Tag: facebook

Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google Ad’s New Bidding Strategies, Instagram’s New Messaging App, Facebook’s Playable Ads Preview Tool and More…

1. Google Ads Introduces Seasonality Adjustments for Smart Bidding

Google Ads is rolling out seasonality adjustments for smart bidding for search and display campaigns. Smart bidding strategies set bids automatically to help advertisers improve the performance of their Google Ads campaigns. [Source: Search Engine Journal]

2. Instagram is Developing a Separate Messaging App Called ‘Threads’

After shutting down its standalone messaging app ‘Direct’ earlier this year, Instagram is reportedly working on a new iteration of the same. Instagram’s latest weapon on this front is a new messaging app called ‘Threads’ which will look to focus on building stronger, more constant connection between smaller, enclosed groups. [Source: Social Media Today]

3. Facebook launches tool to test, preview Playable Ads

Facebook has launched a Playable Ads Preview tool for mobile app developers that will let them test and validate Playable Ads before they create a mobile app ad campaign around it. The tool checks to see if the Playable Ad files meet Facebook’s specifications and if the call-to-action is implemented correctly. [Source: Marketing Land]

4. Instagram is Doubling Down on Stories Ads

Instagram is literally doubling down on stories ads in a test that will show back-to-back ads to some users. The company is simply gathering feedback for now, and the focus of the app will remain on the user experience. [Source: Search Engine Journal]

5. Facebook introduces new policies for political, social issue ads ahead of 2020 elections

Facebook has updated its ad policies for political advertisers and anyone running electoral or social issue ads. The new policies, which include new disclaimer requirements for political advertisers and updates to the company’s list of social issue topics in the U.S. [Source: Marketing Land]

6. LinkedIn Launches New Insights Hub to Provide Additional Audience Insights

LinkedIn has launched a new element of its ‘Success Hub’ marketing data and insights platform, which aims to provide additional information on specific audiences and verticals, in order to help better inform marketing decisions and understanding. [Source: Social Media Today]

7. Twitter Tests New, Larger Image Tweet Carousel Ad Format

Twitter began testing a new carousel ad format for app install campaigns, which would give advertisers the capacity to add multiple, larger images to their collections. [Source: Social Media Today]

8. Facebook Makes Changes to Housing, Employment, and Credit Ads

Facebook is requiring that advertisers use a new process when buying ads related to housing, employment, and credit. These special ad categories have now restricted targeting options in Ads Manager. [Source: Search Engine Journal]

9. YouTube CEO Outlines the Platforms “Four R’s” Content Policy to Uphold its Policies

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has re-stated the company’s commitment to enforcing platform rules, and rewarding creators, via a key set of tenets that it’s using to improve its processes. [Source: Social Media Today]

10. Facebook’s Testing a New Screen-Sharing Option for Messenger

Facebook is testing a new Messenger video option which would enable you to share your phone screen in a Messenger chat, as opposed to using the camera. [Source: Social Media Today]

August 30, 2019
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google Ad’s Smart Bidding Strategy, Facebook’s ‘Off-Facebook Activity Tool’, Twitter’s New Video Ad Bidding and More…

1. Google rolls out maximize conversion value smart bidding strategy

Google Ads’ new smart bidding strategy is lined up. Maximize conversion value is now available in all Search campaigns which aims to optimize for the greatest conversion value within budget. [Source: Search Engine Land]

2. Facebook’s ‘Off-Facebook Activity Tool’ disconnects user ad targeting data from profiles, doesn’t delete it

Facebook is rolling out an Off-Facebook Activity tool that allows users to see a summary of the apps and websites that have shared their user data with Facebook and gives them the opportunity to clear the information from their Facebook accounts. [Source: Marketing Land]

3. Twitter Launches 6-Second Video Ad Bidding, Providing New Options for Video Marketers

Twitter is launching a new video ad option in the form of 6-second video ad bidding, which will see advertisers only charged if and when their video ad is in view for six seconds. [Source: Social Media Today]

4. Google AdSense, AdMob rolling out system updates for preventing ad spend on invalid traffic

Google is making system updates to fight invalid traffic and suspicious activity on its ad networks, the company announced on Wednesday. It will also give AdSense and AdMob publishers more information when ad serving is restricted as a result of these new measures. [Source: MarTech Today]

5. Google Ads Lets Users Add Filters to the Overview Page

Google Ads is introducing filters to the Overview page. The Overview page is the first place users land on after logging in. That means everyone interacts with this page at some point while using Google Ads. [Source: Search Engine Journal]

6. Facebook Looks to Launch WhatsApp Payments in Indonesia

Facebook clarified that India was not part of its initial rollout plan, which may be due to concerns around cryptocurrency from Indian regulators. WhatsApp is now also in talks with multiple Indonesian digital payment firms over plans to offer WhatsApp Pay in that market. [Source: Social Media Today]

