Ep. 283- What's Up THIS WEEK:⛓️‍💥Impact of EXTERNAL Links in Posts! 🩺Grey’s Anatomy and McDreamy?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Ep. 283 - "What's Up THIS WEEK: Impact of EXTERNAL Links in Posts! Grey’s Anatomy and McDreamy?"

Release Date: March 4, 2025
Host: Jay Schwedelson
Presented By: Marigold

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1. Social Media Engagement and the Decline of External Links

Key Discussion Points: Jay and his co-host delve into the recent data released by Meta, shedding light on how external links within posts are significantly affecting engagement across major social media platforms.

Notable Insights:

• Meta’s Data on Facebook:
  According to recent statistics shared by Meta, a staggering 97.9% of Facebook post views in the past quarter were from posts without external links. This indicates a strong deprioritization of posts containing external sources.

• Impact on Other Platforms:
  Supporting this trend, Hootsuite’s data reveals that LinkedIn posts without external links receive six times more reach than those with external links.

• Shift Toward Paid Promotions:
  The platforms’ algorithms are encouraging users to keep interactions within their ecosystems. Organic traffic from posts linking to external websites is dwindling, making paid boosting a necessity for broader reach.

Quotes:

• Unknown Speaker (00:40):
  “Only 2% of the views on Facebook are those posts that have external links. They are completely deprioritizing external links.”

• Jay Schwedelson (00:40):
  “Organic referring traffic is a dying thing. So you really want to consider baking into all of your budgets... you need to be thinking about boosting those posts.”

Actionable Takeaway: Marketers should allocate budget for boosting posts when incorporating external links to ensure their content reaches a wider audience, adapting to the evolving algorithms of social media platforms.

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2. Challenges in Affiliate Marketing Amidst Google’s Policy Changes

Key Discussion Points: The conversation shifts to the recent upheaval in the affiliate marketing landscape, primarily driven by Google’s revised policies affecting product review sites.

Notable Insights:

• Google’s New Search Rules:
  Google is discounting information from sites like CNN Underscore, Forbes Vetted, and other pay-to-play platforms. These sites often feature reviews written by freelancers who earn affiliate commissions from purchases made through their links.

• Shift Towards Organic Reviews:
  The emphasis is now on organic, unbiased reviews, making it harder for affiliate marketing strategies that rely on paid reviews to rank in search results.

• Future of Affiliate Marketing:
  With these changes, affiliate marketers may find it increasingly challenging to maintain visibility and effectiveness, suggesting a need to explore alternative traffic and marketing avenues.

Quotes:

• Unknown Speaker:
  “Google is now banning or trying to ban all of these different types of pay to play reviews, shifting more towards the organic reviews.”

Actionable Takeaway: Affiliate marketers should reassess and diversify their strategies, potentially focusing more on creating genuine, high-quality content and exploring other marketing channels beyond traditional affiliate links.

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3. Daylight Saving Time’s Impact on Email Marketing Performance

Key Discussion Points: A seemingly minor but impactful topic is addressed: the effect of the upcoming daylight saving time shift on email marketing metrics.

Notable Insights:

• Decrease in Email Open Rates:
  In the three days following the daylight saving time change, there is an anticipated 15% drop in email open rates for messages sent between 6 AM and 9 AM. This dip is attributed to the general fatigue and disorientation caused by losing an hour of sleep.

• Strategic Considerations:
  Marketers should be mindful of this temporary decline when scheduling email campaigns, especially those targeting morning hours during this period.

Quotes:

• Unknown Speaker:
  “You'll see about a 15% lower open rate percentage of people opening up emails for those emails delivered between 6am to 9am for that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday following this weekend.”

Actionable Takeaway: Plan email marketing campaigns to either avoid peak morning times in the immediate aftermath of daylight saving adjustments or prepare for slightly lower engagement rates during these days.

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4. Pop Culture References and Personal Anecdotes

Key Discussion Points: The hosts take a lighter turn, sharing personal stories and pop culture references that, while seemingly unrelated to marketing, offer relatable content for listeners.

Notable Insights:

• Grey’s Anatomy Milestone:
  Celebrating the 21st season of Grey’s Anatomy, Jay expresses surprise and nostalgia about the show's longevity since its debut in 2005, highlighting how much has changed in the media landscape since then.

• Patrick Dempsey’s Transformation:
  Jay shares a personal anecdote about how Patrick Dempsey’s nasal surgery altered his resemblance to the actor from "Can't Buy Me Love," affecting personal connections and perceptions.

• Gene Hackman’s Passing and Recommendation:
  The hosts discuss Gene Hackman’s passing, attributing it to personal losses and sharing a recommendation for the film Runaway Jury, praising its quality despite being an older movie.

