Weekly Training

Aldification. A word we just made up, but also a concept about doing less to see more results. The supermarket Aldi is a great example of this and one that we can learn from in our digital engagement efforts. To watch this content, go to: https://youtu.be/7ssJ_P_DMNw

Weekly Marketing Rundown - September 15th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about a potential shift in social media companies' ability to moderate content, Meta verified for businesses, and a new plugin integrating WordPress with the fediverse. Let's dive in.  The Supreme Court and the Future of Social Media Moderation Coming this next week, the United States Supreme Court will have to decide on whether or not to hear a case about social media companies' rights to lawfully remove content that violates their terms of service. This comes to the Supreme Court in the form of two cases. A ruling in the state of Texas stated that social media companies can't remove content that violates their rules, while a recent ruling in Florida stated that they can.  This has the potential to radically shift the social media landscape. If the Supreme Court hears the case and finds that companies can't remove content that violates their rules, it would likely trigger one of the biggest shifts in the history of social media use. Legal precedent appears to be on the side of the social media companies, but only time will tell how this specific situation will pan out.  For more on this, click the read the article below: https://news.yahoo.com/future-of-social-media-headed-for-supreme-court-220202010.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACWPoTU1NwE2Mau-osznLlFlIa-5k2R-_tnwvAozIFViprWqvmX974f4R8MQ7_oIeMvoAQyWhvckrw1o1GS4dn_9P0QESmlSvJm61pynnWeggO9sTRcM1dQRv-38l9p3JQUuRGAf5ChJjAvWbOrkZbVgix7vxQl07xvFyxpytBX6&guccounter=2 Meta Verified Coming to Businesses Meta is expanding Meta Verified to businesses on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Businesses can purchase a subscription for $21.99/month per Facebook page or Instagram account or $34.99/month for both. The program offers a badge, better reach, and impersonation protection. Eligibility criteria include phone, email, or domain name verification and minimum activity. The program aims to give users better placement in search results and recommendations. The new feature should start rolling out in the next few weeks. For more on this, click the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/19/meta-is-expanding-its-verification-program-to-businesses/ WordPress is Coming to the Fediverse WordPress recently released version 1.0.0 of the ActivityPub plugin, allowing bloggers to connect their WordPress sites to other social media platforms on the fediverse like Mastodon. This plugin enables bloggers to receive updates from all authors on their blogs and lets users follow bloggers on other platforms and see their posts directly on those feeds. Within 15 minutes, published posts will appear in your home feed. The plugin is compatible with many tested federated platforms. For those of you who don't know, the fediverse is a decentralized social network that allows users to have an account on one service and post on other services. For more on this, click the link below: https://mashable.com/article/wordpress-activitypub-fediverse 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 links below.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavanahmedia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78328025/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavanahMedia   Authors: Sean Ralls and Joel Overstreet Article Published: September 22nd, 2023

Weekly Marketing Rundown - September 15th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about outages within Meta ads, phishing attacks targeting business accounts as well as updated plans for WhatsApp and Instagram. Let's dive in.  Major Outages Across Meta Ads Earlier this week, major outages were reported all across Meta's ad suite. You may have had trouble seeing any data and in some cases found ads turned off that you hadn't touched. The issues appear to be resolved at this point. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-meta-activity-7107805435193114625-rAvy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Phishing Attacks in Facebook Messenger Targeted 100K business accounts per week Over the last few weeks, there has been an uptick in phishing attacks going after Facebook business accounts. These realistic-looking messages were being sent via compromised accounts, giving many the impression that it was Meta themselves sending the phishing message. We at Kavanah can't stress enough the importance of being vigilant when online, as well as the use of two-factor authentication to protect your accounts. For more on this, click on the link below: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/facebook-messenger-phishing-wave-targets-100k-business-accounts-per-week/ Meta Says They Are Not Planning to Add Ads on WhatsApp Contrary to a recent report by the Financial Times, Meta has stated that they are neither testing, working on, nor have any plans to include advertising on WhatsApp at this time. Many have expected Meta to include advertising on WhatsApp, which would give advertisers the ability to reach its 2 billion daily active users. Currently, Meta monetizes the app through WhatsApp business, which has over 200 million monthly active users.  For more on this, click the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/14/meta-says-not-planning-ads-on-whatsapp/?guccounter=1 Instagram Adds a Following Filter in the Reels Tab Instagram has added in a filter in it's feed allowing users to watch reels only from people they follow. For those that want to, you can switch easily by tapping the button at the top left of your screen on mobile. Ads can still appear in this new feed.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-following-filter-reels-tab/693646/ 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 links below.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavanahmedia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78328025/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavanahMedia   Authors: Sean Ralls and Joel Overstreet Article Published: September 15th, 2023

