This Week’s Debate of the Week is SPICY 👀

Welcome to Week 15 of In The Snow!

My NY Knicks kicked off Round 2 last night against the Indiana Pacers (Thank god there’s no Reggie Miller anymore…) and somehow came away with a WIN. Jalen Brunson is now on a 4 game streak of 40+ points, tied with Michael Jordan and 2nd all-time. This guy keeps doing the unthinkable. Not a great night for the Knicks, but coming out with a W is all that matters.

This week we’re gonna talk some Meta updates, how they’re getting closer and closer to making FB and IG Shops resemble TikTok Shop, 20 lessons I’ve learned over the years, and perhaps the MOST important topic of them all…

🚨 Should you get a 2nd opinion whenever you go to the dentist? Read until the end to find out.

Last week, I was featured on the Ecommerce Live podcast which touched on my background, the future of ecommerce, TikTok Shop, the TikTok “Ban,” and content manipulation in social media. Check it out here👇

Now, let’s get into it:

1. Meta Ads Updates: 2 New Useful Features!

Meta’s been a little light on innovation since Advantage+ Shopping came out last year. BUT it did just release 2 interesting and useful updates that everyone should have on their radar:

1. Reminder Ads w/ Links: I’ve always appreciated Reminder ads but it had limitations since you couldn’t include actual external links in the ads that the Reminder led to. Thus, attribution and measuring performance was not possible.

I alluded to it here last year when Reminder ads first came out:

Well, now you can include a destination link and measure revenue driven from the Reminder ad.

The idea behind these ads is to build hype and awareness for a tentpole moment such as new product launch, flash sale, livestream, etc.

You’d run these ads for a couple weeks leading up to the moment and when the moment was upon us, Meta would send push notifications out to everyone who subscribed to the Reminder 24 hours prior, 15min prior, and at the time of the launch. This has changed slightly now: In addition to the standard reminders 24 hours before and at the start of an event, a third reminder can be scheduled, such as 24 - 48 hours before the end of a sale or offer.

NOW, your ad that’s linked to a Reminder can include a destination link and you can attribute performance of your Reminder ads. Here’s how it would appear in the wild:

And, Meta’s next update is:

2. Multiple Site Links for mobile FB feed ads: This one is really cool. Meta's rolling out multiple site links for mobile FB feed ads. You can now include links to multiple landing pages on the same creative. This is useful for brands with multiple collections or funnels.

   

This update will help advertisers achieve ad account consolidation. If you have more generic ads that don’t speak to a particular product, rather a collection of products or just a general brand ad, this will be a great option for you. Allow the customer to decide which collection/destination they want to land on. Meta will make recommendations on site links after scanning your website, just make sure you review these and only include relevant destinations that will achieve your goals for the ad.

2. Meta’s Transition of Shops to being a TikTok Shop Clone is Underway

It seems like every passing week, Meta takes another page out of TikTok Shop’s book. We all know Meta failed at their first stab at social commerce, which led to it shutting down the affiliate marketplace back in 2022. The main driver behind its failure was not being able to make the organic and affiliate models work. There was virtually no scalability from an organic post on the brand’s page or influencer’s page. Meta only really focused on Shops in paid media, but the appealing part of social commerce is through organic scalability.

This turned brands off to the idea of prioritizing Meta Shops organically. Meta Shops worked in paid media campaigns since it was as simple as clicking the button for conversion location to “Website and Shop.” This is the only reason why Meta has processed more revenue on Shops than TikTok. But TikTok is closing the gap largely due to the organic scalability of the Shopping experience: through viral posts and search results.

Meta has studied TikTok Shops over the past year and is clearly mimicking move by move. A couple weeks ago, Meta made all brands turn on checkout in the app to be able to use Shops. NOW, Meta has begun offering incentives to consumers to get a discount by purchasing and checking out all within the FB/IG apps. Sound familiar? Yes, that’s exactly what TikTok Shops has done to incentivize users to engage in social commerce.

About a month ago, I published a side-by-side comparison of TikTok Shop to Meta Shops. Since then, 3 things that Meta was lacking in comparison to TikTok Shop have now been confirmed to have been updated to match TikTok.

Take a look at the chart here, the red arrows indicate what has changed since I posted this back at the end of March:

Organic Scalability: Instagram came out last month and said that organic reach will NOT be limited by follower count. Creators of all sizes will be able to “go viral.” Here’s my tweet about it.

Influencers as Affiliates: This is coming back. Likely this year. I even know of a brand in their beta to relaunch the affiliate marketplace.

Platform Incentives: These are here already. Be prepared to see more of this, as well as even bigger incentives.

If I had to guess, Organic Search and Native Shopping Emphasis will also be updated this year to resemble that of TikTok. Will keep you updated!

