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Google Ads Tutorial: How to Leverage AI Video Enhancements via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Earlier this year, Google introduced new AI features into its Google Ads platform to help streamline work for many advertisers.One of those new features comes in the form of AI video enhancements.
This is no surprise since video makes up over 65% of all internet traffic.
Read on to learn more about the AI video enhancements tutorial and how they can help streamline your PPC campaign optimization.

How do AI Video Enhancements Work?
In Google Ads, the AI video enhancement tool uses smart automation features to enhance your videos in a variety of ways.
It’s important to note that video enhancements are turned on by default but can easily be turned off at any time.
The feature can be found within your Google Ads campaign settings.
If you’re creating a new Google Ads campaign, this setting will only be available if you choose “Sales” as the goal and “Video” as the campaign type.
From there, go down to “Additional settings” to find the AI video enhancements settings:

Types of Enhancements Available
Google’s new AI video enhancements provide marketers with two areas to optimize current video assets.
#1: Additional video sizes and ratios
The first enhancement type can take existing horizontal videos and create additional versions for vertical and square ratios for optimal viewing.
The new ratio sizes that Google can create include:

1:1
4:5
9:16

This feature can help the new video sizes feel more native to users viewing on mobile devices and create a better user experience.
#2: Get shorter versions of video ads
Say you’ve got a stellar video asset, but it may be too long to keep a user’s attention.
This new video enhancement uses Google AI to select key moments in the existing video to create shorter versions while keeping the original video message and appearance.
Per Google, these shorter video versions will automatically start running if they pass a quality review.
What are the benefits of using AI Video Enhancements?
As we come into Q4, time is of the essence for every marketer.
Resources are trying to do more with less, all while producing optimal PPC campaign results.
If you or your team are strapped for time or have a heavy workload, testing the Google AI video enhancements could be a key helper for your creative assets.
Some key benefits of testing out video enhancements include:

Reducing workload and budget
Takes the heavy lifting out of manually optimizing creatives
Can help boost campaign effectiveness
May help improve conversions

In Summary
With the ability to automatically generate different video sizes and ratios and create shorter versions of longer video ads, these tools are designed to save time and reduce the manual effort of video editing.
As marketers head into Q4 and face increasing demands, utilizing Google’s AI video enhancements can help lighten workloads, improve campaign effectiveness, and potentially increase conversions while keeping within budget constraints.

Featured image: monticello/Shutterstock

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September 20, 2024 No Comments
Snapchat

Snapchat Marketing: An In-Depth Guide For Businesses via @sejournal, @annabellenyst

Social media marketing is all about being where your audience is.If your target audience is active on a platform, then you should be, too. And if you’re looking to speak to a younger demographic, Snapchat can be a powerful marketing tool for your business.
Snapchat is the fifth largest social media network in the world – but it’s one of the most misunderstood (and underestimated) by marketers.
So, if you’re concerned about missing the boat on this platform, you’re not alone. You’re also not out of touch – you just need a comprehensive guide to get started. And you’re in the right place.
In this updated guide to Snapchat marketing, we’ll provide you with a deep dive into the multimedia messaging platform, explain who’s using it, and give you the strategies you need to add it effectively to your marketing mix.
Why Use Snapchat For Marketing? (Is It Still Relevant?)
Successful marketers focus on grasping every opportunity to reach potential customers – and Snapchat continues to offer unique opportunities.
As of 2024, Snapchat boasts over 406 million active daily users, with more than 80% of them being 34 or younger. The platform reaches 90% of the 13-24-year-old population worldwide and 75% of 13-34-year-olds in over 25 countries.
This makes it an ideal platform for targeting Millennials, Gen Z, and, increasingly, Gen Alpha.
While it might not have the massive user base of Facebook or YouTube, it drives impressive engagement. According to recent data, the average Snapchat user opens the app over 40 times per day and spends about 30+ minutes daily on the platform – which means people interact with their social circles on Snapchat more than any other social network.
Yet, when it comes to marketing, Snapchat is a relatively untapped territory. While every brand seems to have a Facebook and Instagram presence these days, comparatively few have a foothold on Snapchat. And that just means more opportunity for your brand.
The boon of Snapchat is how it’s optimized for authenticity. Given the ephemeral nature of the app and the more unfiltered style of content approach, brands can use the platform to connect with their audience in ways that feel genuine and immediate – which is more valuable than ever.
And, as if all of this wasn’t enough, Snapchat has established itself as a competitive force in the social commerce market. With its augmented reality (AR) shopping experiences, you’re able to build immersive shopping experiences for users through the app – something most other platforms can’t compete with.
By now, it should be crystal clear why Snapchat could be a strong addition to your marketing strategy. So, how do you get started? Let’s break it down.
How Does Snapchat Work? A Brief Overview
If your social media experience is primarily with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or X (Twitter), Snapchat’s interface may initially feel like a whole new world.
Snapchat’s design is unique – it’s built for spontaneity, exclusivity, and in-the-moment content creation. When you open the app, it goes directly to the camera, making it super easy for you to capture and share videos and photos (called “Snaps”) in just a few seconds.
You can then edit these Snaps using a variety of filters, stickers, and AR Lenses before sending them directly to your chosen friends or adding to your “Story,” which remains viewable for 24 hours. There’s also a newer Spotlight feature, similar to TikTok, for sharing short-form videos with wider audiences.
The app offers a host of other features, including a Snap Map, an AI-powered chatbot, and disappearing direct messages. Long story short: There are a bunch of innovative and creative ways for brands to engage with audiences on Snapchat.
What Brands Are Best Suited To Snapchat Marketing?
Let me be clear: Snapchat isn’t for every brand. There’s a reason why it’s less frequented than some other social media platforms. That said, if your target audience includes younger consumers, it’s absolutely worth considering.
Brands that are best suited to Snapchat are those that present a youthful image and tone and prioritize authenticity, “realness,” and creativity. If your brand image is highly professional or you have red tape around your marketing efforts, you should likely look elsewhere.
Lifestyle brands, fashion labels, beauty products, entertainment companies, and tech startups – these are the kinds of companies that typically see success on the app.
But really, the opportunity exists for any type of brand that is interested in using Snapchat’s tools to create immersive, engaging content that resonates with the platform’s users.
How To Get the Right “Tone Of Voice” For Snapchat
I mentioned tone above – and on Snapchat, tone of voice is a big deal. The platform itself is playful and casual, so you’re not likely to find success using an overly formal or professional tone.
Instead, your brand should focus on having a genuine conversation with users and infusing your content with humor.
Here are some tips for nailing the Snapchat tone of voice:

