Weekly Training

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Weekly Marketing Rundown - May 3rd, 2024
Weekly Marketing Rundown - May 3rd, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about sitelinks coming to Meta Ads, Google automatically pausing low-activity keywords, and more. Let's dive in.  Meta Introduces Sitelinks for Ads Meta is rolling out an exciting update to Facebook Ads. Advertisers now can add site links to their ads within the Facebook Feed placement, a feature similar to that of Google Ads. This allows for the inclusion of multiple landing pages under a single ad's creative, enhancing the ad's interactivity and directing users to various pages directly from the ad itself. When users click on any of the site links, they are redirected to the designated landing page within the in-app browser. This will initially only be available in the Facebook feeds placement when rolled out to the public. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7191687738402684929-tpGL/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios Google Ads to Pause Low Activity Keywords Automatically Starting in June, Google Ads is set to implement a significant change by automatically pausing keywords that show low activity over the last 13 months. This update is designed to help advertisers streamline their campaigns and focus on keywords that generate more significant interactions and results. The change is aimed at optimizing ad performance by reducing clutter and focusing resources on more effective keywords. Advertisers will be notified through their Google Ads interface if any of their keywords are being paused due to inactivity, allowing them to make informed decisions about their keyword strategies. For more on this, click the link below: https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-will-pause-low-activity-keywords-starting-in-june-440085?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hootsuite&utm_content=editorial YouTube Introduces Pause Screen Ads, Starting with TV Devices YouTube is set to roll out a new ad format that will appear when viewers pause videos, initially targeting TV screens. This move marks a strategic expansion of advertising real estate, aiming to capture viewer attention during moments typically free from advertising. The pause screen ads will display static or dynamic content relevant to the viewer's interests, leveraging the moment when a viewer actively engages with the playback interface. This ad format is expected to roll out to other devices following the initial launch on TV screens, suggesting a broader strategy to monetize different user interactions across the platform. For more on this, click the link below: https://mashable.com/article/youtube-pause-screen-ads-coming-for-tvs-first Roblox to Introduce Video Ads for Users Aged 13 and Up Roblox is set to launch video advertisements accessible to its users aged 13 and older, a significant shift for the platform traditionally known for its immersive user-generated content without disruptive ads. This initiative is part of Roblox's broader strategy to tap into new revenue streams while providing advertisers with access to a largely youthful demographic. The advertisements will be integrated in a way that aims to be non-intrusive, maintaining the user experience that Roblox is known for. As of right now, Roblox has 71.5 million daily active users in the 13 and older age group.  For more on this, click on the link below: https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/roblox-video-ads-users-13-and-up-1235987232/ Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: May 3rd, 2024
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Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 26th, 2024
Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 26th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about changes to location targeting on Google Ads, a likely TikTok ban in the United States, and more. Let's dive in.  Google's Two-Hop Proxy Development Raises Concerns and Implications for Advertisers Google is in the process of developing a two-hop proxy for Chrome users aimed at enhancing user privacy, but this move introduces significant implications for advertisers. The proxy, which masks user IP addresses to protect their identities, has three major consequences: First, it restricts ad location targeting to only broad regions predefined by Google, resulting in less precise targeting capabilities. Second, as it obscures user identities, advertisers will face challenges distinguishing between genuine users and bot traffic. Third, Google’s control over the collection of location data may lead to increased costs for advertisers as the company could monopolize valuable geolocation insights. This development is pivotal as the two-hop proxy will be exclusive to Chrome, granting Google a monopoly over this advanced privacy feature. Competing search engines will lack access to similar data, potentially sidelining them in the search ad market and impacting competitive dynamics. Google justifies the use of IP-based geolocation within this framework to comply with local regulations and to enhance content relevance, including geo-targeting for ads. However, while user data will be more private from advertisers, Google itself will still access this data, raising concerns about true privacy. For more on this, click the link below: https://searchengineland.com/google-chrome-ip-masking-439820?