think it’s getting creative with the industry.

For the campaign above that targeted leads in the Cannabis industry, we drilled into marijuana memes, puns, and slang. Then, we put our unique humor on the copy and let our experience do the talking.

The results? An email strategy that felt unique and personal, even though it made its way into hundreds of inboxes.

   2. We make it funny

No one spends time sifting through cold emails, let alone boring ones. Make them entertaining!

There is a caveat to this one—entertaining doesn’t mean insulting. I have received a flurry of passive-aggressive emails recently that reminded me of past dark times on Tinder (men shouting at me). Plz stop.

   3. We get the basics right

We check for spam trigger words. We A/B test. We SPELLCHECK. It’s not rocket science.

An ode to Grammarly

The Importance of Testing

Having said all the above, here’s an example that hit my inbox this month that got everything wrong:

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

HOW did this end up going out?! Not only does it miss the mark on pulled data sets, but it’s also obviously written by AI.

The irony of all this? This is someone looking to sell me a blog post. How could I trust this person’s company to generate great content for me when they don’t even do it for themselves?

Happy Marketers, we can do better.

Can We Be Close Friends?

I’ve been thinking this month about the power of social media.

Seriously! There’s been no other time in history where you can make friends from across the globe, make an instant sale in another timezone, and look at your ex’s wedding photos at 3am (lol what).

And now, we can be close friends with Billie Eilish. What a time to be alive.

As compulsive scrollers, always twitching to get to the next trend, social media marketers can sometimes forget that the ultimate aim of posts should always be about the relationship.

Not education, not information. Not offer sharing or product launching. Socials are all about welcoming your audience in, and making them feel special.

For your next month’s content calendar, why not take this approach? Build relationships first, and see what happens to your engagement. You could learn a few lessons from Billie’s close friend approach.

Boozin’ on up 🍸 (with a side of drugs plz)

When it comes to booze and recreational drugs 🍃, I’ve noticed a bit of a shift.

How? It seems that big businesses finally recognize that we love mind-altering substances, and they’re capitalizing on this with partnerships.

Firstly, we have the NBA embracing wine culture. Next, we've got New York striking down regulations for a freer marijuana market. We've even got Wall Street betting big on psychedelics.

This means exciting campaigns galore. (Don’t miss this one by Snoop Dogg)

I personally am hyped about these changes. I’m excited about a new and exciting industry, and we’ve been reaching out directly to cannabis businesses to work with them.

If you’re in the industry and want to connect, LET ME KNOW.

Let's have a sesh and hash it out. We can brainstorm how your business can make the most of this freedom.

The Long Reign of Short-Form Video

Think you can escape the long arm of the law TikTok, cowboy?

That’s where you’re wrong.

And it might even be that signature TikTok short-form videos are about to hit another screen near you—your television screen.

Advertisers are getting bored of repurposing content across screen sizes. Why should they bother when you’re so used to that vertical phone screen that’s glued into your hands?

Plus, YouTube is leveling up its advertising abilities, driving even more ROI for those advertisers who get video ads right.

It seems that there’s something in short-form vids that our puny human brains just can’t get enough of (even LinkedIn is hopping on the bandwagon). But there’s a strange disconnect between the love we have for consuming data in short-form video, and the amount that marketing teams are willing to invest in video as a content type.

Hold up, what do I mean?

Well, our research in our Global Marketing Report suggested that, although video content is the best content type in terms of ROI, video content on its own didn’t make the cut as a top three priority investment overall.

That means that audiences love video. ROI loves video. Social media and now even television loves short form video. But brands aren’t investing into it.

This is your sign: invest in video content.

‍Hint hint.

The Death of Subscriptions

I personally hate subscriptions.

I didn't until recently, but then I did a periodic finance review and realized I was spending almost $500 a month on subscriptions. How did that happen?!?

The insidious nature of subscriptions means that it’s so easy to add ‘just another $5’ to your ever-growing total… but there’s a pushback.

It seems not everyone has infinite monthly cash to burn on individual subscription services. And in this economy, who knew?!

That’s the death trap that Showtime fell into. They found an opportunity to capitalize on subscriptions, and released a bunch of new brand lines as a reactive response instead of taking the time to really think the brand and marketing strategy through.

The result? A hasty backtrack once they realize the ROI is not where it should be.

Oops.

(For more evidence of the death of subscriptions and the backtrack that inevitably follows, this is an entertaining tale in two parts: Video 1 & video 2 — look at the comments 💀💀💀)

I Get My News From Memes (Soz Canada)

…And it’s not just me. Research suggests that Gen Z loves social media so much that they rely on it for their news more often than not.

But what about when you can’t?

That’s what’s happening in Canada, and it turns out that right-wing misinformation sites are seeing a boost in clicks as a result.

It turns out that a free press is essential to democracy. Who knew?

How to Help a Boomer Near You

It’s become so clear over the last few months that Boomers are losing the battle against AI.

Don’t believe me? Watch any episode of Scamfish, then read this article.

But perhaps the best example of this is on Facebook, where the once popular News Feed has turned into a barren wasteland of AI-generated nonsense, attracting hordes of ‘Amen’-typing Boomers in the comments.

Take Shrimp Jesus as an example.

If Jesus doesn’t appear to you in shrimp form, are you even a Christian?

While it is entertaining to see how many faithful followers Our Lord Jesus Crustacean can collect, this raises serious questions about media literacy rates among the general population, an issue growing out of control.

There are two points to this:

1. What does the future of content look like in spaces where AI is commonplace and engaged with? (*cough cough*, Facebook)
2. How can businesses and responsible marketers adapt to using AI transparently? And what would that even look like?

I’m not pretending to have the answers here. They’re huge questions that we haven’t figured out yet.

But there is one thing that I keep harping on about, and that’s about using AI transparently and continuing to invest in human creatives and human copy whenever you can. Stick to this, and you’re good to go.

The Power of Nostalgia

If all that talk of Boomers has you feeling nostalgic for the good ol’ days of lower prices and more obvious racism, then this next section is for you.

Nostalgia taps into something innate within us, a time that we’ve missed out on, a romantic feeling of yearning for something that never actually happened.

And it turns out our lizard brains love it.

That’s why we’ve seen a return to the past in popular culture, a revival of our old friends from pre-COVID eras, think Barbie, Blur, and Mission Impossible.

And the best marketers know that tapping into those rose-tinted glasses of hindsight drives sales in our uncertain times.

Have You Downloaded The Global Marketing Report Yet?

If you’ve not grabbed your copy of the GMR yet, this is your opportunity to do so.

Our Report is a deep dive into research we conducted at the beginning of the year from the survey we sent out to marketers in big-name brands.

It's got everything you need to get ahead, and YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT.

Grab it, read it, then book a call, and let's discuss it. I'm excited.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE REPORT

Forward This To A Friend?

Over the last few months, we’ve received quite a bit of great feedback about this little ol’ newsletter, and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.

I read every reply, so if you do like taking the time to read this, make my day and let me know.

Know someone who would enjoy this? Please forward it to them. That’s feedback in itself.

Till next month,

‍

Natalie xoxo

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