What’s Hot

ChatGPT For MVP?

Whatever side of the “is AI copy effective” argument you’re on, there’s no denying that ChatGPT is hot right now!

The open source copywriting AI is a powerful tool you can use throughout your marketing channels.

Let’s be clear – do I think ChatGPT can replace an experienced, proven copywriter? Nope. Not even a little.

Because copywriters understand marketing and how to craft a consistent message throughout your entire funnel. BUT …

ChatGPT can write extremely compelling copy with proper guidance from users. And it provides useful, extremely fast A/B testing options for your copy.

Here are a few ways you can use ChatGPT to improve your own marketing.

Ad Copy

Again, ChatGPT can’t replace a copywriter. But for those of you without writers on your team, it can fill in with the right direction. Take a look at some of these examples the bot spits out after we tell it… “Write 3 unique Google Search Ads promoting a local dentist’s office”

1. “Need a dentist in [city]? Look no further. Our local office offers top-notch care and the latest technology. Book now!”
2. “Don’t let dental anxiety keep you from
   a healthy smile. Our gentle dentists and relaxing office can help. Call to schedule an appointment today!”
3. “Invisalign, braces, cleanings, and more – our family dentist office has it all. Conveniently located in [city], call to schedule your visit now!”

These ads all feature a call to action and a little bit of intro copy, but are they perfect? No, of course not. But they’re a good starting point for a local dentist!

The more direction and info you give the bot, the more in-depth your results will be. So when you’re writing ad copy, provide some unique selling points and value propositions to give it ammo to work with.

Short-Form Content Scripts

If you’ve scrolled on TikTok or IG Reels in the past few months, you’ve probably heard a ChatGPT script and haven’t even realized it. This is some- thing that the chat bot has picked up and almost mastered in a very short amount of time. ChatGPT has the ability to write a short-form content script that sounds authentic and human-like for every- thing from news updates to UGC ads.

And it’s brilliant for TikTok!

Pretend you ask the bot for a script announcing the updates from iOS 14.5 and how it impacts advertisers and marketers. That’s what we did. We told the bot:

“Write a TikTok script for an agency sharing news about iOS 14.5 updates and how it impacts mar- keters and advertisers.

Here’s what ChatGPT gave us after about 60 seconds:

[Opening shot of an agency office with employees working on laptops and phones]

Voiceover: "Hey TikTok, are you a marketer or advertiser? You need to know about the latest updates to iOS 14.5."

[Cut to an employee holding up an iPhone with the iOS 14.5 update screen visible]

Voiceover: "Apple has just released iOS 14.5 and it's bringing some big changes to the way we track and measure online ads."
[Cut to an employee holding up a laptop display- ing a chart of website traffic]

Voiceover: "With the new update, apps will now need to ask for user permission to track their data. This means that advertisers may see a significant drop in their data tracking abilities."

[Cut to an employee holding up a phone display- ing a mock-up of a pop-up asking for user tracking permission]

Voiceover: "But don't panic! There are still ways to reach your target audience and measure the success of your campaigns."

[Cut to an employee holding up a laptop display- ing a graph of increasing conversions]

Voiceover: "Our agency can help you navigate these changes and make sure your advertising efforts are still effective. Don't get left behind, con- tact us today to learn more."

[Closing shot of the agency office with the compa- ny logo and contact information displayed on the screen]

Voiceover: "Don't wait, stay ahead of the game with our expert guidance on iOS 14.5 updates. Contact us today!"

We didn’t even tell it to add in camera shots or cuts! That was all automatic!

That’s why this is such a powerful tool for small business owners and entrepreneurs who can’t af- ford their own copywriters or marketing team. You can feed ChatGPT a simple one-sentence prompt and get back an entire script!

SEO-Friendly Website Content

ChatGPT can also produce pretty high quality SEO content for your website.

It can help you come up with blog topic ideas utilizing keywords you want to target, it can improve your readability, help you speak to a specific audience, and it can suggest related keywords that you can use to help your content rank higher in search engines.

For example, let’s say you run a website that specializes in financial news, updates, and articles.

You can tell ChatGPT “produce 3 unique blog topics relating to the latest interest rate hike by the Fed”, if that’s something that just happened in the economy. ChatGPT spits out…

1. The Impact of the Latest Fed Interest Hike on Your Investment Portfolio
2. Understanding the Fed’s Latest Interest Hike: What it Means for Homeowners and Buyers
3. The Latest Fed Interest Hike: How it Will Affect Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

Again, it’s not perfect. It uses “Fed” instead of “Federal Reserve” because that’s the info we gave it. Moral of the story?

Be thorough in your instructions and you’ll get back more in-depth responses.

