This week’s most important Marketing News

 

​GOOGLE SEARCH ADDED A NEW LABEL: HIGHLY CITED ​

The label does what its title suggests—it identifies articles or pages that are frequently cited by other sources.

​META DID SKETCHY STUFF TO UNDERMINE TIKTOK​

Like, pay professionals to create and distribute largely untrue stories about how TikTok is dangerous for kids and teens.

​THERE’S A NEW SOCIAL APP TRENDING AT COLLEGES​

BeReal is about posting in a tight time window to show yourself as you are, without filters.

​A BUNCH OF PEOPLE CAN SUE FACEBOOK AS A GROUP​

Based on a recent decision from a federal judge, millions (millions) of advertisers can join forces to sue Facebook.

This is happening because, in 2018, advertisers said that Facebook was over-reporting the number of potential views for ads by up to 400%. And they said that FB was charging based on those inflated view counts. There’s also evidence that FB executives knew this was happening.

RESOURCES

​The Sample—This may come as a surprise, but I like to read newsletters. And The Sample is cool for people like me (and you?) because it sends us personalized recommendations for newsletters. Check it oooouuuut.

​Flowcharts for SEO decisions—These are helpful when deciding if you should pivot your target keywords or what to do after a big Google update. I’m a big fan.

FREELANCING 101

 

Freelancing is intimidating because working without an established company’s resources behind you requires more time and effort. We spoke with Janjay Sherman—a Brand Strategist with experience at Square, Estée Lauder Companies Inc, and Paper Communications—about her experience freelancing. She gave us her best tips on how to start and build a freelancing business.
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FREELANCING IS CUSTOMER-BASED

Janjay started doing freelancing before it was as popular as it has been recently. She was looking for flexibility but that doesn’t mean freelancing was easy. It came with a lot of work, including taking care of the customer.
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If you are thinking about starting, make sure you get the foundational experience in an actual role first because a lot of people just start without realizing what it entails.
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GIVE FREELANCING A TEST RUN

Before you start freelancing, start taking some side projects throughout the month. Get a few clients to bill some hours to, so you get a feel for it. This will help you learn some of the pitfalls and help you determine whether this is a good path for you before you give up your paycheck.

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Here are some ways to get clients:

🤝 Networking

🗣Referrals

👏 Show off your work

👀 Apply to jobs where you could be a good fit

Be creative in seeing opportunities to gain a client. Don’t be intimidated when you see a full-time position where you would be a perfect fit for freelancing.

Janjay saw a lot of success doing this, but also many failures. Because, understandably, many organizations are looking for someone who will grow in the company.

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CLIENTS WANT YOUR UNIQUE EXPERIENCE AND TALENT

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INTERESTING STUFF

🍬 Skittles made a whole shabang out of bringing back their lime flavor. It was entertaining. More importantly, it shows us how openness and on-brand communication earn you points.

🐶 Honda announced a dog-friendly front seat equipped with a treat dispenser in the glove department. (April Fools’! 🙃)

👟 Nike put up a 3D billboard in Tokyo, which is super cool.
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​🔎 This search engine lets you find pages that Google is built to ignore. Ironically, those of us who constantly fight for Google’s attention are intrigued by this.

LET’S GET VISUAL