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hootsuite&utm_content=editorial TikTok's Potential Sale or Ban: Key Points  President Biden has signed a significant legislative package that includes a clause potentially leading to the ban of TikTok in the U.S. unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance, divests its stake within the next 9 months. The requirement for ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok stems from concerns that the Chinese government could access the personal data of millions of U.S. TikTok users. If ByteDance fails to sell, TikTok could face a ban, significantly impacting the platform's operations and its large user and business base in the U.S.  TikTok has ~170 million users in the U.S. and has become a huge piece of many marketers' digital strategies. Barring any big developments, it'll be business as usual for TikTok advertisers for the remainder of the year. However, if the result of this ends up being a ban, most TikTok users will likely shift to watching content on Reels and YouTube Shorts, though some other platforms could certainly compete. TikTok has already said they will be launching a legal battle against this legislation.  For more on this, click the links below: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/congress-biden-bill-ban-tiktok-when-2024-election-rcna148792 https://www.fastcompany.com/91112180/what-u-s-could-learn-indias-tiktok-ban Threads Reaches 150 Million Monthly Active Users  Meta's Threads has recently surpassed 150 million monthly active users, showing significant growth from 130 million in just two months. Meta originally planned to introduce paid advertisements on Threads only after reaching a user base in the hundreds of millions, but recent reports indicate that this could happen much sooner, possibly within the second half of this year. The acceleration in advertising integration reflects Meta's confidence in Threads' growth trajectory and its potential to reach 200 million users by October.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/threads-now-up-150-million-monthly-active-users/714239/ Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: April 26th, 2024
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Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 19th, 2024
Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 19th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about new updates to Meta Ads, premium placement ads for YouTube shorts, and more. Let's dive in.  Meta Ads Updates from This Week - Meta is introducing 'Instagram Profile Reels' as an ad placement. This would have ads show up within the reels feed of public Instagram accounts.  - You can now access Region-wide reports for Advantage+ App Campaigns - A new Facebook group reporting preset, including statistics such as 'Join group requests' and 'Cost per join group request' For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitaladvertising-digitalmarketing-activity-7185907985959768064-lAw4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Premium Placement Option for Ads on YouTube Shorts YouTube is enhancing its advertising offerings with the introduction of "YouTube Select Shorts," a new feature designed to help advertisers secure prime ad placements alongside the platform’s top-performing Shorts content. This option allows brands to specifically choose their ads to appear with the best Shorts in five distinct categories: Entertainment, Beauty, Fashion & Lifestyle, Food & Recipes, Gaming, and Automotive. This targeted approach gives advertisers greater control over their Shorts promotions and maximizes exposure to viewers within specific interest niches. YouTube reports that Shorts now attracts 2 billion logged-in users each month For more on this, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-launches-premium-placement-option-for-shorts-ads/713524/ Threads Expected to Have Ads This Year Meta is set to introduce advertising on Threads, its text-based platform and rival to X, earlier than anticipated. Industry insiders have revealed that marketers could start buying ads on Threads as early as the second half of this year, according to information shared with ad executives. This development marks Meta's continued expansion of its advertising landscape just over a year after Threads was launched. While the specifics of how these ads will be integrated into Threads remain under wraps, discussions so far have focused more on the timeline of the rollout rather than the exact details of the ad placements. For more on this, click the link below: https://digiday.com/marketing/metas-threads-expected-to-have-ads-this-year/ The European Data Protection Board Issues Guidance Impacting Ad Platforms The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has released new guidance with significant implications for adtech giants like Meta and other large platforms operating in the European Union. The guidance addresses the contentious issue of "consent or pay" models used by some platforms to obtain user consent for data processing. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has been requiring users in the EU to consent to being tracked and profiled for ad targeting purposes since November 2023, or opt to pay a monthly subscription fee for ad-free services. However, the EDPB views this binary choice as potentially problematic, citing concerns about an imbalance of power between individuals and data controllers. Despite Meta's claims that its subscription model complies with EU laws, the EDPB's opinion challenges the notion that the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) explicitly sanctioned such models. The Board emphasizes that the CJEU's ruling did not focus centrally on subscription models and suggests that Meta's interpretation may be flawed.  The EDPB's guidance as of now is simply an opinion, though it is certainly possible that the EU makes that opinion law before too long.  For more on this, click the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/17/edpb-consent-or-pay-opinion/?guccounter=1 Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: April 19th, 2024