7. Google Search Console Shows New Image Search Data for AMP Pages

Google has started to show data in Search Console related to a new image search feature introduced last month. Data will be tracked for images that appear on AMP pages and interacted with via Google’s new ‘swipe to visit’ feature, which is exclusive to AMP. [Source: Search Engine Journal]

8. Google’s lightweight Go search app is now available worldwide

Google has started the global rollout of its lightweight Go search app. As well as being designed to work on low-powered devices, the app also has a few features that the company says are designed for the needs of emerging markets. [Source: The Verge]

9. Google Ads to remove accelerated ad delivery option next month

Google Ads announced a coming change to ad delivery options. The accelerated delivery option will be removed and standard delivery will be the only option for Search and Shopping campaigns, as well as for campaigns with shared budgets. [Source: Search Engine Land]

10. Google announces three big changes for developers on Google Play Store

Google has made some silent changes for publishing new Android app on the Google Play store. The company has made it mandatory that all new Android apps would need at least three days for approval. The other two new changes will make it difficult for developers to have an accurate launch date for new games or future apps. [Source: The Times of India]

August 23, 2019
2-Factor Authentication for Page Managers Unveiled by Facebook

With an aim to expand the existing transparency levels, Facebook has been reported to bring forth modifications in the authentication and authorisation procedures for users managing large Facebook pages. This new authorisation procedure will allow the users to publish posts on the pages with enhanced transparency and authority.

Background about the authorisation procedure

The enhanced approval procedure is set to provide the users with a boost in audience reach and at the same time allow them to secure their accounts with aid from a “two-factor authorisation” procedure. The enhanced process will also require the users to authenticate their primary country location.

The modified structure oriented with the authentication process has been reported to be initially launched in the US and shall be available to businesses across the globe later. It can be speculated that Facebook is aiming to expand the system in time broadly.

How it affects the users?

Facebook hasn’t put forth any requisites concerning how a page shall be qualified, whether it is to be depicted as a large page or not. However, the page managers or admins do need to go through this current authorisation method as a form of mandatory regulation. The managers are expected to receive the notice for the enhanced authorisation procedure at the top of their respective news feed. From the notification, they can get started with the authorisation procedure and thus initiate the process.

The page banner associated with the authorisation process will be visible to the users as long as they do not engage in the completion of the procedure. Once all of the steps associated with the “Page Publishing Authorisation” have been completed, the banner shall automatically disappear. It has been further reported that if the user does not engage in the authorisation method within the stipulated timeline, they shall lose the authority of posting on their pages any further.

Why the need for this move?

This step by Facebook has been initiated to ensure that organisations and individuals do not make use of the social media platforms to mislead people into forged identity and services through their movements. Regarding the interference and public manipulation recorded in the 2016 US presidential election campaigns, Facebook caught the sighting of such organisations and entities that made productive use of their platform to engage in influencing the voters through the unsolicited content published across such pages.

Facebook has also reported the fact that these modifications shall be soon introduced to other platforms like Instagram, which is set to enhance the spectrum for both of the platforms owned by the organisation. It is also expected that this procedure will not affect smaller organisations, ones that do not have a huge following or a humongous social media impact, but this procedure is undoubtedly enticing in terms of being a future process.

This enhancement can be somewhat sighted as a little menace to the people that already own big pages. They have to go through the authorisation procedure right from the beginning once again, and this could be a hassle. However, because this will enable them to post content more transparently and in a more accountable manner, this minute hassle is undoubtedly a minimal price to pay.

August 23, 2018
Voice Clip Now Available In Facebook Status Update

Facebook takes cognisance that a voice clip is easier to create than a video, yet it is more intimate than mere text for a Facebook user. This underlying principle is driving the social media giant to introduce voice clips as a part of its status update feature present on the Facebook page.

While users will view this as a radical new move, the update was bound to happen, considering that a whopping 60.5 million Americans currently use digital assistants. Facebook is not one to be left behind with all the hype generated by voice technology. Hence, this move doesn’t seem very surprising from a purely business perspective. (more…)