Quotes:

• Jay Schwedelson:
  “Do not include links to a source outside of Facebook itself. What does that mean?... ensure your content stays within the platform to maximize reach.”

• Unknown Speaker:
  “I cannot believe they're still pumping out new episodes... It has been around since 2005.”

• Jay Schwedelson:
  “Never seen Runaway Jury, I know a lot of times people like, oh, who cares? It's older movie. This is one of the best movies.”

Actionable Takeaway: While not directly related to marketing strategies, engaging with pop culture can provide relatable content that fosters a connection with the audience, enhancing overall engagement and listener loyalty.

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5. Promotion of Upcoming Virtual Event: Eventtastic

Key Discussion Points: The episode wraps up with a brief promotion of an upcoming virtual event aimed at marketers and public speakers.

Notable Insights:

• Event Details:
  Eventtastic is a free, large-scale virtual event designed to cover webinars, in-person events, public speaking, and more. It features speakers like Andy Cohen from Bravo.

• Registration Urgency:
  With limited virtual seats available, listeners are encouraged to register promptly to secure their spots.

Quotes:

• Unknown Speaker:
  “If you put on webinars in person Events Virtual events if you want to learn about public speaking, this two day event is going to be wild.”

Actionable Takeaway: Marketers and public speakers should consider participating in Eventtastic to gain insights from top industry leaders and enhance their skills in public speaking and event management.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In this episode of "Do This, NOT That," Jay Schwedelson and his co-host provide a comprehensive overview of current trends and challenges in the marketing landscape. From the diminishing returns of external links on social media to the evolving dynamics of affiliate marketing under Google's new policies, listeners are equipped with valuable insights to adapt their strategies effectively. Additionally, practical advice on navigating temporary declines in email engagement due to daylight saving time changes and relatable pop culture anecdotes make the content both informative and engaging.

By addressing both strategic marketing concerns and offering relatable content, the episode ensures that marketers are not only informed but also entertained, fostering a well-rounded listening experience.

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Notable Quotes Recap:

• Unknown Speaker (00:40): “Only 2% of the views on Facebook are those posts that have external links. They are completely deprioritizing external links.”

• Jay Schwedelson (00:40): “Organic referring traffic is a dying thing... you need to think about boosting those posts.”

• Unknown Speaker: “You’ll see about a 15% lower open rate percentage of people opening up emails for those emails delivered between 6am to 9am for that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday following this weekend.”

• Jay Schwedelson: “Never seen Runaway Jury, I know a lot of times people like, oh, who cares? It's older movie. This is one of the best movies.”

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Stay tuned to "Do This, NOT That" for more actionable marketing tips and insights to elevate your marketing game and navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.

Transcript

[Unknown Speaker]

Foreign.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Welcome to do this not that, the podcast for marketers. You'll walk away from each episode with actionable tips you can test immediately. You'll hear from the best minds in marketing who will share tactics, quick wins and pitfalls to avoid. We'll also dig into life, pop culture and the chaos that is our everyday. I'm Jay Schwedelson. Let's do this, not that.

[Unknown Speaker]