Failure is a part of life, and in this week's episode, Jon will be sharing how not only failure, but sharing about those failures, can help a community move forward and see success. To watch this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/UrTOWrxP658

In a world filled with distractions and noise, learning to find simplicity can help you and your ministry really focus in on what matters. To watch this training, go to: https://youtu.be/VzrECxYtOW4

Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about Threads, X, Instagram, and Creation Tools. Lets dive in! Is It Still Possible For Threads To Make a Big Impact On Early Interest? Let's Dive In And Find Out! Meta's Threads app reached 100 million members in a week, but its growth has significantly dropped since then. Threads has 128 million users, with only an additional 28 million members in seven weeks. Threads has only 10 million daily active users, down from its peak of 49 million DAU (daily active users) in July. X has 250 million daily active users, in comparison. Threads could still become significant, but the lack of an API and scheduling functionality is a major impediment. Meta is exploring new ways to promote Threads, but it needs to get more influential users to prioritize Threads. While Threads offers a functional alternative, it hasn't fully fleshed out its platform to become an actual replacement for Twitter. The Threads team is still working; the next shift could be key to its success. To learn more about this article, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/threads-continues-add-more-elements-seeks-capitalize-on-early-...   X Experiments With Improved Discovery for Video Live-Streams X is focusing more on video content to increase user engagement. However, it needs to improve video discovery, especially for live broadcasts. Currently, if a follower misses a tweet or post notifying them that someone they follow is streaming, there is no alert or indicator to keep them updated on in-progress streams. One way to solve this issue is by adding a notification feature for live video content. This small change could help X better showcase live video content and add more emphasis on live-streams, making it a valuable addition. To learn more about this article, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/x-experiments-improved-discovery-video-live-streams/692945/   Instagram is testing a feature to let you share feed posts just with “Close Friends” Instagram is testing a feature that lets users share feed posts with their “Close Friends” group. The feature is being tested in select countries, with no official confirmation on which ones. In the past, Instagram has launched similar features, including the ability to share Stories with a private list of “Close Friends.” What are your thoughts on the idea of sharing feed posts with only your close friends? To learn more about this article, click the link below: https://tcrn.ch/3sJeQSy   6 Ways to Level Up Your Shorts With Our Newest Creation Tools YouTube created Shorts to make it simple for creators to create and share short-form videos on YouTube. We're always adding new features to help creators be more creative, including the Collab tool, new effects and stickers, a vertical live experience, creation suggestions, Shorts playlist, and recomposition tools to turn horizontal videos into Shorts. With over 2 billion monthly viewers, Shorts continues to grow, and we're excited to see what creators do with them next! To learn the six creation tools to bring your videos to the next level, click the link below: https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/6-new-youtube-shorts-creation-tools/  

