Weekly Training

Weekly Marketing Rundown - March 15th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about new updates to Meta Ads, BigQuery now allowing transfers of Facebook ads data and more. Let's dive in.  New Meta Ads Updates As usual, Meta has made a few changes to their ad platform this week. Here are a few of the most notable changes: - Meta is rolling out a new Advantage+ creative feature to automatically optimize video ads to fit Reels - Meta is rolling out Advantage detailed targeting for Traffic campaigns to more ad accounts. This update is enabled by default when optimizing for link clicks or landing page views in Traffic campaigns and can't be turned off.  - Coming later this year, Reminder ads will become available in Reels. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7173649365314486276-0vx0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios BigQuery Now Allows Data Transfers from Facebook Ads BigQuery, an enterprise data management tool from Google has added support for data transfers from Facebook Ads. Previously, connecting data from Facebook ads to BigQuery required either a third-party connection tool or a manual CSV upload. Now you can connect them directly with data refreshing as often as every 15 minutes, with the default being 24 hours.  For more on this, click on the link below: https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/facebook-ads-transfer EU Pressures Tech Giants to Combat Deepfakes The European Union is cracking down on deepfakes – fake videos, images, and audio made using artificial intelligence. They're asking big tech companies like Google, Facebook, and X to show how they deal with these fakes, especially because they could be used to mess with elections. These companies have until April 5 to explain their plans for stopping the spread of fake news right before elections, a concern heightened by reports of foreign groups, like some from Russia, using social media to influence votes. Like most social media policy shifts, whether it be mandated by the government or done proactively by the companies themselves, this has the potential to affect marketing abilities on the platforms. Virtually all major social media companies have been hit with major fines due to election-related issues in the past, so expect heightened scrutiny on your content throughout this year.  For more on this, click on the link below: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/14/eu-calls-on-tech-firms-outline-plans-to-tackle-deepfakes-amid-election-fears-google-facebook-x Instagram is Allowing Up to 15 Photos in a Single Post Instagram has started to roll out an update that increased the limit of photos that can be used in a single post from 10 to 15. This hasn't hit every account globally yet, but is expected to soon. In many places, less is more when it comes to results in your digital efforts, but don't be afraid to experiment to see what works best in your context. 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 15th, 2024

In this episode, Jon will be sharing real world examples of Phishing attacks and ways that you can help protect yourself, your ministry, and the seekers that the Lord is bringing to you. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/xwYomERQstM

