Happy Wednesday! Today is International Museum Day. To celebrate their first anniversary, Cairo’s two International Airport Museums are receiving transit visitors free of charge. And yes — there are mummies.
In other news, here’s the latest…
Making the Rounds
- 40% of TikTok users are over 30. Advertisers haven’t just been blowing smoke about TikTok ads: a new survey by the Pew Research Center found 40% of TikTok users are at least 30 years old, and 14% are 50+. No wonder #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is a thing.
 - Illinois users sue Snapchat over faceprint storage. Two Illinois residents have filed a class-action complaint against the social media platform alleging they store face scans within the Lenses app. The suit is made possible by a 2008 state law requiring companies to notify users about the collection of biometric info, which has led to several other pending suits against Meta. Who knew Illinoisans were so litigious when it comes to social media?
- Apple users can now send and receive money from their Wallet app. The Apple Cash update is included with the launch of iOS 15.5, along with a handful of new Apple Podcasts features.
Working With Clients
You Could Be Waiting a While For That Referral (Unless…)
The best clients always come from referrals.
They’re typically more qualified, more trusting, and more fun to work with.
But most freelancers have never given a second thought to incentivizing them properly.
So, what’s the answer?
Create an attractive referral bonus for existing clients.
A cash bounty is the simplest way to do it…
But you can also get creative if you want to spice things up:
- Gift boxes
- WFH upgrades
- Dinner at their favorite restaurant
- Etc
Bottom line: if you want more referrals, give your clients a good reason to send them your way.
Working For Yourself
Don’t Forget the Basics
If you’re a freelance service provider…
Learning new things is essential to staying competitive:
- New marketing strategies
- New ad platforms
- New skills
- Etc
But don’t let shiny objects distract you too much…
Make sure to review the basics of your profession at least once per year.
We’re willing to bet you’ll be surprised at just how much you’ve forgotten.
And while marketing and advertising are two dynamic industries in constant flux…
The fundamental principles still apply.
So if it’s been a while since you re-read Breakthrough Advertising, The Ultimate Sales Letter, or any of the other classics, carve out some time this month to review them.
From The Paid Ads Gig
23 Sentences to Make Your Paid Ads More Profitable
1. Don’t test away all your profits
2. Retarget warm audiences to lower-commitment offers.
3. Build separate funnels for each traffic source.
4. The most important part of a video ad is the first 5 seconds.
5. The most important part of a Facebook ad is the first 125 characters.
6. If you want to get attention, disagree with mainstream wisdom.
7. Study the advertisers in your niche who spend the most money.
8. Reposition your offer to reach new segments of the market.
9. Create a swipe file of all the best ads you see in the wild.
10. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is not touch anything.
11. Analyze leading metrics (CPM, CTR, CPC) to find out where the boat is leaking.
12. Preview your ads and landing pages on desktop and mobile before you launch.
13. Memes make for great creatives but can also get you banned, so be careful.
14. Winning ads can run for much longer than you think.
15. Run low-budget retargeting campaigns on other platforms to capture more of the top-of-funnel interest you’re generating.
16. First-mover advantage is real, so don’t ignore new platforms.
17. Compliance gets stricter as a platform matures.
18. Low CPMs usually mean junk traffic.
19. Manual bidding still works.
20. Thinking outside the box is how you create breakthroughs.
21. Don’t change too many things at once.
22. Always test the link.
23. Paid ads can’t fix a bad offer.
Quote of the Day
“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”
— Barbara De Angelis