Weekly Marketing Rundown - September 1st, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about major updates to Meta ads, reels updates to Instagram, and new transparency efforts for creators on YouTube. Let's dive in  New Meta Ads Updates Meta launched a series of new ad updates this last week, some of which could have a pretty significant impact on new and existing advertisers. Here are a few of the most notable updates. The most significant update this week was the rolling out of Advantage+ Audience. This is not to be confused with advantage audience (without the +), advantage custom audience, advantage lookalike, etc. Advantage+ Audience allows Meta to choose your target audience, based on things such as pixel and conversion data. Early testing looks good, but we encourage you to test this yourself on your accounts when it becomes available to you. Additional updates include - Phone Number verification is now required for new advertisers and creators of new ad accounts - You can now view results for multiple attribution settings within ads manager - Using the traffic objective, you can now select your Instagram profile as the ad's destination. For more on these updates, read from the links below: https://www.jonloomer.com/how-advantage-plus-audience-works/? inf_contact_key=689529d80ea5b89ff70355caee4195931b0a3f0fd3ee5d9b43fb34c6613498d7 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7102189738341617667-EzMP/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios Instagram’s Testing 3-Minute and 10-Minute Reels Uploads Instagram is testing 3 and 10-minute Reels clips, which might soon allow users to upload longer videos. This is similar to TikTok's video uploads, which it rolled out last year. Instagram is essentially bringing back its retired long-form "IGTV" video option under the Reels banner. It needs to be determined whether more extended video options will be a game-changer or another tool for creators. Instagram confirmed that 10-minute videos are being tested internally but not externally yet. For more on this, click on the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagrams-testing-3-minute-10-minute-reels-uploads/692375/ YouTube Creates Remediation Program to Erase Policy Warnings Starting this week, creators on YouTube with policy violations on their account will be allowed to take an educational course and then, granted they don't violate the same policy for 90 days, will have the warnings wiped from their account. For more on this, read the article linked below: https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/29/youtube-is-giving-creators-violating-policies-a-way-to-wipe-out-their-warnings/ YouTube Demystifies the Shorts Algorithm, Views, and Answers Other Creator Questions YouTube has released a video to answer creators' questions about YouTube Shorts. The Shorts algorithm is different from the one used for long-form videos to present a more diverse feed. Not every flip is counted as a view. New features will allow creators to link their Shorts to long-form videos by September's end. For more on this, click on the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/25/youtube-demystifies-the-shorts-algorithm-views-and-answers-other-creator-questions/ 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 links below.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavanahmedia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78328025/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavanahMedia   Authors: Sean Ralls and Joel Overstreet Article Published: September 1st, 2023

Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 25th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about a new placement for Instagram ads, multiple TikTok updates, and a new YouTube search feature on the horizon. Let's dive in.  You Can Now Select "Instagram Profile" as an Ad Destination Meta is releasing a new destination option for Instagram in Ads Manager. The new ad format will show 'Visit Instagram profile' as the call to action option on the ad, with the goal of helping advertisers increase engagement and following on their profiles. As of now, this option is only available using the traffic objective. For more on this, click on the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-instagram-digitalmarketing-activity-7099636877611180032-qSPQ/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop New Report Claims that TikTok Plans to Ban Links to Outside E-commerce Sites TikTok is reportedly planning to ban outside e-commerce links, hoping to increase sales on its own TikTok Shop. Users would then only be able to buy items promoted by creators through TikTok Shop. ByteDance aims to create an international shopping business like Douyin, which had over $200 billion in merchandise volume last year. TikTok is testing a new in-app Trendy Beat shopping section. For more on this, click on the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/23/tiktok-plans-ban-links-outside-e-commerce-sites-like-amazon-new-report-claims/ TikTok Now Allowing Advertisers to Buy Ads That Appear in Search Results Earlier this week, TikTok announced a new ads placement option called "Search Ads Toggle" that will allow advertisers to place ads within the search results page. It's important to note that this placement works in line with video ad buys and is not a standalone product. Advertisers will have the option to include negative keywords to prevent ads from showing in unwanted places. The new placement has shown positive results in early testing. For more on this, click the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/22/tiktok-now-lets-brands-buy-ads-that-appear-in-the-apps-search-results/ YouTube is Testing a Search Feature That Identifies Songs Through Humming YouTube is testing a new song search feature on its Android app that allows users to discover songs by humming, singing, or recording them for three or more seconds. The platform then directs the user to relevant YouTube videos, including official music videos, user-generated content, or Shorts. For more on this, click on the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/23/youtube-tests-search-feature-users-hum-sing-identify-songs/ Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights into digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the links below.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavanahmedia  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78328025/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavanahMedia   Authors: Sean Ralls and Joel Overstreet Article Published: August 25th, 2023

Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 18th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about a new Google Ads Performance Max update, updates to Reels Ads, and more. Let's dive in.  Google Can Now Take Images From Your Product Feed to Generate Video Ads Google Ads recently released an update for performance max campaigns that now allows them to turn images from your product feed into video ads for YouTube and YouTube shorts. Google (and other platforms) have been making a push towards Ai generated content for ads over the last few months. With this being a new update, it's unclear how it will positively or negatively impact the performance of your Pmax campaigns. If you're against the concept of Google auto-generating PMax ads for you, it's important that you add your own assets for all of the available placements to ensure Google is running ads you created. For more on this, click to read the article below: https://www.ppcmastery.com/blog/tpe-55-urgent-pmax-news-end-of-feed-only Instagram is Testing a New Format for Multi-Advertiser Reels Ads. Similar to regular multi-advertiser ads, multiple ads are appearing on the screen at one time. However, in the new format, the ads are showing on their own dedicated screen, rather than in gallery form underneath an in-feed ad. It’s unclear at this time when this update will be rolled out to everyone. Advertisers do have the option to opt out if they choose. To read more about this, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagrams-testing-new-reels-display-multi-advertiser-ads/691124/ Telegram Adds a Stories Feature In a much-anticipated move, Telegram has added a stories feature for its 700 million monthly active users around the world. This feature is expected to work very similarly to the stories feature found on Meta apps and Snapchat, with a few additional features. On Telegram, you can edit your stories even after they have gone live, and more granular settings on who in your contacts can see them. For more on this, read the article below: https://dataconomy.com/2023/08/15/how-to-post-a-story-on-telegram-stories/ X, Formerly Twitter, Now Sorts Posts by Like Count on Profiles When Signed Out X (previously known as Twitter) has implemented several recent changes, including altering the sorting algorithm for logged-out users. This new system prioritizes posts based on the number of likes, which has the unintended consequence of burying recent posts and reducing the effectiveness of pinned posts. Additionally, X Pro is now exclusively available to verified subscribers, marking another significant shift under Musk's tenure. To read more about this, click below: https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/16/x-formerly-twitter-now-sorts-posts-like-count-profiles-when-signed-out/ Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights into digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the links below.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavanahmedia  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78328025/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavanahMedia   Authors: Sean Ralls and Joel Overstreet Article Published: August 18th, 2023

Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 11th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we have lots of new Meta ads updates, an update to Google Ads scripts, and a new TikTok update related to Ai generated content. Let's dive in.  9 New Meta Ads Updates - EU advertisers can now set default payer and beneficiary information for their accounts. This can be done in your ad account settings. - Suggested Ads on Advantage + shopping campaigns. - You can now combine lead forms as a browser add on for your website when running ads with a leads objective. - When you add a Custom Audience that is too small, you will now receive a prompt telling you to change or remove it. - You can now run 4-day a/b tests with catalog ads. - You can now compare attribution settings on your iOS app campaigns. - You can now run up to 3 Advantage+ app campaigns with identical targeting and optimization settings at the same time. - You can now include or exclude postal codes for Advantage+ app campaigns For more on this, click the link below https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7094671069625610240-w5FA/ TikTok Adds New Required Labels for AI-Generated Content TikTok now requires users to tag AI-generated content, especially if it shows "realistic scenes." They updated their rules on this in March and provided creators with a dedicated tag for AI-generated content. This move is ahead of other platforms like Instagram and YouTube. TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has already added AI labels to the Chinese version of the platform. Click below to learn more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-adds-new-required-labels-for-ai-generated-content/690454/ Google Ads Scripts Now Support the Ads API's "Mutate" Function This week, Google Ads rolled out an update to Google Ads Scripts now allowing advertisers to use the Ads API's mutate function. What are Google Ads Scripts? - Google Ads Scripts are pieces of javascript code used to automate functions within your Google Ads account. These automations can do things such as automatically adjusting bidding or automating reports. What is the "Mutate" Function? - To put it simply, the mutate function allows you to create, update, and remove resources at depth and specificity that was previously not supported in Google Ads. When should I use this? If a script can automate a task without losing accuracy and quality, then it is likely a smart move. However, there are some things to keep in mind before you start inserting scripts into your ad account. 1. If you are not a developer and/or don't have access to one, be extremely careful. Many scripts have the power to delete and change things in your account that would have a profound impact on your efforts. 2. You don't necessarily have to code it from scratch. Many tried and tested scripts are available for free online. We still recommend having a developer look at it and adjust the proper sections to ensure that the script works as advertised on your account. For a more detailed explanation of the update to Google Ads scripts, read the article linked below: https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-scripts-usher-in-a-new-era-with-api-access-430413 Reels Creators Angered Over Meta Revenue Share Payments Error Meta corrected notifications to short-form video creators regarding Music Revenue Sharing payouts that were mistakenly sent after a glitch in the system caused some Facebook creators to be notified that they would receive tens of thousands of dollars from the program, according to Fortune. Click below to learn more. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/reels-creators-angered-over-meta-revenue-share-payments-error/689822/ Meta Forcing Businesses to Enable Checkout with Facebook or Instagram As of August 10th, no more shops in the United States using third-party partners can be brought into Meta without having checkout with Facebook or Instagram enabled. What this essentially means is that if you are selling any products on Facebook, you need to enable the option for users to checkout within the app, rather than them clicking and being forced to checkout off-platform. This doesn't mean that you can't advertise eCommerce on your website, but simply that the option to checkout within the app is a requirement. For more on this, read the official documentation from Meta linked below: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/623552069600842 Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights into digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the links below.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavanahmedia  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78328025/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavanahMedia   Authors: Sean Ralls and Joel Overstreet Article Published: August 11th, 2023

Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 4th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we have some new updates/developments from Meta, a new lawsuit against ByteDance regarding their popular video editing app CapCut, as well as a blog post detailing every targeting option that Meta advertisers can currently use. Let's dive in. Subtle Meta Ads Targeting Update Earlier this week, Meta rolled a new update out to some ad accounts that appeared to remove the option to use manual placements. It's important to note that even if it is not visible in the normal spot on your ad account that this is still an option. All you have to do is select the dropdown that says "Show More Options." For more on this, read the post linked below https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7092080232458772480/ Meta Is Developing AI Chatbots with Over 30 Different Personalities Meta is creating AI chatbots that can communicate as various personas, such as historical figures and stereotypical characters. They are currently developing over 30 personalities, and the tools will soon be available on Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. These chatbots will be accessible within DM threads, and they are expected to launch in September. Additionally, Meta is working on visual creation tools for Instagram, text assistants for WhatsApp, and more advanced video features. Click below to learn more. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/metas-developing-ai-chatbots-over-30-different-personalities/689641/ Lawsuit Alleges ByteDance’s CapCut App Secretly Reaps Massive Amounts of User Data A proposed class action lawsuit filed in an Illinois federal court alleges that CapCut, a video editing app owned by ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, has been gathering substantial amounts of private data, including facial scans, from its 200 million active users. The data collection practices have reportedly generated significant profits and raised concerns about potential access by the Chinese government. ByteDance has been in hot water for some time now, as there have been talks of shutting down TikTok in the U.S. going on among government officials around the world for close to a year now.  For more on this, click to read the article below: https://therecord.media/capcut-privacy-lawsuit-illinois-bipa-bytedance-china How Social Media Can Build Trust and Engagement Within Your Community In today's world, social media platforms have become instrumental in establishing trust among consumers for brands. It is believed that trust in a brand has become even more crucial than ever and is based on multiple factors like quality, mission, and reputation. For more on how modern brands are using social to interact with their target audience, click the link below: https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/how-social-media-can-build-trust-and-engagement-in-your/454279 Meta Targeting Options - Blog from Jon Loomer Meta's ad platform is full of options for targeting. Some have been taken away in recent years, but still, advancements in other areas have allowed advertisers to thrive. But with all of the options still on the table, it can be hard to find the right fit for achieving your goals. Below is a blog post from Jon Loomer talking through all of the different targeting options available on Meta. Click below to learn more. https://www-jonloomer-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.jonloomer.com/meta-ads-targeting/amp/ Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights into digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the links below.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavanahmedia  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78328025/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavanahMedia   Authors: Sean Ralls and Joel Overstreet Article Published: August 4th, 2023