Weekly Marketing Rundown - March 8th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about Kavanah Media's new ad resources page, Google's March 2024 core update, and more. Let's dive in.  Kavanah Media's New Ad Resources Page Our team here at Kavanah Media has been working hard on an improved ad resources product, bringing ready-made campaigns for teams' digital engagement efforts all over the world. All of the resources are free to use, and all ads found on the site have been used successfully by field teams. On the page, you'll be able to filter by multiple languages, topics, campaign types, and media sources to find ready-to-use content for your context. All content is available to use free of charge.  We are still actively adding campaigns, so make sure to check back periodically for more. You can access the site at the link below: https://resources.kavanahmedia.com/ Google's March 2024 Core Update Google has initiated the rollout of its March 2024 core update, the first major algorithm update of the year, aimed at significantly improving the quality of content in its search results. Google has stated that this update is expected to reduce unhelpful content in Google Search by 40%. This update is more complex than usual, involving enhancements to several components of Google's core system, and is anticipated to take up to a month for complete deployment. According to Chris Nelson from the Search Quality team at Google, this update includes changes to multiple core systems and is likely to cause more fluctuations in rankings than regular updates as these systems update and interact with each other. The March 2024 core update marks a departure from Google's previous updates by refining how it identifies unhelpful webpages, aiming to reduce low-quality, unoriginal content created primarily for search engines. Google also emphasized its commitment to content quality, focusing on offering more helpful results using innovative signals and approaches. Additionally, Google will no longer announce new helpful content updates separately, as the helpful content system has now been integrated into the core update system. To maintain or improve rankings, Google advises content creators and SEO specialists to focus on producing helpful, reliable content for people rather than just for search engine rankings. Alongside this core update, Google announced the March 2024 spam update, targeting scaled content abuse and expired domain abuse, and introduced a new policy against site reputation abuse, often referred to as "Parasite SEO." These updates reflect Google's ongoing effort to enhance the quality of its search results and discourage practices aimed at manipulating rankings. For more on this, click to read the link below: https://searchengineland.com/google-released-massive-search-quality-improvements-with-march-2024-core-update-and-multiple-spam-updates-438144?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hootsuite&utm_content=editorial US House Panel Advances Bill That Could Ban TikTok US Government officials, as well as many around the world, have expressed concerns about TikTok for years, but it's primarily just been talk until now. On Thursday, a US House panel unanimously advanced a bill forward for a full House of Representatives vote that, if enacted, would likely lead to a ban on TikTok in the US.  The bill, if passed, would do two things. The first is that it would require TikTok owner ByteDance to divest TikTok and other owned apps (CapCut for example) within 180 days, or the apps would be banned. The other thing the bill creates is the ability for the President to cut off access to any app owned by a "foreign adversary" if they believe it poses a threat to national security.  In response, TikTok sent push notifications to all users in the US that included a call to action button that calls their state representative. There are currently 170 million TikTok users in the US alone. For more on this, click to read the article below: https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bill-support-congress-china-data-f1ec5b720bb68884c6423c62f314dcff Google Introduces 'Meridian': A New Open Source Tool for Marketing Measurement Google is responding to the challenges marketers face in measuring the impact of their advertising across different channels, especially with changing privacy laws and varying user behavior. Many advertisers are now using Marketing Mix Models (MMMs) to better understand their marketing efforts. Google's new project, 'Meridian,' is an open-source MMM tool that aims to make analysis more accurate and easier to use. It's designed to work with modern privacy standards and provides advanced methods for measuring marketing success. Meridian will include features to help experiment with different approaches, linking marketing efforts to actual results, and providing tips on measuring online search advertising. Meridian is unique because it's open-source. The tool will help marketers make better decisions by giving them detailed data and suggestions for how to use their marketing budget across different channels. Google will also provide data from YouTube and other sources to help with this. To support users, Meridian comes with lots of documentation and the option to get help from Google and its partners. Currently available in limited release, Google plans to make Meridian available to all marketers and data scientists soon.  For more on this, click to read the link below: https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/meridian/ 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 8th, 2024

In this episode, Jon will be sharing a brand new, multi-lingual ad resource available from Kavanah Media. This free library of ads and campaigns, will be continuing to grow each week as hundreds of campaigns are added. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/jjtJHJHlluA

