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How Google is cracking down on AI content, Social Media Marketing during elections and Mastering YouTube thumbnails

March 28 - Edition #5

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Dia Creative
March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024 - Edition #5

This week you’ll learn:

  • 🔍️ How Google is cracking down on AI content

  • 🗳 What customers expect from brands this election season

  • 🏃 Building community builds your brand

  • 🎬 What makes a perfect YouTube thumbnail

  • ⚡️ Quick Hits: PPC Analyses, SEC disclosures, Google “Meridian”, Pinterest “Body Type Filters”.

Google's Massive Search Quality Boost

Google has released a slew of updates aimed at drastically improving search result quality and reducing unhelpful content by 40%.

March 2024 Core Update

The March 2024 core update, which started on March 5, is more complex than usual core updates. It enhances several components of the overall core ranking system:

  • Helpful Content Integration: The helpful content system is now baked into the core ranking algorithms. Some site owners felt they were unfairly impacted by the September 2023 Helpful Content Update. Google has hopefully refined the algorithm further now that is is part of the core.

  • Refined Unhelpful Content Detection: Google has improved its understanding of unhelpful, poor UX pages that seem created for search engines over people. Brands should avoid trying to game the system. Focus on content real humans would sit down and read.

  • Expect More Fluctuations: With multiple core systems being updated, rankings may fluctuate more than a typical core update as the changes reinforce each other. After big updates, give your rankings a month or two to settle. Then, re-evaluate and see if your SEO strategy needs a refresh.

Elizabeth Tucker, Director of Product, Search at Google, said: "We expect that the combination of this update and our previous efforts will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%."

Spam Updates & Policies

Alongside the core update, Google is releasing spam updates and policy changes to further combat low-quality content, including:

  • Scaled Content Abuse: Producing content at scale primarily to manipulate rankings, whether automated or manual, is now against guidelines.

  • Expired Domain Abuse: Buying expired domains to boost the ranking of low-quality content is now considered spam.

  • Site Reputation Abuse: Hosting third-party content without close oversight to gain ranking benefits (aka "Parasite SEO") is also spam.

Google Drops the Hammer

The March 2024 Core Update is a wake-up call for website owners and marketers. If you've been cutting corners and focusing on your rankings instead of your customers and brand, it's time to stop. Google has a clear message: only those who prioritize genuine, valuable content will thrive.

That’s why at Dia Creative, we always prioritize balancing bot-targeted content with engaging, high-quality content that humans not only enjoy reading but also convert for our clients.

Navigating Social Media Marketing During Election Seasons

Changing Consumer Expectations:

Initially, social media activism led consumers to expect brands to take stances on political and social issues. However, recent trends indicate a shift.

The 2023 Sprout Social Index reveals that only 25% of consumers now believe brands must speak out on causes to be memorable, a significant decrease from previous years.

Consumers are growing skeptical of performative activism, preferring brands that focus on providing excellent service over making public statements on every issue.

The Influencer Strategy

While direct brand statements on political affiliations may be risky, influencer marketing offers a subtler way to express brand values.

For instance, Reformation's collaboration with Monica Lewinsky and Vote.org demonstrates a strategic approach to influencer partnerships, emphasizing the brand's values without overtly political messaging.

This method allows brands to align with influencers whose values reflect their own, potentially enhancing brand image and connection with the audience without alienating segments of their consumer base.

In election years, the balance between brand activism and consumer expectations shifts. Brands must navigate these waters carefully.

Bandit Running's Community-First Playbook

Image Source: Bandit Running

Bandit Running grew its apparel brand by putting the vibrant New York running community first. That focus on community helped them become one of the most engaged with running brands on Instagram and raise a $14 million funding round.

Here's how they did it.

Organic Growth from the Start

Bandit focused on organic, word-of-mouth growth rather than paid ads in their first year. Co-founder Tim West explains: "I was never going to push the product on anyone. And I wasn't going to take out a paid ad for the first year."

While slower, this approach built an authentic foundation. "It's actually a lot scarier to try to build an iconic brand than to try to build a marketing funnel," says co-founder Nick West. "Building all of these emotional connections in person doesn't pay off immediately."

Showing the Real Running Experience

Bandit's content captures the full spectrum of the running experience, from the mundane to the magical. "We're really good at Bandit at taking the mundane moments of running and showing you actually how special and lovely and elegant and fun they are," Tim says. Even the grittier side makes an appearance.

Their Williamsburg storefront serves as a hub, with a water jug for passing runners and weekly group runs that draw 100+ people.

Scaling Sustainably

The West brothers believe in "jogging before sprinting" when it comes to growth. They hosted more than 10 pop-ups in the 12 months before the city’s biggest running event of the year—the New York City Marathon.

This taught them how much to spend, how many staff they’d need, and how many sales they could expect online and in-person.

By capturing the real running experience, Bandit built a brand that stands out from the crowd.

Mastering YouTube Thumbnails

Creating compelling YouTube thumbnails is crucial for attracting viewers in a crowded digital landscape.

The components of a winning thumbnail

90% of the top-performing videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails. Use these specific strategies to catch the viewer's eye.

  • Right Dimensions: Start with the correct size - 1280 x 720 pixels ensures your thumbnail looks great on all devices without being pixelated or stretched.

  • Bold Colors: Use vibrant, high-contrast colors to make your thumbnail stand out. A study found that 88% of the most-watched videos had colorful thumbnails.

  • Emotional Faces: Thumbnails featuring faces, especially with visible emotions, tend to perform better. They can average 921,000 more views than those without.

  • Concise Text: Include short, intriguing text on your thumbnail to give viewers a reason to click, ideally six words or less to keep it readable.

  • Consistent Branding: Develop a template for consistency across your videos. This includes using a cohesive color palette, font, and graphic style.

Case Study: MrBeast’s $10k Thumbnails

The world’s biggest YouTube star MrBeast is known for his meticulous attention to thumbnails. He spends around $10,000 per thumbnail.

Through careful experimentation, they've built a winning recipe for their brand. Featuring Jimmy Donaldson's (MrBeast) face in every thumbnail since 2019 has significantly boosted brand recognition. Consistent use of colors and formatting further strengthens viewer connection.

The team experiments with numerous thumbnail variations, including changes in Donaldson's expressions and attire. For example, they've found that closed-mouth smiles lead to longer watch times than open-mouthed ones.

By nailing the technical elements and running their own experiments, brands can boost their chances of turning scrollers into viewers.

⚡️ Quick Hits

What we’re working on right now

We were delighted to work with Colombo Kids! 🍪 An innovative, fun way to bring tasty recipes home to cook with kids. What really makes Colombo Kids stand out is every cooking experience is really built to be lead by the kids themselves.

To help really embody the brand's core values, we wanted the website design to feel like a kitchen with the mess that comes with a fun day of child-led cooking.🧑‍🍳 The imagery needed to be approachable and inviting to attract kids and connect with parents emotionally.

This project was a real treat—custom-built on WordPress with embedded interactive videos in both English and German! It is currently only available for sale in Germany, but check back with them regularly as they grow! 🍰🥨

Looking for a more personalized marketing strategy?

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