March 8, 2018
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google’s new Search Console features, Facebook’s Smart Home Device, AdSense’s ad balance optimization tool and more..
1. Google to roll out new Search Console features in coming weeks
Google announced that it will be making the new Google Search Console available to everyone in the coming weeks. Specifically, verified users in Google Search Console will be able to access the new Search Performance, Index Coverage, AMP status and Job posting reports. The new Search Console reports provide “more transparency into Google’s indexing, stateful two-way communications between Google and website owners to help resolve issues faster, and a responsive user-interface.” [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook Is Reportedly Set to Launch its Own Smart Home Device Later This Year
Facebook could soon become a more prominent presence in your everyday life, with reports suggesting that The Social Network’s looking to launch a new voice-activated, video calling device which you could place in your home, keeping you linked into the platform at all times. The new device is to be called ‘Portal’, and will compete with existing home speaker-type devices already gaining momentum – most notably the Amazon Echo Show. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. AdSense rolls out ad balance optimization tool for publishers
Google AdSense has announced two new Experiments features to give publishers a deeper understanding of how certain factors affect their users and advertising earnings. The two new features are ‘Ad Session Length’ and ‘Ad Balance Tool’. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Facebook shutters digital assistant ‘M’ and readies video ‘Portal’
Facebook is shuttering its digital assistant, “M.” At the same time, the company is preparing to launch its rumored touch-screen video device named “Portal.” It will compete with Echo Show and Google-powered new “smart displays.” [Source: MARTECH TODAY]
1. Google PageSpeed Insights now uses real data from Chrome browser users
Google announced that the PageSpeed Insights tool has been updated to use data from the Chrome user experience report, which means the tool is using metrics from “real-world Chrome users who experience popular destinations on the web.” The pagespeed tool now shows you how fast your pages load based on real user data, which is an important metric for user satisfaction. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook is testing a city-specific section of its app to elevate local news and events
In an effort to up its signal to noise ratio, Facebook may go local. The company is testing a new area of its app called “Today In,” a mix of city-specific events, announcements and local news. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Unpartial – The AI-Powered Chrome Extension To Spot Fake News
This week, an AI company called Recognant has released an extension for Chrome that informs users if the news they are viewing on the browser is fake. The AI tool is said to have a function which tests the ‘trustworthiness’ of an article or a story. [Source: Logicserve Digital]
1. Google is introducing a new Smart Display platform
If Google’s gigantic “Hey Google” CES 2018 booth hasn’t convinced you that it is deadly serious about stopping Alexa’s path toward owning the smart speaker space, how about this: it’s announcing that the following companies are making speakers that include the Assistant: Altec Lansing, Anker Innovations, Bang & Olufsen, Braven, iHome, JBL, Jensen, LG, Lenovo, Klipsch, Knit Audio, Memorex, RIVA Audio, SōLIS, and Sony. Four of those names in particular are more interesting — JBL, Lenovo, LG, and Sony — because they’re producing Google Assistant speakers with something new: a screen. Google says these speakers will be available in the summer. [Source: The Verge]
1. Facebook Announces Coming News Feed Changes Which Will Reduce the Reach of Page Posts
The Social Network, Facebook, has confirmed that they’ll be making concerted moves to show users more posts from people they know – and fewer posts from Pages. The aim of these changes is to ensure that the time people spend on Facebook is ‘well spent’. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Google is sunsetting AdWords Review extensions
Google has announced that Review extensions will stop showing this month and will be deleted entirely in AdWords accounts in February. Advertisers that ran Review extensions and want to keep their historical data will need to export it in AdWords this month. That data can be found in both the new and old AdWords interfaces. [Source: Search Engine Land]
January 12, 2018
Facebook’s video ads’ watch time – how it works across different formats

Social networking giant Facebook believes that different ads have different values based on the context under which it is played. The tech team at Facebook says that an ad experience is not just a single experience, but a variety of unique and different experiences.

How was this determined?

Facebook goes so far as to provide charts to show how many people watch ads and how the ads’ watch times fluctuate according to its environment. However, Facebook does not provide the exact facts and figures with the charts, which don’t make them absolutely conclusive. The data provided, however, is Facebook’s internal data and contains most of the information from this source. There is some information from YouTube and some other companies who place ads on their products, such as Instagram, and Spotify, which makes this data more reliable in terms of data authenticity.

Usually, companies placing ads on their videos and products evaluate the ad quality based on how many people completed the ad or how many people watched more percentage of the ad which was placed. This is called completion rate, and companies usually use this to judge an ad’s ability to keep the audience engaged. However, at Facebook, the ad’s quality is determined by exactly how many seconds the ad was viewed by a person before skipping it, and then using all the collected data to determine how many people watched the ad up to the same second.

What does the data show?

Facebook has started placing ads on videos pretty recently, and they mostly have two types of ads, pre-roll ads, and mid-roll ads. Pre-roll ads are non-skippable and are needed to be completed by the user in order to continue watching the video. Mid-roll ads are longer, skippable ads, which are usually fifteen seconds long, and can be skipped after five seconds.

After collecting all the data on the number of people who completed pre-roll ads and the people who completed mid-roll ads, Facebook observed that majority of people skipped mid-roll ads after five to six seconds, which meant that most of the people on the social network had around six-second attention span toward the ads.

This data primarily meant that in-stream ads put up by Facebook mostly ended up being watched for six seconds, in case of pre-roll and mid-roll ads, both.