Weekly Marketing Rundown - March 1st, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about new Meta updates, changes to the LinkedIn algorithm, and more. Let's dive in.  New Meta Updates As usual, Meta has introduced a few new updates to their platforms. Here are a few of the most notable: - Meta is sunsetting the chat plugin for websites on May 9th of this year. The m.me links will still work for those of you who use them. - Some detailed targeting options are being discontinued on March 18th, 2024. This may include interests, demographics, and behaviors. You will see a notice in Ads Manager if your ad sets still use these options. For more on this, click the links below: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1661027437357021 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7168871200520134656/ LinkedIn is Making Changes to its Algorithm  LinkedIn has recently announced updates to its content distribution algorithm, emphasizing a shift towards more valuable, evergreen content and a move away from clickbait strategies. These changes are aimed at enhancing the user experience and content relevancy on the platform. The new focus is on maximizing the value of posts rather than their timeliness, potentially allowing content to remain relevant and visible for longer periods. For example, a detailed post on a niche topic like beverage marketing could now stay active in users' feeds for months or even years, especially when it aligns with their interests. This strategic shift aligns with LinkedIn's mission to connect professionals to economic opportunities by facilitating the sharing of niche, valuable content that aids in professional growth. LinkedIn members are advised to concentrate on sharing unique insights and knowledge, rather than following posting trends like optimal times or post lengths. The platform is also moving away from the style of posting with spaced-out sentences designed to trigger the "Read more" prompt, which used to be interpreted as positive engagement by the algorithm. LinkedIn has adjusted its algorithm to no longer consider these 'read more' clicks as a valuable engagement metric. New Call-To-Action (CTA) button options for user profiles were introduced as well, including a "Subscribe to My Newsletter" button and the expansion of the newsletter product. This expansion of features and shift in focus towards evergreen, value-driven content provides a framework for users and companies to strategize their LinkedIn content for more effective engagement and longer-term results. For more on this, click to read the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-shares-insights-into-latest-feed-algorithm-updates/708710/ Meta's 'Consent or Pay' Model in the EU Faces New Criticism Meta's controversial decision to charge users in the European Union for an ad-free experience on Facebook and Instagram unless they consent to data tracking has triggered a wave of complaints from consumer rights groups. Meta, which charges €9.99 per month on web and €12.99 per month on mobile, presents EU users with a stark choice: pay for privacy or "pay" with their privacy by agreeing to tracking. This move has led to eight consumer rights groups across the EU filing complaints under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These groups, coordinated by the European consumer organization BEUC, argue that Meta's 'consent or pay' choice fails to provide valid consent as required by law, which should be free, specific, informed, and unambiguous. They claim Meta keeps consumers in the dark about its data processing, rendering the choice between payment and consent meaningless. The complaints accuse Meta of violating GDPR principles like purpose limitation, data minimization, fair processing, and transparency. They assert that Meta has no valid legal basis for processing personal data for ad targeting and that its business model is fundamentally incompatible with European data protection law. BEUC's deputy director general, Ursula Pachl, criticizes Meta for its "unfair" model that amounts to commercial surveillance, urging data protection authorities to intervene. The complaints also question the legality of Meta's content personalization and profiling for advertising purposes, highlighting issues like a lack of transparency and the misuse of dominant positions to force consent. The GDPR allows for significant penalties, including orders to stop unlawful processing, which could potentially lead to a reform of Meta's privacy-hostile business models. This controversy comes amid broader concerns about Meta's compliance with other EU regulations like the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, which have stringent rules for processing personal data and consent. For more on this, click to read the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/28/meta-consent-or-pay-consumer-gdpr-complaints/ YouTube Expands 'Create' App to More Locations YouTube is broadening the reach of its 'Create' app, a standalone mobile application designed for content creators, to over a dozen new countries, including Brazil, Spain, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and others. This expansion follows the app's initial beta launch last fall and brings the total number of markets with access to Create to 21. Originally available on Android in the U.S. and selected markets, Create aims to provide creators with an easy-to-use suite of free tools for on-the-go video production. Announced at YouTube’s Create event, the app addresses challenges such as video editing and the use of creative tools like stickers, GIFs, and effects, directly competing with TikTok's built-in creative tools and AI filters. Create's features are tailored to meet the needs of both novice and experienced creators. Users can upload clips, split and trim videos, apply various effects, and use royalty-free music that syncs with their video clips, similar to TikTok's functionality. Another innovative feature, Audio Cleanup, uses a denoising model to enhance audio quality by reducing background noise in clips recorded on smartphones. The app also includes a voiceover tool with automatic and editable captions, offering various styling options for the text. This expansion of YouTube's toolkit aims to capture a larger share of creators who prefer standalone editing tools. For example, although TikTok offers a range of built-in effects, many creators use ByteDance’s CapCut app for preparing their TikTok videos. Similarly, Create offers a streamlined process for those focusing on publishing content on YouTube. The app's availability now extends to new markets including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey, in addition to its initial launch locations. Youtube Create is still not available on iOS.   For more on this, click to read the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/28/youtubes-create-app-a-competitor-to-tiktoks-creative-tools-expands-to-13-more-markets/ 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 1st, 2024

In this episode, Jon will be sharing some ideas about how to build an online spiritual community from your digital engagement efforts. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/9vQMVdlzY24