Keep it light: People go to Snapchat to be entertained. Leave your hard sales pitch at the door.
Prioritize authenticity: It’s a place to show the human side of your brand, whether it’s through user-generated content or behind-the-scenes Snaps.
Engage, engage, engage: Snapchat has a ton of interactive tools for engaging directly with users, like polls, Q&As, and more. Put them to use!

How To Create A Snapchat Strategy For Business
So, you want to create a successful Snapchat strategy. You can just start posting content sporadically, right? Wrong.
You need to start by understanding your brand’s goals and audience, and then determining the type of content that will best help you reach those people on Snapchat specifically. Here are some steps you can take to start building your Snapchat strategy:

Decide what you want to achieve on the platform. Maybe it’s brand awareness, community building, or increasing sales – once you know your goals, you can build your content approach around them.
Know your audience. As with any kind of marketing strategy, this is crucial.
Experiment and be creative. Try your hand with some of Snapchat’s different tools (like Bitmoji, AR Lenses, filters, etc.) to create content that resonates with your audience. Don’t just choose one type of content and settle – you can (and should) experiment with a variety of Snaps, Stories, and Spotlight videos.
Be consistent. All great marketers know that consistency is key – and it’s the same story on Snapchat.
Keep a good balance. Of course, you want to sell your brand to users, but don’t go all in on self-promotional content. Make sure you’re balancing organic, engaging storytelling with talking about yourself.
Learn (and follow) Snapchat best practices. This is a no-brainer. Spend time on the platform to find what works, and see how you can adopt it in your own strategy.

Types Of Content That Work Best On Snapchat
Snapchat is all about driving engagement. What does that look like in action? Here are some examples of content approaches that work particularly well on the platform.
1. Sneak Peeks & Teasers
Launching a new product or service? Snapchat is a great place to drive excitement by giving your audience teasers or sneak peeks at what’s to come.
You might think about dropping hints about the product, sharing a quick glimpse, or some other behind-the-scenes moments to encourage anticipation among your Snapchat followers.
Warner Bros., for example, has used teaser content to promote its upcoming movie releases.

Screenshot from Snapchat.com, August 2024

2. Behind-The-Scenes Content
Speaking of behind-the-scenes, this type of content is tailor-made for Snapchat.
Showing your audience what goes on behind the curtain at your brand is a clever way to create a sense of exclusivity and make people feel like insiders.
3. User-Generated Content (UGC)
You’ve heard about user-generated content – well, Snapchat is a place where UGC really thrives. Consider prompting your followers to create their own Snaps that feature your products or brand, and then share them along with a custom hashtag. Then, you can amplify the strongest ones in your own Stories.
UGC is proven to be a highly effective way to generate social proof, increase brand loyalty, and build a stronger social community.
Javy Coffee is one example of a brand that leveraged UGC by featuring real customer testimonials and stories about how they enjoy the coffee concentrate. This helped the company create relatable ads that resonated with its audience.

