Rankster Newsletter #33: Is UGC Dead ☠️

Brief Builder | Past Issues | Case Studies | TikTok Mastery

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The weekly newsletter that's got more hooks than a Britney Spears song... and no, we won't hold it against you if you read the whole thing.

In this edition:

• 🤔TIKTOK SEARCH ADS.... Late Bloomer or Never Bloomer? How this effects YOU

• ☠️ IS UGC DEAD?.... Or Are You Slow? 🐢

• 🥊 TIKTOK CHALLENGES MONTANA.... No One Puts Baby In The Corner

• 🤖 WE ARE BUILDING A CHATBOT.... Want your own?

🤔TIKTOK SEARCH ADS....

Late Bloomer or Never Bloomer? How this effects YOU

TikTok is delaying the launch of TikTok Search 🤬 

Why this is important?

‘Cos TikTok is the new ‘Google’ and Gen Z are using TikTok to search for stuff they would normally ‘Google’.

Which means less traffic for Google… and now TikTok is trying to capitalise on it by rolling out TikTok Search Ads.

Meaning every time someone searches a phrase/keyword on TikTok, you can bid on that phrase to appear first in the results…. exactly like Adwords for Google.

It is a big move and essentially, you can combine your TikTok, Adwords and Amazon PPC campaigns to be an omni-channel beast 🦖

Also, buyer intent is a BIG factor.

It’s easier to convert a customer if they are actively searching in your niche… what pain point does your product solve? Sell them the solution 👊

But don’t hold your breath… TikTok Search Ads are delayed (my TikTok Ad rep had me on the waiting list and I was counting the days 😞)

As soon as access is rolled out, will keep you posted 👊

☠️ IS UGC DEAD?

Or Are You Slow? 🐢

There was a great article from the guys at Pencil discussing the future of UGC..

First, let’s look at the UGC (User Generated Content) facts:

• 72% of customers believe it is more credible when other customers share their experiences rather than brands speak for themselves.

• 92% of consumers listen to people they know for referrals about products or services they trust.

• 62% of consumers agree they are more likely to click on ads, social posts, emails, or websites that feature real customers rather than images solely created for advertising by the brand.

• Campaigns, including UGC, result in 29% higher web conversions than campaigns lacking UGC.

UGC works…. but for how long?

We know in the Amazon world that a strategy is successful until everyone does it….. then Amazon tweaks a few things and that strategy no longer applies (SFB, incentivised reviews, 99% discounts, etc).

Everyone uses UGC now…. and its going the same way as Amazon PPC… costs are increasing….. a $50 UGC video now costs over $500 😞

UGC is not dead…. it’s evolving.

But are we as marketers evolving?

Ask yourself this question…..

Now think about your brand…..What problem does it solve?

Deliver that in an entertaining and engaging fashion.

That’s the key…

Sounds easy….spoiler alert: it’s not

You need to understand your customers and split test everything.

It’s hard work…. but are your competitor’s doing it?

🥊 TIKTOK CHALLENGES MONTANA

No One Puts Baby In The Corner

TikTok won’t go down without a fight.

They are challenging Montana’s decision to ban the app in the state:

Will TikTok win? Will TikTok be banned across the US?

I…. DON’T…. KNOW

But based on dealing with fraudulent Chinese sellers on Amazon for over 10 years… they will find a way.

The next few months are going to be very interesting….

Either way, TikTok is here now and it’s the cheapest platform to grow a brand…. what are you waiting for? This opportunity won’t come again

🤖 WE ARE BUILDING A CHATBOT

Want your own?

So I admit it….

The whole AI thing….

I spend 2 hours a day researching it…. created 2 apps and currently learning how to program…..

It’s a big deal and I want to take you along for the ride.

I am building an chatbot that takes all the work out of influencer outreach.

‘Cos normally, you have to contact 100 users per day…..of those 100, maybe 30 will reply…. and of those 30, only 10 will be worthwhile.

It’s a lot of work and I had to hire 2 employees just to cover the workload of replying to them.

What if a bot could do that for us? What if a bot could even get the influencer to buy on Amazon? What if that bot learns what content is ideal and creates more of it….. on auto-pilot.

I have partnered up with an experience dev and we are building this 👊

But we need beta testers….

Look out for an email next week for more info

That's it for this week 👊

But I need to ask a favour...

Thanks for reading.

- Paul

PS.… We are opening up a few spots for our TikTok Catalyst program (we run TikTok ads on your behalf) Message me if you want the details