June 21 marked the start of a new season, but let’s be real — we’ve been celebrating summer all month here at 9 Clouds. When you live in South Dakota, you’ve got to take advantage of sunny weather when it comes your way.

It’s not all Falls Park picnics and patio drinks, though.

Even with the beautiful weather, we’ve been learning about the latest in digital marketing. Take a break from your workday to read through the nine most interesting things we found online in June 2017. 

1. Google + Apple Pair Up Against Bad Ads

Before working at 9 Clouds, I spent absolutely no time considering how websites worked. I didn’t understand how the proverbial sausage was made until I started learning from our CTO Allen Day.

Now, I understand web browsers play an important role in marketing. And with some recent changes from Google and Apple, that role could be even more valuable.

The folks over at Wired explain how the tech giants plan to crack down on bad advertising. In doing so, they’ll possibly shift how websites work altogether.

“They represent a shift in the way web browsers work. Instead of passively downloading and running whatever code and content a website delivers, these browsers will take an active role shaping your web experience.”

–Klint Finley, Wired

This will require us marketers to rethink our previous assumptions about what web viewers do and don’t see. Get the full scoop from Finley at Wired.

Dig into the “web sausage” for yourself »

2. The Great Divide

We all learned about the Great Divide in elementary school. But in a recent 9 Clouds blog post, our founder Scott Meyer talks about a different kind of great divide: the automotive trust divide.

Scott talks about the importance of long-term relationships in the auto industry with Jim Dykstra, the CEO of VinAdvisor.

Are you meeting the needs of today’s customers? Watch their conversation to find out.

Listen in on Scott and Jim from VinAdvisor »

3. Internet vs. Television

Okay, Captain Obvious checking in here with a fun fact: the Internet is pretty popular. But something you might not know is that the web is anticipated to outpace TV for ad spending this year.

DVRs and online streaming really kicked television advertising where it hurt, and it’s starting to show in the data. Inbound marketing is stepping up as a major disruptor.

Silicon Valley analyst Mary Meeker makes these predictions (and many more) in her 355-page Internet Trends Report for 2017. Our team pulled out the highlights to save you some precious time.

Dig into the 2017 Internet Trends Report with us »

4. Do You Know Facebook?

Facebook is the most powerful platform for digital marketing right now. Even people who work in it every day can always find something new to learn.

Buffer wrote up a post with 10 little-known marketing features on Facebook, and a few were new to us. All of them are great tips.

Read up on the facts you didn’t know about the world’s most popular social media platform (and don’t forget about our new 9 Clouds Live courses to learn advanced Facebook advertising).

Test your Facebook knowledge »

5. 40 Years of Email Marketing

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear email… 

Email is about to celebrate the big 4-0. As we honor this momentous anniversary, it’s important to look at our messaging.

Sure, we joke 40 is “over the hill,” but in that short lifespan, email has made a remarkable impact on marketing.

Michael Fisher writes about how to keep the platform thriving beyond this landmark year for Entrepreneur. Our big takeaway? Inbound content will be at the center of those best practices.

Celebrate your email campaigns »

6. “Accio Storytelling!”

There’s another big birthday to celebrate in June. The Harry Potter series turned 20 years old this month.

Whether or not you’re a Potterhead (like many of our staff), you can’t deny the series sparked a generation of writers. It’s also a great inspiration for digital storytelling.

Our friends over at HubSpot wrote a blog post this month about the storytelling lessons we can all learn from Pottermore, a site “dedicated to unlocking the power of imagination.”

Read the post to channel the wizarding world in your storytelling and improve your content for any Muggle industry.

Discover the magic of storytelling »

7. Keyword Data, Anywhere

Our next installment on this list isn’t necessarily a post, but it’s definitely something interesting we found online this month.

The “Keywords Everywhere” tool is a Google Chrome extension that shows you useful search volume and CPC data on multiple websites. It’s a big time saver for marketers doing keyword research because you can see the relevant search volume data before you even leave a Google search page.

We’ve written before about some of our favorite Chrome extensions, but this is a new addition that we’re happy to share.

Update your Chrome extensions »

8. The Web Is Watching

Image credit: Snapchat

We all know our lives are on display online, but some apps are guaranteeing your presence is known — even if you’re not actively browsing.

Snapchat introduced Snap Maps this month, a feature that lets you geotag your location with your snaps. At a cool concert? Snap your location so other friends can join. Or, you know, so someone can rob your house while you’re definitely not home.

I listen to way too many true crime podcasts, so my brain turns to the sinister option, but I can’t possibly be the only one. To learn more about the feature (and how to disable it), check out this post on The Verge.

Similarly, Match.com rolled out a feature on its app allowing digital missed connections based on your location data.

As more and more apps work to make our life easier, they’re also exposing our habits, our interests, and our locations. I don’t see this trend going away, but it’s something to be aware of as a member of our digital society.

Are you ghosting on Snapchat? »

9. Step One: Write Your Meta Descriptions

When you build a website, there are many moving pieces. It turns out that a lot of people are forgetting about some of those pieces. Super-important ones.

We’re talking meta descriptions.

Search Engine Journal put together a post with advice from Google on how to create better meta descriptions, thus improving your SEO. The biggest takeaway was that you need to remember to write them in the first place.

“The most common problems site owners need to watch out for when creating meta descriptions is neglecting to create them at all.”

–Matt Southern, Search Engine Journal

Don’t neglect this huge opportunity to improve your website. Dig into the full piece on Google’s meta advice over at SEJ’s website.

Get meta »

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