Weekly Marketing Rundown - February 23rd, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about a GA4 update improving advertising analytics, dynamic tracking parameters on LinkedIn ads, and more. Let's dive in.  Google Analytics Revamps Advertising Section for Enhanced Reporting and Insights Google Analytics is introducing significant updates to its Advertising section, aiming to optimize reporting processes for both advertisers and publishers. The update includes quite a bit of reorganization, requiring account linking for access and relocating the Publisher ads report into the Advertising section. This restructuring is designed to deliver more personalized insights by integrating behavioral data with advertising and publisher metrics. The changes, effective from today, involve the centralization of various reports and features into the Advertising section of GA4. This section will now require a linked account from one of Google's platforms such as Google Ads, AdSense, AdMob, Google Ad Manager, or Google Marketing Platform. This change is being designed to hopefully simplify access but also create a unified hub for monitoring and analyzing campaigns.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7166493468138135552/ LinkedIn Introduces Campaign-Level URL Tracking Parameters LinkedIn has introduced a significant update by adding a dedicated field for URL Tracking Parameters at the campaign level, a feature long-awaited by advertisers. It allows for the application of any chosen UTM parameters to all creatives within a campaign, simplifying tracking. Advertisers can also now use dynamic parameters, such as creative ID, to enable LinkedIn to automatically apply specific IDs to each creative, thus eliminating the need for different UTM parameters for each creative. This enhancement streamlines the tracking process, making it more efficient and insightful for LinkedIn ad campaigns. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7166444436506292225/ Meta Tests Cross-Posting Feature to Boost Content on Threads Meta is exploring new ways to enhance content creation by testing a cross-posting feature that would allow Facebook users to post simultaneously to both Facebook and Threads. This feature, previously available for cross-posting from Facebook to Instagram, aims to simplify the content-sharing process for users. Currently, the test is limited to iOS users outside the EU and enables the sharing of both text and link posts from Facebook to Threads. This development could significantly benefit content creators who frequently share media and text updates, as it reduces the need to post on multiple platforms separately. By integrating Threads more closely with Meta’s broader app ecosystem, this feature has the potential to increase the user base and activity on Threads, particularly given Meta's extensive reach of 3.98 billion users across its family of apps. Even a small percentage of Facebook users adopting this cross-posting feature could lead to a substantial increase in content on Threads. For more on this, click the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/21/meta-tests-cross-posting-from-facebook-to-its-twitter-x-competitor-threads/ Signal Rolls Out Usernames Signal, in its latest beta release, has launched a feature called "phone number privacy," aimed at enhancing user privacy and security. This feature allows users to communicate on the app without revealing their phone numbers, instead opting to use a username. This approach provides a less sensitive method for users to connect on Signal. Users now have the option to be discoverable through a chosen handle, offering greater control over their identity and contact information within the app. Additionally, the feature includes the ability to prevent anyone, even those who have a user's phone number, from finding them on Signal, further strengthening privacy and personal security for its users. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.wired.com/story/signal-launches-usersnames-phone-number-privacy/ 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: February 23rd, 2024

In this episode, Jon will be sharing several ethical considerations that need to be thought through when you are doing any form of digital evangelism. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/odMFMb1IoXc

In this episode, Jon will be sharing some questions to think through that can help you personally, and on a ministry level, stay spiritually grounded in a digital world. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/rFnGNomFwM0