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Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 12th, 2024
Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 12th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about changes to search trends with young adults, Meta's new info hub for developers, and more. Let's dive in.  Gen Z Increasingly Using Social Media as a Search Engine Gen Z is increasingly turning to social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube for their search needs, marking a significant shift from the Google-centric approach favored by millennials. This generation, having grown up in the era of social media, finds social platforms more relatable and quicker to provide answers. According to research from YPulse, only 46% of young adults aged 18-24 start their searches on Google, compared to 58% of those aged 25-39. Meanwhile, 21% begin their searches on TikTok, and 5% on YouTube. This change in search behavior presents a challenge for Google, a company still largely dependent on ad revenue from search results. The move towards social media is attributed to these platforms becoming more than just a space for connecting with friends; they've transformed into a rich source of varied information. Google's response to this shift has been to enhance its AI-driven search features and introduce new tools to keep younger users engaged. The company recently expanded its AI-powered Search Generative Experience and reported high satisfaction scores from the 18-24 age group. Google also launched features that highlight forum results, such as those from Reddit, and a 'Follow' option for personalized updates on chosen topics. However, dissatisfaction with Google's search results is growing, particularly due to the prominence of low-quality, well-optimized content in search rankings. This problem is potentially exacerbated by the rise in AI-generated content, blurring the line between genuine content and spam. As generative AI continues to evolve, these challenges highlight the need for search engines to adapt to changing user preferences and the growing reliance on social media for information discovery. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.axios.com/2024/04/11/google-gen-z-search-engines-tiktok-youtube Meta Launches New Info Hub for Developers Meta is introducing a new hub aimed at guiding developers on complying with rules and regulations while using its API. The “Responsible Platform Initiatives” hub encompasses a variety of explainers and guides designed to assist developers in creating apps that are safe, compliant, and respectful of user data privacy. The hub is positioned as a tool to help developers understand and mitigate risks associated with data breaches and compliance with data security standards. Additionally, it offers guidelines on appropriate data usage and user privacy, ensuring developers are updated on the evolving privacy landscape. This initiative is a response to past challenges faced by Meta, particularly highlighted by the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2016, where it was revealed that excessive user data was accessed and misused. Following this, Meta faced a record $5 billion fine by the F.T.C. for privacy violations and significantly tightened its data access policies. The new hub represents Meta's efforts to provide controlled system access while maintaining user data safety. This includes the recent rollout of a series of video tutorials to help developers navigate the Meta developer platform and adhere to the requirements for accessing Metadata. The Responsible Developer Hub is a crucial part of Meta’s broader strategy to ensure responsible usage of its platform, providing developers with the necessary resources to navigate Meta’s system requirements effectively. For more on this, click on the links below: https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2024/04/10/new-developer-platform-resources/ https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-launches-info-hub-ensure-developers-operate-rules/712865/ Insights into YouTube's Algorithm (HootSuite) Algorithms on all digital platforms have made significant shifts in the last few years, and YouTube is no exception. The YouTube algorithm is designed to provide personalized content for each user, with its recommendations based on several key elements. These include the user's previous video interactions, such as videos they’ve enjoyed, topics or channels they frequently watch, and common viewing patterns among users. For instance, if a user watches a detailed video about a specific topic and interacts with it through likes or comments, the algorithm will likely recommend more content in that vein. Statistically, this personalized approach has led to a diverse range of homepages for users, with content varying dramatically based on individual preferences and behaviors. Essentially, two users could use an identical search query and have different videos pop up in their results due to differences in their on-platform behavior.  