If you’re interested in more ways you can use ChatGPT to help your marketing, check out this new blog post about it.

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Marketing Trends For 2023

ChatGPT may be a big trend this year, but it’s far from the only one. Digital marketers are seeing growth and improvement in multiple areas. Here are three of the most powerful!

Email Marketing Trends For 2023 (And Beyond)

Year after year, email marketing has been one of the most profitable and reliable marketing channels available to businesses. In fact, email marketing produces the highest ROI of any marketing channel – a 4,200% ROI to be exact! That translates to bringing in $42 for every $1 you spend, if you do it right! And given that the channel’s market is projected to increase to $17.9 billion by 2027, understanding email marketing trends will be vital to claiming your piece of that epic pie.

And that starts with what we see as email’s biggest trend for 2023: More personalization!

When most people think about personalization, they think about inputting a lead’s name into the subject line. And that’s totally accurate. Using your lead’s name makes your email stand out from the crowd, which means more opens and clicks and less unsubscribes and spam complaints.

But that’s not the personalization we’re talking about here. The big trend we see coming is personalizing your message and campaigns to your list segments. When you tailor your messaging and campaigns to your segmented audiences (even hyper-segmented), you increase the likelihood of converting that touchpoint into another sale.

You can segment your list based on what products or services you recommend, based on website visit behavior, or even based on their past purchasing habits.

Try to work in interactive elements, such as animations, gifs, and emails that take the reader on a journey. ESPs have dynamically adapted to the market and offer the ability to embed carousels, social media posts, surveys, you name it.

And don’t forget to optimize for mobile! 81% of people check their emails on their phone according to Campaign Monitor, so make sure your emails act accordingly on those devices!

Facebook’s Biggest Change in 2023

It’s no secret that Facebook costs have shot up like crazy over the last few years. I mean, everything has, but especially in recent years, the winter months (especially around the holidays) have brought a dramatic increase in CPMs on Facebook.

Even just since 2020, advertisers have seen CPMs double, triple or even more during the holiday
ad craze. However, things have turned around in 2022.

Jon Loomer, a Facebook Ads Expert, reported that Facebook CPM’s have remained well below where they were on the same day a year ago. 30 to 60% below last year’s average, while Instagram CPM’s have remained the same.

Why the discount? Supply and demand!

In Meta’s Q3 earnings report, they announced a steady drop in average cost per ad, and declining ad revenue which is a new challenge for the platform. We’re still missing Meta’s Q4 report, but it’s safe to assume that a decline in ad revenue is directly correlated to lower CPMs for advertisers.

What’s this mean for advertisers?

You can get a discount on your FB advertising in 2023 if you focus on CPM as your pricing strategy.

But keep in mind that CPM means impressions, not conversions. So you need to have a plan for that.

For example, if you build a Facebook campaign using CPM for brand exposure, it shouldn’t be your only campaign.

You should use that ad to build a custom audience as your top of funnel, and anyone who clicks on the ad can then be retargeted with another, more specific ad that builds on what they already saw (and this campaign can be bid on for conversions).

All The Advertorials For 2023

Advertorials are making a comeback, folks!

We’re talking about a form of inbound marketing where your ad looks like an article that leads can engage with, thereby qualifying themselves as interested if they opt into your offer on the page.

Statistically speaking, these “ads” are much more effective than paid banner advertising, producing a CTR almost NINE times higher than regular display ads!

So why don’t people use them more? They are! 2022 saw a 14.9% increase YoY in native display ad spend for about $87.6 billion (with most going to mobile and social media because that’s where people hang out online). In 2023, that number is expected to grow to 17.6%.

That’s because it works. If you do it right.

The goal of an advertorial is to blend in with other articles on whatever site you’re on. And to make sure you’re appearing on publications that your target audience reads (for finpub, that tends to

be white males age 50+ with significant capital invested in the markets).

The first step to a successful advertorial was creating a list of financial publications that our target audience reads.

The next step was to create an advertorial that mimics the articles found on our list of standard publications like Wall Street Journal or Bloom Then we create some ads for our advertorial that mimic the other article thumbnails (a little bit of clickbait doesn’t hurt here).

Here are some examples:

The final step is to track the results and allocate your spend to the publication getting you the most sales.

If you do it right, chances are the viewer won’t even know they’re reading an ad until it’s too late and they’re sucked into the story.

And you might just find your marketing spend going to ALL the advertorials in 2023!

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Google & Youtube Guidance For 2023

Google and YouTube are without a doubt two of the most visited (and valuable) websites in the world. That’s because both platforms manage to combine entertainment while providing information – which is also why both sites are so valuable to advertisers.