3. 20 Lessons Learned in My Journey

I actually tweeted these lessons this past week and it was well-received. 700k views in a few days. Figured I’ll share it here with you in case you missed it:

My story is anything but normal.

I'm an Air Force veteran, an orthodontist, and an entrepreneur with 8-figures in exits.

Here are 20 lessons I've learned over 20 years:

1. Start before you’re ready. Waiting for the perfect moment often means missing out. Don’t get stuck in doubt; take action early and be ready to adapt.

2. Embrace change. My military background taught me that adaptability is not just useful but necessary. Whether it's technology or market shifts, embracing change has been crucial.

3. Routines are powerful. A solid morning routine sets my day up for success, increasing productivity and focus.

4. Listen more than you speak. Orthodontics and business have one golden rule in common: listening to people and understanding their needs leads to better solutions.

5. Fail forward. Every failure is a lesson. I've learned not to fear failure, but to use it as a stepping stone to refine my strategies and approaches.

6. Build genuine relationships. Relationships have been my most valuable asset. Investing time in genuine connections has paid dividends in ways I never expected.

7. Leverage your unique skills: Combining skills from different parts of my life has given me an edge. Don’t silo your experiences; integrate them into your business approach.

8. Prioritize your health. Physical fitness impacts mental clarity. Regular exercise has helped me maintain endurance through the entrepreneurial grind.

9. Never stop learning. Whether it's reading, courses, or workshops, continuous education has kept me competitive and innovative.

10. Delegate wisely. As my businesses grew, learning to delegate effectively became essential. Trust your team and focus on what you do best.

11. Know your finances. Good financial management is key. Whether in personal life or business, prudent financial practices ensure sustainability.

12. Put customers first. Understanding and meeting their needs has been foundational to my success.

13. Know your emotions. Being aware of and controlling my emotions has improved my leadership. It’s about responding, not reacting.

14. Be strategic. Plan with the end in mind. Strategic thinking has allowed me to navigate business complexities more effectively.

15. Every interaction is marketing. How you present yourself and your product can make or break your business.

16. Resilience is crucial. Everyone gets knocked down sometimes. Get up, brush yourself off, and get back in the action.

17. Transparency builds trust. Honesty in business cultivates trust and long-term relationships.

18. Be patient. Success doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience, persistence, and a lot of hard work.

19. Find balance. Time management benefits both personal life and business. You have to make time for both.

20. Be a visionary. Lead your team with vision and passion. That passion is contagious and will inspire others to be better.

There are probably another 80 lessons I can share, but I’ll leave that for another day.

Should You Get a 2nd Opinion Prior to a Dental Procedure?

A little bit of dental action today. So, “Gator Dentist” is actually a good friend of mine. He will not be named. But he is the best follow on 𝕏 for random dental knowledge. He’s even helped the largest health/biohacking influencer on earth (Andrew Huberman) with dental content for his podcast.

This past week, Gator Dentist posted a situation that unfortunately happens far too often in the world of dentistry. He had a patient come in with a treatment plan from another dentist that had 10 cavity fillings planned. He reviewed the plan and examined her and concluded that she actually had no cavities. Therefore, no fillings were ACTUALLY required.

Listen- dental tuition is expensive these days, as is rent for a clinic in a city. Some of these dentists try to find shortcuts to financial prosperity and unfortunately financial gain and ethical patient care are often at odds.

Unnecessary work being prescribed to extract money from you is rampant these days. Some of this stuff won't HURT you, but it'll hurt your wallet.

If your general dentist is "KILLING IT," chances are he/she's up to no good.

Here are the most overprescribed unnecessary treatments to look out for:

- filling "cavities"... especially ones that've been stagnant for years (be careful when moving to new dentist that they don't treatment plan you for a filling on an arrested cavity)

- replacement of fillings

- crowns vs fillings

- 4 quadrants of scaling/root planing vs. regular cleaning

- adjuncts to your cleanings like local antibiotic therapy

- night guards

Of course the above treatments are indicated for many people. But these are the most often abused and prescribed for people who actually DON’T need it.

There are still many incredibly ethical and talented dentists out there, you just need to know how to find them.

Hopefully you have a dentist in your network or family to help guide you.

What I’m Listening to 🎧

Beats of the Week: WHOMADEWHO @ BRAZIL HYBRID SHOW (Jan 2024)

I’m not sure if WhoMadeWho made my newsletter yet, but even if they did- this new hybrid set is a banger. I’m a big fan of their hybrid sets (when Jeppe Kjellberg sings and plays live guitar). This set was played a few months back in Brazil and will not disappoint you: vibey and melodic. A mood setter for sure. They have a unique tune that combines a little bit of Pink Floyd oddity with deep/afro house. ENJOY!

I welcome all feedback. Good, bad, everything in between.

Hit reply, and let’s hear it! 👂

📧 Share your thoughts or what you want me to cover next!