Screenshot from Snapchat.com, August 2024

4. Interactive Content
One thing that separates Snapchat from most other social media platforms is its interactivity. And brands have plenty of opportunities to get in on the action!
Try devising interactive moments for your followers, whether it’s a simple poll, a challenge, or a unique AR Lens. These allow users to really get involved and have a fun experience with your brand – and can lead to new UGC for you, as well.
For example, e.l.f. Cosmetics used AR Lenses combined with Bitmoji to allow users to virtually try on makeup, creating a highly interactive experience for its audience.

Screenshot from Snapchat.com, August 2024

5. Exclusive Offers
Want to really impress your Snapchat followers? Reward them. From promo codes to exclusive discounts or early bird access to new products, there is no shortage of ways to treat your audience.
It’s great for them but beneficial for you, too. It gives people a reason to keep engaging with your content and following your brand.
Advertising On Snapchat
While organic content is at the heart of Snapchat, the platform also offers some unique and powerful paid advertising options. The company also rolled out a new ad platform update in August 2024 that provides enhanced analytics, improved targeting, and more.
1. Snapchat Ads
Served to users in between user-generated content, these are full-screen, vertical video ads.  They’re not dissimilar to Instagram Stories, and can include interactive elements such as having a user swipe up to visit a website.
The Salvation Army’s Snapchat Ads featured videos depicting real-life stories of individuals impacted by its services, emphasizing themes of hope and transformation. These ads connected emotionally with viewers and included a swipe-up option to learn more or donate, making the content both impactful and actionable.

Screenshot from Snapchat.com, August 2024

2. Sponsored AR Lenses
One of Snapchat’s unique offerings is its custom AR Lenses, which brands can create for users to experience.
You can create Lenses that allow users to virtually “try on” products, for example, put people in a humorous visual setting or even have them play games. At times, they can even respond to users’ movements or the environment around them.
These can be hyper-engaging and drive a lot of interactions – like Volkswagen did when it used an AR Lens to enable people to experience its ID.3 electric vehicle virtually. Using the Lens, people could place a virtual model of the car in their environment, explore its features, and even change the color.

Screenshot from Snapchat.com, August 2024

3. Filters
These are static overlays that you can apply to your Snaps once they’re created – and brands are able to design their own to delight Snapchat users. These are typically non-interactive but are fun visual enhancements that enable people to add some creative flair to their content.
Post Consumer Brands created its own custom Snapchat Filter to promote its Honeycomb cereal – and it was very sweet!

Screenshot from Snapchat.com, August 2024

4. Dynamic Ads
Snapchat’s Dynamic Ads enable brands to automatically create and deliver personalized ads to users based on their behavior and interactions with your company. For example, if a user visits your website and looks at a specific hat, Snapchat might serve them an ad for that product.
If you work for an ecommerce company, these might be particularly interesting to you, as you can automate ad creation based on your product catalog – so you don’t need to lift a finger.
Fashion brand Free People has used Dynamic Ads to automate personalized ads for users, ensuring that those who viewed specific items on its website were later served ads featuring those exact products on Snapchat. It resulted in a 396% increase in demand.

Screenshot from Snapchat.com, August 2024

5. Commercials
These are non-skippable Snapchat video ads that usually appear within the platform’s premium content, like Snap Originals.
They’re short – three to six seconds for a Standard Commercial and up to 180 seconds for an Extended Play Commercial (though users can skip after the first 6 seconds) – and are optimized for high visibility.
They typically focus more on storytelling than some of the other ads on the network.
Let’s Get Snapping!
Yes, Snapchat is still an effective marketing platform for reaching younger audiences – but you must be mindful about your strategy and approach.
With its unique blend of high engagement, unique creative tools, and loyal audience, Snapchat offers brands a variety of ways to connect with their target consumers.
Hopefully, this guide has given you the insights and inspiration you need to build a successful Snapchat marketing strategy in 2024.
Now, it’s time to put these ideas into action and start Snapping your way to success.
More resources: 

Featured Image: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

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September 20, 2024 No Comments
Business

B2B Dev Buys D2C Brand, Part 2: Holiday Prep

Lori McDonald is a pioneering B2B ecommerce developer, having founded Brilliance Business Solutions, an agency, in 1998. In February she acquired Norsland Lefse, a direct-to-consumer food manufacturer.
Now revving up Norsland with new tools and strategies, she has agreed to share the journey with us. In July, she discussed her rationale and goals for purchasing the business. In this conversation, she addressed customer feedback, holiday sales preparation, and more.
The entire audio of our conversation is below. The transcript is edited for length and clarity.