They allow you to target and reach massive audiences with precision and effectiveness. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Google’s ad revenue passed $209 billion annually in 2021. With more than 2 billion users, these platforms are a must for any business owner or marketer to know how to utilize.

That’s why this month’s C2C is sharing some clear guidance on how to grow your business through Google and YouTube.

Advertising on Google

So when we talk about advertising on Google, we’re specifically referring to Google Display Network (GDN). This is a collection of millions of websites, apps, and videos where you could have your ads displayed and reach more people. GDN includes the Google Search Network, Google Shopping Network, Youtube, and on top of that, over 2 million partner websites.

So whether you’re targeting an audience who reads the New York Times or the Daily Sun, you can still target them on a daily basis through GDN. But before you can target them, you have to know how to choose your audience:

Specific Audience: You can set your audience based on a specific criteria that you’ve set e.g., people who’ve visited your website or people who’ve searched for your product.

Demographics: You can use this type of targeting if you want to target specific age groups, gender, geographic location, and other similar information.

Keyword: If you want to place your ad on a specific type of content, you can opt for this type of targeting. If you’re selling baby products for example, then your ad will be shown on pages with content related to babies.

Placement: You can choose specific websites you want featuring your ads.

Now, to be clear, Google Display Network and Google Search Network are different. If the
ad is on a search results page, that’s on GSN. Anywhere else is GDN. Search ads appear based on whatever keyword your leads are looking for, and GDN ads can be anything you want featured on GDN sites.

To make the most of the reach and cost- effectiveness of advertising in the Google Display Network here are some best practices you can follow:

• Value proposition should be front and center
• Pay attention to overall visual aesthetics like color scheme, font, and design
• Remarketing is always important for conversions down the road
• Test and optimize targeting options to maximize your costs
• Always test your ads

Advertising on Youtube

People are consuming video more than ever and consumers are moving towards videos when getting to know brands or products, so if you’re not advertising on YouTube, your business is missing out on a huge opportunity.

Here are different type of YouTube ads for you to take advantage of:

• In-feed video ads
• In-stream ads
• Skippable
• Non-skippable
• Bumper ads
• Masthead ads

Each ad has different pros and cons. Some types (like non-skippable) force people to watch your ads and can get you conversions, but are more expensive and don’t necessarily qualify your leads any better. Keep that in mind when testing different types of ads to find what style delivers the best results for your business.

Creating a Youtube Ad

When making a YouTube ad, make sure to include:

Eye-catching visuals. You have a very short amount of time to catch the attention of your audience. A good hook is vital, but great visuals will also go a long way.

Specific and actionable CTA. Tell your audience EXACTLY where to go and what to do to take the next step. A clear CTA dramatically improves conversions.

Overcome obstacles and objections. Answer as many questions as you can while taking care not to give away that “secret sauce” info that lets them skip the click. Price is a good example, because

it might disqualify some people before they know they want the offer rather than after understanding the offer and being more likely to accept the price.

Know your scope. Decide on parameters such as budget and where you want your ads to show. You can even set which videos you want or don’t want your ads to show. For example, if you don’t want your ad associated with profanity, violence, or sexually suggestive content, you can opt in for limited inventory.

Know your audience. Make sure your message is delivered to the right people. Target your audience based on demographics, interests, or level of interaction with your brand.

With that out of the way, there are 4 key elements you need to include in your YouTube ad.

Hook: YouTube ads average around 15-30 seconds. An attention-grabbing hook makes the viewer stop and not want to click that “skip” button. Ask a good question, share a shocking statistic, or say something funny and interesting to engage your audience and make them stay.

Define the problem: You need to tell them what problem you’re trying to solve for them and why it’s a problem in the first place.
You need to emphasize specific pain points to drive home the idea that it needs to be solved.

Present your solution: After presenting the problem, it’s time to present the solution. Include the benefits of your solution and remember that it’s about them, not you. If you do this right, they’ll see the need for your offer and click for more details.

Clear CTA: Very clearly tell your audience what to do next if they’re interested. If you just assume they already know, you’ll lose a large part of them through miscommunication and confusion. Avoid that with a clear CTA.

There’s obviously a lot more to advertising on Google and YouTube than what we can cover in one section of the C2C, but if you need help with your Google or YouTube marketing strategy, that’s what we do best.

Email charlie@strikepointmedia.com to set up a free strategy session with us today and see how we can help level up your marketing.

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Copy Corner

There’s a pretty common (but costly) mistake we see fairly often whenever we’re reviewing copy for clients: assuming “content” is sales copy. It’s not.

But there’s a lot of confusion between the two. Many people use the words interchangeably even though they have two very different meanings and functions.