In terms of performance metrics, YouTube's algorithm evaluates whether people actually watch the recommended videos, the duration of their viewership, and the level of engagement through likes, dislikes, and survey results. Region-specific factors like language and time also influence recommendations. With the rising popularity of YouTube Shorts, which see nearly 70 billion daily views, the algorithm’s approach shifts slightly. Shorts' recommendations depend on user engagement and history, but watch time is less significant than in traditional YouTube videos. The focus is on the variety of content as users swipe through, and a secret threshold determines what counts as a meaningful view. For creators, quality and storytelling are crucial for Shorts. The algorithm also considers user interest in similar Shorts content. YouTube's data shows that quality content in Shorts can initially gain significant attention, but popularity can fluctuate based on audience reception. As YouTube continues to evolve, it aims to further integrate Shorts with its broader platform, reflecting a growing trend toward short-form, vertical video content. For more on this, click to read the link below: https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-the-youtube-algorithm-works/ Snapchat Partners with Snowflake and AppsFlyer to Build Private and Effective Ad Solutions Snap has unveiled a new partnership and integration with Snowflake, positioning itself as a key mobile platform partner for Snowflake’s Marketing Data Cloud. This integration will introduce Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), including Snowflake Data Clean Rooms, to offer encrypted, privacy-safe, and effective advertising solutions and signal measurement for advertisers. The Snowflake Marketing Data Cloud enables organizations to streamline complex marketing technology architectures, delivering improved customer experiences and maximizing return on investment. It allows marketers to work from a unified customer view, utilize privacy-preserving collaboration, access native AI capabilities, and employ leading marketing and advertising data applications to manage their entire marketing lifecycle. The integration with Snapchat, rolling out in the upcoming months, will simplify the implementation of Snap’s Conversions API (CAPI) for Snowflake clients, enabling quicker setup and seamless sharing of targeting and conversion data to enhance Snapchat campaign performance. In addition to Snowflake, Snap is also excited to partner with AppsFlyer on a privacy-focused measurement solution. This collaboration will provide Snapchat advertisers with a deeper understanding of Snap’s performance within Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) attribution for iOS campaigns. Leveraging PETs such as Data Clean Rooms and advanced encryption, Snap becomes the first and only AppsFlyer partner to implement this level of privacy encryption. Early tests of this new measurement solution showed a significant increase in iOS conversions and a decrease in cost-per-app-install for Snap campaigns, according to AppsFlyer. Following this success, Snap is exploring the expansion of this solution to other MMPs. Snapchat has also enhanced its CAPI signal solution, accessible to any advertiser on the platform, with global expansion through third-party providers and improvements like easier setup, better support for Dynamic Product and Travel Ads, and richer data integration. These updates have shown substantial improvements in purchase attribution and cost efficiency. In the near future, Snap plans to release an improved version of its Event Quality Score (EQS) to provide more precise signal health insights and personalized recommendations for advertisers. These partnerships and enhancements underscore Snap’s commitment to helping advertisers maintain effective campaign performance while prioritizing user privacy. For more on this, click the link below: https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/blog/future-proofing-your-ads-on-snapchat New Meta Ads Updates from This Week Here are a few of the most notable Meta Ads updates from this week: - You can now include a website link when creating a Reminder Ad - Meta is introducing the ability to opt into receiving notifications on Messenger about your ad or ad account. Be careful if you decide to opt into this. There has been a large amount of scam messages hitting people's inboxes claiming to be from Meta, in some cases even from verified accounts that had been hacked.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7183444871213424644/ Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: April 12th, 2024
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Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 4th, 2024
Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 4th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about Meta's new opportunity score, Google removing access to the universal analytics interface, and more. Let's dive in.  Partnership: The Discover Jesus Initiative (DJI) Our team at Kavanah Media has been working closely with multiple organizations in a coalition we call the Discover Jesus Initiative (DJI). DJI is a digital engagement effort to make Jesus known, identify seekers, and connect them with on-the-ground follow-up in some of the most unreached countries around the world. The coalition is continuing to grow and we'd love for you to get involved. For more information on how you can partner with DJI, click the link below: https://www.discoverjesusinitiative.org/ Meta Introduces the "Opportunity Score" This week, Meta has started to roll out what they call the "opportunity score" across ad accounts worldwide. The opportunity score is an automated rating from 0-100 based on how optimized your ad campaigns are. For those of you with experience running Google Ads, this is very similar to Google's optimization score. Applying recommendations from Meta will increase your score. As of now, the opportunity score will not change how your ads are served (reach, CPMs, etc. are unaffected). It doesn't hurt to check the recommendations, but as you look through them don't forget that you know more about your context than Meta does. Not all recommendations are bad, but some are, so make sure to think critically when examining your score.