Practical Ecommerce: In February, you acquired a D2C food manufacturer. Give us a rundown of the first seven months.
Lori McDonald: Yes, we acquired Norsland Lefse in Rushford, Minnesota. The company manufactures lefse, a traditional Norwegian flatbread similar to a potato-based tortilla, and sells other Scandinavian foods and gifts. It’s been an exciting year, and I’ve learned so much.
We’ve migrated to BigCommerce from Wix, and that process has gone well. We no longer sell certain products on Amazon or our own site because they weren’t making enough money. I’ve learned it’s crucial to have systems in place to track profitability on every item.
Sales in August from our own site were more than double last year. A top goal of the acquisition is to grow direct revenue because we have higher margins there.
Our advertising is increasingly efficient. We advertise on Google and Meta (for Facebook and Instagram). We’re seeing great responses to Meta campaigns especially.
Our email campaigns with Klaviyo are going well too. In addition to sales promotions, we have email campaigns that invite customers to return and review products. It has helped us to collect some great reviews on our products and provide feedback for improvements. For example, some reviewers had experienced our lefse flatbread sticking together. So we started packaging the lefse with wax paper sheets between them.
PEC: Do you manage ad campaigns in-house?
McDonald: We’re working with OX Optimal, a creative agency. They’ve designed and tested ads. The best performers include photos of the lefse itself, like when coming off our manufacturing floor, to see how thin it is and what it looks like.
Early on we brought in a photographer who provided some terrific images that we’ve used for ad creative on and on our website.
PEC: How do you manage inventory and profitability on Amazon?
McDonald: We haven’t integrated Amazon with our BigCommerce backend. We’re tracking our inventory and profitability in Excel and updating the item quantities on BigCommerce and Amazon. It’s a manual process. We’re looking at automated solutions, such as Feedonomics, owned by BigCommerce.
There are different ways to manage multichannel selling. We’re looking at the best options for our situation. But our priority now, in September, is ensuring we’re ready for holiday sales.
PEC: It will be your first busy season!
McDonald: Yes. It’s critical we we make enough lefse for that period. We will start producing it in early September. We can freeze and store it for up to a year.
Sales in November and December have historically been 10 times higher than the rest of the year. So I anticipate being really busy. We’re just trying to ensure that we have the staff in place to make enough lefse and that we’re efficient in our process.
We’re improving our product descriptions so folks can understand why they should buy our lefse. We’re making improvements on our BigCommerce site, such as including categories in site search, moving out-of-stock items to the bottom of the page, and implementing better analytics.
We launched an exit survey using Hotjar that gives us feedback on the user experience and helps us understand why visitors leave our site. That’s provided us with some good information.
It’s so important to listen to customers. A frequent feedback item is that our shipping costs are too high. We’re now looking at better communication — shipping perishable goods is expensive. We’re also reassessing our shipping charges for accuracy. We offer free shipping for purchases of $200 or more. We ship via FedEx 2Day. We recently implemented ShipperHQ to help manage it all. We use a local carrier for nearby orders and XPS Ship to print all labels. It integrates with BigCommerce and Amazon.
We won’t be able to do everything I dream of by this holiday season. Our goal is to implement what we can, learn from it, and improve next year.

PEC: You’re also the founder of Brilliance Business Solutions, a busy B2B ecommerce agency. How has the lefse acquisition impacted that company?
McDonald: It’s largely positive. We’re all learning a lot and incorporating those insights into how we help our development customers. Based on our lefse experience, we could develop specialty themes and features to help those customers, for example. The analytics capabilities we build for Norsland Lefse could help them too.
Norsland Lefse has helped me become more focused while creating opportunities at Brilliance for our fabulous team members. Many have stepped into doing some of the things I used to do.
PEC: How can folks reach out?
McDonald: Brilliance Business Solutions is at BrillianceWeb.com. Norsland is at NorslandLefse.com.