Webster’s Dictionary definition of content: “the topics or matter treated in a written work.” In other words, the practical definition is the info we give out in an article, blog, post, or even a sales promotion. The point is to inform about a subject, not pitch the subject.

Now when it comes to sales copy, Webster’s Dictionary defines it as: “matter to be set especially for printing; something considered printable or newsworthy; text especially of an advertisement.”

In other words, a sales presentation in print or online. Sales copy is NOT content, but it can include content that moves the sale. The purpose of sales copy is not to educate or inform. It is to sell.

But it strategically uses information to prove claims and add credibility with facts, figures, other data, and stories that help create an iron-clad case for buying now.

Here’s an example…

Deep in the deserts of Saudi Arabia… Lies an oil field so vast it’s been dubbed “the Eighth Wonder of the World”… The “King of the Super Giant Oil Fields”… And the “The Crown Jewel” of the Middle East… It is GHAWAR. Stretching over 2,000 square miles… The amount of oil in this one place is worth nearly FOUR TIMES more than every single ounce of gold held by every central bank in the world… combined It’s the reason why the owner of this field — Saudi Aramco — soared to become the largest company in the world … as the first business to ever hit a $2 trillion market cap… Before Google… Before Microsoft… And even before Apple… In short, Ghawar is arguably the greatest wealth- generating resource in the history of mankind. That is, until now…

Catch all that? That’s content. And it builds up the sales pitch, which continues…

Because there is an untapped energy resource that’s much larger… That up until recently has been out of reach… Yet that’s all changed with the help of one tiny Silicon Valley company… You see, they’ve discovered how to use artificial intelligence to crack open the largest untapped energy source on the planet … making it available at scale for the entire globe…

That’s how you blend content and sales copy together. But what about including a sales pitch in your content? An offer in the blog post? A CTA in your free video?

Absolutely.

But that’s all you’re trying to do – get them to take an additional action. That can mean clicking a link to take them to a sales page where they get the actual pitch. For example, “if you’re interested in learning more about how to profit from AI, click this link for a free investor presentation that will walk you through the whole process.”

The two formats are extremely different, and it’s important to remember that each has a time and place. Content is great for nurturing leads and building relationships with your prospects. The more value you give them, the more they know, like, and trust you. And then, when you give them a well crafted sales pitch (with good content inside it), they’re already waiting to become customers.

Another great example?

The Clicks to Conversions Report by Strikepoint Media. We over-deliver on value and share real info we’re not supposed to in order to help our readers. And of course, we say “hey, if you need help, email us and we’ll do it for you.”

The results have been stellar, which is why
this monthly newsletter is so important to me. I really love sharing the info, helping, and building relationships with readers.

So if you’re not sure about how to blend sales copy into your content, you know what to do! Use this newsletter as a reference and if you have any questions (or want us to handle it for you!) just contact us today and we’ll take care of it for you!

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What’s Hot At Strikepoint

There’s always something great in the works at Strikepoint Media, but to me personally, one of the most exciting events of the year is our annual SPM holiday party! Every year, we host the party in January so our team doesn’t have to choose between celebrating the holidays with family or work family, and we always go all out for the party!

This year’s Casino Night theme was a HUGE hit! Check out some of the highlights in these pics, and congratulations to our SPM award winners!

• Hannah Dickman – Employee of the Year
• Chris Hilton – Most Creative Employee
• Paige Winstead – Rising Star
• Nathalie V., Lauren H., Anna T., Charlie W., and Blake A. took home the Core Values awards for embodying each of the core values.

But now that the holidays are officially over, we’re back to providing value to our readers. That means fresh content!

Here are two new blogposts we researched and created based specifically on reader feedback. You guys asked, we answered. Make sure to read these ASAP!

• Key Website Metrics to Monitor
• 18 Tips to Elevate Your Social Media Game

And speaking of fresh content, one of the hottest things at SPM is our first ever Strikepoint Academy course, the 30-Day Viral Marketer with host Pye Jirsa.

This is an in-depth training centered around creating short-form video content to help build
a massive online following that helps sell your products and services organically. And it’s all WITHOUT wasting countless hours on producing content, without spending a dime on traditional advertising, and without dancing like a clown on TikTok.

It. Is. STELLAR!

And as soon as it’s ready, our C2C readers will be the very first to know!

Beyond that, Strikepoint Media is hiring!

We’re looking to add talent to our account management team, media buying team, project management team, and social media division. If you or someone you know is up to the task, click here to see if we’re a fit!

That’s it for this month’s issue! As always, if you have a question, if there’s anything you’d like to see more of, or that we can do better, please reply to this email and let me know directly.

Let’s keep the wins coming in!