We are back for what's up this week from the do this not that podcast presented by Marigold. This is our short episode or breakdown what's going on this week in business and marketing life. And then we still have our short ask us anything later in the week in our big tips episode at the end of the week. So what do we got? What's going on this week? Well, I don't know if you saw this, but Meta just released data on what posts get engagement on their platforms. And of course Meta owns Instagram and Facebook and all this stuff and they released one stat that's kind of mind blowing that also leads into impacts on other platforms. So what is it? So According to Meta, 97.9% of the views of Facebook posts in the past quarter, okay. Do not include links to a source outside of Facebook itself. What does that mean? That means if you post something on Facebook with an external link, it is going Nowhere because only 2% of the views of all the views on Facebook are those posts that have external links. They are completely deprioritizing external links. And then we see this across every platform. So hootsuite release data about LinkedIn. Right. Posts without external links on LinkedIn without external links receives six times more reach than posts with external links on LinkedIn. Right. So this is what every platform is doing. They're trying to get you to, number one, stay on their platforms, obviously. But the other thing that they're doing, which by the way, I do this a lot, is that they want you to boost your posts. This idea of organic traffic from posts that you're putting out there to links that you're putting in a post without any paid boosting of that post, it's really a dying thing. Organic referring traffic is a dying thing. So you really want to consider baking into all of your budgets. When you're posting on social media platforms and you want to promote something on your website on a landing page somewhere else with an external link, you need to be thinking about boosting those posts. And boosting basically means that you're going to pay to have that post get circulated. I will tell you the, the cost for boosting on the platforms is very reasonable as compared to other ad placements and other programs, other sites and publishers. All this stuff and you make well, I don't want to do that. That shouldn't be the case. Well, it's their rules, not yours and it works. So don't just think you're gonna be able to post stuff with external links and it's going to work because it's just absolutely not going to work. Another thing that there's been a major shakeup of this week is affiliate marketing took a major hit this week. So there was a big article in the Wall Street Journal, this came out about how Google has changed its rules around how product review sites appear in its search engine. So Google's new search rules basically are completely discounting information from sites like cnn, Underscore or Forbes Vetted. There's a laundry list of these pay to play platforms where on these platforms there'd be reviews, but the reviews would be written by freelancers who are paid. Right. And when people are clicking on them and buying stuff, they would be getting affiliate money. But Google is now banning or trying to ban all of these different types of pay to play reviews, shifting more towards the organic reviews. Obviously Google reviews is a big part of that. And so the world of affiliate marketing, I think more and more affiliate marketing is going to have a hard time with the way that these ecosystems are heading. So if affiliate marketing is your core go to market strategy, I think you really need to consider some other avenues of traffic because it's going to become more and more difficult. Another thing I mentioned the other day, I just want to bring it to light again. Oh, that's a pun because I'm talking about daylight savings time. I think people sleep on this. You know, daylight savings time is coming up in a few days, coming up this weekend and the days following daylight saving times, everybody is miserable because everyone's a little tired because we lose an hour of sleep. So the three days following daylight savings time, especially for email, you'll see about a 15% lower open rate percentage of people opening up emails for those emails delivered between 6am to 9am for that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday following this weekend. So it's just something to think about if you are promoting anything, whether it's consumer or business, those three days following because it will have an impact. I know how silly this sounds, but it will have an impact. Speaking of silly, let's talk about completely useless information this week. Okay. Grey's Anatomy, their 21st season has their mid Season premiere. That is out of control. 21st season, and I used to watch Grey's Anatomy. I cannot believe they're still pumping out new episodes. Do you know when they started back in 2005, Facebook was barely even on the radar. Barely a thing. Friends. The show had just ended. IPhones didn't exist when this show started. Okay, that is weird. I mean, Taylor Swift had not released an album yet. That is how long this thing has been around. And I have a very sad connection to Grey's Anatomy. Sad for me. This is so random. So of course there's McDreamy, right? Patrick Dempsey used to be on the show, and he's the hot doctor guy that they all called McDreamy. And the sad part for me is that when I was a kid, there was a movie called Can't Buy Me Love with Patrick Dempsey. And it was pretty popular movie. And it was cool because. Because, you know, everyone gets, oh, you know what celebrity you look like? And I would get, I look like Patrick Dempsey from Can't Buy Me Love. And this was cool because whatever. And then Patrick Dempsey, maybe. People probably realize this. He went ahead and he got a nose job. Okay? He got a nose job. And then he became hot. Okay? Ever since he got a nose job, not once in my life have I been told that I look like Patrick Dempsey. It, like, stopped on a dime. I was like, this is terrible. The one celebrity I look like had facial surgery, and now I don't look like him. Now everybody thinks he's hot. Whatever. What are you gonna do? I also saw this, by the way, on Netflix. They just added Runaway Jury, which is an old movie that has Gene Hackman in it. Two things. Number one, if you've never seen Runaway Jury, I know a lot of times people like, oh, who cares? It's older movie. This is one of the best movies. It is so good. So you want to watch Runaway Journey? Jury. I do feel very bad about Gene Hackman passing away. And the whole thing about how he passed away. I'm not sure if everybody saw this on the news. What's going on? His dog passed away. His wife passed away. The whole thing is beyond weird. I don't even know what happened in there, but I feel bad. But at least he got to 95, so that's good. So check out Runaway Jury. And yeah, Eventtastic. This is our large, free virtual event. Eventastic is spelled the word event and then ASTEC. So it's1t.com it is coming up. We only have a few virtual seats left. If you put on webinars in person Events Virtual events if you want to learn about public speaking, this two day event is going to be wild. We have Andy Cohen from Bravo speaking. You want to get [e-mail] and it is free. We are running out of spots. Hope to see you there. Thanks for checking this out later.

[Jay Schwedelson]

You did it. You made it to the end. Nice, but the party's not over.

[Unknown Speaker]

Subscribe to make sure you get the.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Latest episode each week for more actionable tips and a little chaos from today's top marketers. And hook us up with a five star review if this wasn't the worst podcast of all time. Lastly, if you want access to the best virtual marketing events that are also 100% free free, visit guruevents.com so you can hear from the world's top marketers like Daymond, John, Martha Stewart and me. GuruEvents.com check it out.