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September 20, 2024 No Comments
Platforms & Apps

New Ecommerce Tools: September 19, 2024

This week’s installment of new products and services for ecommerce merchants includes influencer marketing, virtual try-ons, digital payments, ecommerce platforms, financing, and global and last-mile logistics.
Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.
New Tools for Merchants: September 19, 2024
PayPal partners with Shopify Payments in the U.S. PayPal has expanded its partnership with Shopify in the U.S. PayPal will become an additional online credit and debit card processor for Shopify Payments through PayPal Complete Payments, an offering for marketplaces and platforms. PayPal wallet transactions will integrate into Shopify Payments in the U.S., which will streamline managing orders, payouts, reporting, and chargeback flows. The enhancement creates a single, unified experience for PayPal and Shopify merchants.
Shopify Payments
TD to launch an ecommerce platform for Canadian small businesses. TD Bank Group has launched TD eCommerce Solutions, a customizable ecommerce platform for Canadian small businesses. At launch, TD eCommerce Solutions, powered by BigCommerce, will be available to all new and existing TD Business Banking customers, offering accounting features, search engine optimization, fraud detection, multiple payment acceptance offerings, and more. TD customers can use same-day deposits and streamlined billing, allowing businesses to manage payments to multiple parties.
Alibaba logistics arm Cainiao launches next-day delivery in Europe. Cainiao, a global ecommerce logistics provider owned by Alibaba, has expanded its local express delivery services, now operational in 10 countries and regions worldwide, in addition to its presence in China. Cainiao Europe now can offer next-day delivery for €2 (roughly USD 2.25) within the home country, along with three-day delivery options ranging from €3 to €5 for other European countries. ​​Cainiao also announced the development of a second batch of global ecommerce logistics hubs, called e-hubs.
Amazon ads to appear in Rufus shopping assistant. To help shoppers discover more products, Amazon may insert ads in Rufus, its generative AI-powered shopping assistant. According to Amazon, Rufus can generate accompanying text based on the context of the conversation. Amazon’s campaign reports won’t include Rufus metrics. Amazon’s tests with Rufus ads are running in the U.S. only.
Amazon’s Rufus
Humanz launches its influencer marketing platform in the U.S. Humanz, a collaborative AI-powered marketing platform for creators and brands, is entering the U.S. market alongside a partnership with Valeria Lipovetsky, a global influencer in beauty and fashion with more than 6 million followers. By providing a transparent and data-driven platform that gives real-time insight into a campaign’s performance, Humanz aims to empower creators to make informed decisions and optimize their content.
Fero launches embedded personalization ecommerce tool in U.K. Dutch fintech Fero has launched a personalization ecommerce tool, Checkout Companion, for Shopify-based businesses in the U.K. Fero says it can provide online shops with 430 data points to understand and act on why shoppers abandon purchases, including details such as when a customer lands on a site and the number searches and affiliate marketing referral sources.
Walmart Marketplace and Parafin collaborate for seller financing. Walmart Marketplace and Parafin have announced an initiative to provide sellers with financing through the Walmart Marketplace Capital program. Eligible sellers can access funding through Parafin, an approved Walmart Marketplace solution provider, to grow their businesses and prepare for the upcoming holiday retail season. Parafin offers financing services and employs machine learning to analyze sales data from millions of businesses to determine eligibility and terms.
Parafin
Bold Commerce announces a collaboration with PayPal. Bold Commerce, a customized checkout provider, has announced a partnership with PayPal to integrate Fastlane by PayPal with Adobe Commerce. This integration aims to streamline the checkout process for U.S.-based retailers using Adobe Commerce, allowing them to deploy Fastlane by PayPal without switching platforms. Merchants can now add Fastlane by PayPal to their Adobe Commerce setups through Bold’s Magento extension.
Amazon launches “LastMileTram” in Germany for zero-tailpipe emissions. Amazon is working with partners to use a package transport tram (a vehicle running on rails) to deliver packages to the center of Frankfurt, from where electric cargo bikes complete the delivery, creating a zero-tailpipe emission journey from the delivery station to the customer. The pilot project is part of research from Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, together with Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main and Intermodal City Injections, a collaboration between Amazon Transportation Services and Amazon Logistics teams.
DNA Payments launches Apple Pay Express Checkout for ecommerce. DNA Payments, an integrated omnichannel payment provider based in the U.K., has introduced Apple Pay Express Checkout, giving ecommerce merchants a new way to accept customer payments. Merchants can offer Apple Pay at checkout or via the Express option through the Safari browser. DNA Payments serves merchants in the U.K., helping them accept transactions through point-of-sale devices, via websites and payment links, or over the phone.
Google adds dresses to its AI shopping tool. Google is expanding its virtual try-on to dresses. Shoppers can now visualize dresses from hundreds of brands across Google’s Shopping Graph. Shoppers can search for dresses on Google and click any style that includes a “try-on” badge. From there, they can see what that garment looks like on a diverse set of real models, ranging from XXS to XXXL. Then, they pick a dress and click to the retailer’s site to buy it.
Google’s virtual try-on for dresses.

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September 20, 2024 No Comments