Weekly Marketing Rundown - July 28th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about X (aka Twitter), TikTok's new ad library, and more. Let's dive in.  Twitter is Now "X" Twitter, in a much-anticipated move, has officially rebranded its platform to "X". This is a significant step in Elon Musk's vision to turn what was formerly known as Twitter into an all-in-one super app, similar to WeChat in China. This move does not come without complications. Twitter doesn't own the rights to the name "X" - currently Microsoft and Meta own trademarks for it in two separate categories within the United States. Elon and the X legal team are likely in for a long legal battle in multiple countries around the world to protect their brand. While many new features appear to be on the horizon, for now, the only changes are the logo. All functionality remains the same as it was on Twitter. X is making an effort to regain ad partnerships and emphasize the advantages of X ads. Twitter is struggling with low ad intake, despite offering 50% discounts and threatening to remove checkmarks from brands that don't spend regularly. The company is meeting with ad partners to maintain relationships to improve revenue intake with big brands and remain confident in its ability to return to even footing and take the platform to new heights. For more on this, read the articles below https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-x-era-gets-underway-the-app-formerly-known-as-twitter/688814/ https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/x-offers-50-discounts-ad-packages-seeks-reignite-advertiser-interest/689092/ Facebook Passes 3 Billion Monthly Active Users We've all heard people say a phrase along the lines of "Nobody uses Facebook anymore". The marketing analytics have proved this isn't true for a while now, but recently released numbers from Meta have blown that assumption out of the water. According to Meta's Q2 report, Facebook has now passed 3 billion monthly active users (MAU) on the app. Daily active users (DAU) are over 2 billion as well. Other key metrics are looking good for Meta too. Their entire suite of platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads) have 3.88 billion monthly active users. Reels boasts 200 billion daily video plays across all platforms as well. For more on this, click to read the article below https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/26/facebook-3-billion-users/?guccounter=1 TikTok Launches New Ad Library Recently, TikTok released a new feature for advertisers called the ad library. Similar to Meta's, TikTok's ad library allows users to see ads that have run through a certain page. TikTok's ad library appears to have a bit more sophistication involved compared to Meta's. You can search and filter down by ad target country, ad type, ad published date, and advertiser name or keyword. It gets even better from there. From there you can see some extremely detailed settings, such as the ads reach, gender and location targeting, as well as potential audience size. For more on this, click the link below https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_tiktok-competitoranalysis-digitalmarketing-activity-7087748289952919552-k2zN/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Threads Has Seen a Significant Decline in Usage Threads, an app created by Meta to rival Twitter, has seen a decrease in user activity since its launch. This may be due to its limited features, lack of options for posting, and absence of a desktop app or account-switching functionality. However, if new features are added, it could still become a strong competitor to Twitter. Despite the recent drop in interest, the app has still managed to attract 117 million users who have created profiles. It remains to be seen whether Threads can regain its popularity. Daily active users are currently sitting around roughly 13 million.  For more on this, click the link below https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/threads-sees-significant-decline-usage-opportunity-disruption/688715/ Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights into digital marketing, make sure to follow us on our social media channels using the links below.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavanahmedia  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78328025/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavanahMedia   Authors: Sean Ralls and Joel Overstreet Article Published: July 28th, 2023