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.jonloomer.com/opportunity-score/#:~:text=What%20Is%20It%3F,%2C%20ad%20set%2C%20or%20ad. Google Will Be Removing Access to Universal Analytics Properties Starting July 1st, nobody will be able to access their past Universal Analytics properties. This is part of what has been a long-term shift away from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4. July 1st will mark 1 year since Universal Analytics properties stopped processing hits, though all of that previous data has been accessible and will continue to be till July. If there is data in your past UA property that you still want on hand, you need to export it soon before you lose access.  For more on this, click the link below: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11583528?hl=en#:~:text=Google%20Analytics%204%20is%20our,starting%20on%20July%201%2C%202024. LinkedIn Announces CTV and Live Event Ads This past week at the NYC Marketing Summit, LinkedIn unveiled a few big updates to its ad platform. Coming soon, advertisers will be able to launch connected TV (CTV) campaigns on NBC Universal, Samsung, and Roku platforms. In addition to the CTV update, LinkedIn also announced they are testing a new ad format called "Live Event Ads". Live event ads would be used to promote events before, during, and after their occurrence. As of now, LinkedIn has ~1 billion worldwide users.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2024/04/03/linkedin-ctv-ads-marketing-summit Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: April 4th, 2024
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Weekly Marketing Rundown - March 29th, 2024
Weekly Marketing Rundown - March 29th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about a new WhatsApp extension being tested with Google Ads, Meta Ads metrics in development, and more. Let's dive in.  Google Ads is Testing a WhatsApp Messaging Extension  Google Ads has begun testing a new search ads extension that would allow people to start a WhatsApp conversation with one click directly from the ad. This is very similar to the messaging ad function with Meta Ads. The feature is currently being tested on some ad accounts in India, with a worldwide rollout hopefully coming sometime this year.  For more on this, click on the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_whatsapp-googleads-ppc-activity-7177941024898437120-DZZr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Google Analytics Rolls Out Update for Unified Conversion Measurement  Google Analytics is introducing an update that promises some positive changes for the measurement platform. This update aligns how conversions—actions like email sign-ups and purchases—are defined in both Google Ads and Analytics, providing a consistent view of advertising performance across Google platforms. The term 'key events' in Google Analytics will replace what has been called conversions for behavioral analytics. These key events are designed to help site and app owners measure crucial user behaviors more consistently. With this change, conversions will be uniformly represented whether viewed in Google Ads reporting or Google Analytics reports. This addresses long-standing discrepancies in conversion reporting between the two platforms, a major improvement for marketers. Conversions in existing reports and exploration modules in Google Analytics will now be considered key events, enabling businesses to identify and analyze the most important customer actions.  For more on this, click the link below: https://blog.google/products/marketingplatform/analytics/evolving-google-analytics-for-more-insightful-measurement/ New Metrics in Development for Meta Ads  Meta has been quietly developing a few new metrics for ad reporting. Here are a few of the most notable: - 3, 5, and 7 Second Dwells: The number of times your display ad is completely visible, or covers at least 50% of someone's screen, for at least 3, 5, or 7 seconds.  - 2, 3, and 5 Message exchanges: The number of times a messaging conversation reaches 2, 3, or 5 back-and-forth exchanges with your page, attributed to your ads.  - Returning messaging contacts: The number of accounts that messaged your business in a given time period and any prior time period, attributed to your ads. This won't include returning messaging contacts on WhatsApp, or those delivered in Europe or Japan. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7178644868917800960-0Sfy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Google Ads 2023 Safety Report Google has published its annual Ads Safety Report, detailing its efforts to maintain a trustworthy and safe digital advertising ecosystem. A significant focus in 2023 was on the impact of generative AI on the digital advertising industry. This technology, while bringing exciting changes like performance optimization and image editing, also posed new challenges. Google says they have been proactive in addressing these challenges, particularly in enhancing enforcement efforts. Large Language Models (LLMs) have been instrumental in their efforts, providing rapid content review capabilities that surpass traditional machine learning models.  Last year alone, Google blocked 5.5 billion ads, as well as 12.7 million ad accounts for violating their policies.  For more on this, click the links below: Press release: https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/google-ads-safety-report-2023/#election-integrity Report PDF: https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/ads_safety_report_2023.pdf Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: March 29th, 2024