Weekly Marketing Rundown - February 16th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about a new tool in GA4 to help implement consent mode, an increase in costs for boosted posts on Meta iOS apps, and more. Let's dive in. New Tool in Google Analytics 4 to Help Implement Consent Mode v2 Google is beginning to roll out a new tool in GA4 that shows whether or not you have properly set up your tracking for consent mode. To find this, navigate to Admin, click Property Settings, then Data Collection and modification, then Data Streams, click your data stream, and lastly expand Consent Settings. You should see green check marks if everything is set up properly.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/milesmcnair_new-you-can-now-verify-if-consent-mode-v2-activity-7163585996545081345-yWCS/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios New 30% Fee on Boosted Posts Purchased in Meta iOS Apps Meta announced that it will begin charging a 30% fee for advertisers who pay to boost the visibility of their posts on Facebook and Instagram through iOS apps. This decision is a response to Apple's 2022 App Store update, which demands a 30% cut of digital purchases, including boosted posts, on its platform. This update particularly affects Meta and similar social media platforms where users can pay to increase the reach of their content.  It's important to note that this 30% upcharge is only on boosted posts purchased through iOS apps. Meta mentioned that users can circumvent the Apple fee by purchasing boosts directly from Facebook’s and Instagram's websites on desktop or mobile platforms. So if you're boosting posts through your computer, this shouldn't affect you.  For those of you who boost posts in the apps - Meta says those who want to boost posts through its iOS apps will now need to add prepaid funds and pay for them before their boosted posts are published. Meta will charge an extra 30 percent to cover Apple’s transaction fee for preloading funds in iOS. For more on this, click to read the link below: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/15/24073228/meta-apple-tax-facebook-instagram-boosted-posts Advertisers on X Will Soon be Able to Run Ads Next to Specific Creators Content  Earlier this week, X announced that advertisers will soon be able to run ads alongside content from creators of their choice. This new placement was much needed, as many brands have pulled their ads from X after their ads appeared next to questionable content. While this is mostly an attempt to lure advertisers back to the platform, it is also quite attractive for creators, as X shares a percentage of ad revenue with creators who have ads appearing with their posts.  For more on this, click the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/12/x-will-soon-let-advertisers-run-ads-next-to-a-curated-list-of-creators/ OpenAI Drops First Look at Sora, Their New Text-to-Video AI Model After months of rumors, OpenAI has dropped the first official look at their new text-to-video AI model called Sora. Access is currently limited to red teamers (for harm/risk assessment), as well as a handful of artists, designers, and filmmakers.  For example footage and more information, click the link below: https://openai.com/sora 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: February 16th, 2024

Weekly Marketing Rundown - February 9th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about Meta ads updates, Pinterest's partnership with Google Ads, and more. Let's dive in.  Meta Ads Updates From the Week As usual, Meta made some updates to their ad platform this last week. Here are a few of the most notable: - 'Join group requests' and 'cost per join group request' are now available metrics for group membership ads - Events Manager may now show a notice about data restrictions in the settings of your data source. If you are seeing this, Meta may be restricting some of your custom parameters.  - Clarification on Engaged View attribution: "Engaged-view can be counted in ads measurement reporting when someone plays your video ads for a minimum of 10 seconds (or watches 97% of the video length if it’s less than 10 seconds) and converts within a 1-day window." For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7161256840989716480-cCWS/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios Pinterest Announces Partnership with Google Ads Pinterest has announced a new partnership that will allow advertisers to place ads on Pinterest via the Google Ads platform. Early testing started just a few weeks ago, and Pinterest is reporting positive results so far. Pinterest has close to 500 million monthly active users on the platform, with 80% of those users coming from outside the United States. There hasn't been an exact date stated for when this will go live to all advertisers, but it is expected to be very soon.  For more on this, click the link below: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/09/pinterest-announces-a-new-ad-deal-with-google-as-it-approaches-500m-maus/?guccounter=1 Instagram Adding Feature to Use Sections of Video as a Sticker Instagram has added another feature to stories, this time allowing users to cut out sections of video to use as a sticker. Use of this will be available to everyone in the regular stories creation section of the app. It's not a huge update, however, this could be a fun new creative tool to use in your organic strategy.  For more on this, click the link below: https://twitter.com/jonah_manzano/status/1755925466551357476?s=46 Meta is Changing the Name 'Meta Business Account' to 'Business Portfolio' Meta business accounts will soon be referred to as business portfolios across all accounts. This update changes nothing in terms of functionality, verification, etc, it is simply a change in terminology.  For more on this, click the link below: https://twitter.com/ahmedghanem/status/1755896158658891864 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: February 9th, 2024  

In this episode, Jon will be demonstrating the advanced metrics and analysis tools available within the Meta Business Ads Accounts. He will also share briefly about other tools used to visualize the data. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/Beb9E9ygBjk