Data depiction made easy with charts

Facebook released various charts depicting how their ads have fared over time. The charts mainly consisted of standalone ads which Facebook inserted in people’s news feed, skippable and non-skippable ads placed in-stream, story ads added in people’s Instagram stories, and Live TV ads which were embedded in live streams.

The charts indicate that Facebook’s pre-roll ads, which are the non-skippable ads, perform better than any other type of ad provided by Facebook. This basically suggests that brands can redirect all the money they have put in other kinds of ads and put them into placing pre-roll ads on Facebook.

Why the need for this exercise?

Facebook says they want investors to look at the time for which their ads are being viewed, and invest more money into it, rather than getting caught up in comparing completion rates and deciding where to invest more money for ads.

With these stats and charts, Facebook tries to make sense of the value of tying up experiences to an ad and how it delivers value to a brand.

January 11, 2018
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google Tez partners with Xiaomi, Instagram’s Recommended posts, LinkedIn’s new messaging experience and more..
1. Google Tez takes another leap to dominate Indian digital payments with Xiaomi partnership
It seems like India is Google’s favorite testing ground. One of the latest India-first product Google is betting and committing heavily on is its mobile payment app Google Tez. A new chapter to this ongoing ‘great Indian experiment’ was added by a partnership with India’s most popular smartphone brand Xiaomi. The partnership will see Xiaomi introducing a new payment service on its e-commerce platform powered by Google Tez which will help users to make cashless transactions on Mi.com website and the Mi store app. [Source: PCMag India]
1. On Facebook, viral reach for branded-content ads eclipses standard ads
If brands want to attract extra attention for their ads on Facebook, they may be better off paying a publisher or influencer to produce a branded-content post through their Pages and paying to promote that post as an ad instead of a post published to the brand’s own Page. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Instagram will now add ‘Recommended’ posts to your feed
Instagram’s feed will now show users recommended posts – a change that earlier this month was spotted while in testing, and has since quietly gone live. The feature will suggest posts for you based on those that have been liked by other accounts you follow. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Google image search results tests new related searches box
Google is testing a new “related searches” box in the mobile version of the Google Image search results page. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Netflix, WhatsApp may join hands to send content recommendations to users
WhatsApp and Netflix are expected to join hands to send content recommendations to users very soon. With this move, Netflix basically wants its users to be updated with all its services and also try them out, in turn enhance user experience. [Source: India Today]
1. Online Video Ad Spend Grew 36%, Finds IAB Revenue Report
It’s a good time for online video ad sales. According to the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report for the first half of 2017, total online video ad sales (which include desktop and mobile) grew to $5.2 billion, up 36 percent over the same period in 2016. [Source: Onlinevideo.net]
1. This LinkedIn feature replaces face-to-face prospecting
LinkedIn’s new messaging experience essentially replaces the need for face-to-face networking. Because of your ability to instantly scan someone’s profile, see conversation starters (where someone lives, works, went to school, etc.) and then engage in a real-time, one-on-one conversation, you can now chat up prospects at a scale like never before. [Source: The Business Journals]
1. Using AdWords API to export to third-party ad networks will remain OK as Google keeps terms it adopted in FTC settlement
Though the part of Google’s antitrust settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that had them allow exports of AdWords data through its API expires, the company announced that Google will keep the AdWords API terms and conditions as they are currently. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Amazon is planning a push into digital advertising in 2018, challenging Google and Facebook
Amazon is expanding advertising efforts in 2018, especially on its search and video products. It also has plans to increase advertising sales off its platform, including partnering with third-party technology companies to sell partnered TV and mobile ads. [Source: CNBC]
1. Google again showing third-party reviews in local results
Google is integrating third-party reviews into the Knowledge Graph for hotels. It apparently has been happening since 2016 and is entirely opt-in for the provider. Google works directly with the third-party review source (e.g., TripAdvisor) to integrate the content. [Source: Search Engine Land]

Expert Opinion:
1. Build a positive brand image through mobile moments
In today’s age, speed and relevance are crucial for customer satisfaction. The popularity of smartphones and access to internet has made it even more critical to deliver right messages to the right users instantly and correctly. People these days have higher expectations from brands on mobile. During the customer journey on mobile, there are a lot of smaller moments that make the users pull out their mobile devices to look for what they need immediately. These moments, also known as mobile moments, are crucial for marketers to offer unique solutions to the customers when they need it, and the way they need it. Mobile moments are a great way for engaging users and creating a win-win situation for both users and brands.

Here are some ways you can use mobile moments to build your brand image.

– Be Fast

People who have a negative brand experience on mobile are less likely to purchase from that brand in the future. One of the most common complaints of users is the speed of the brand destination. Consumers don’t like it when sites load slowly, and are more likely to move on rather than wait for the details to load. As per a report published by Google, 53% of mobile page visits are abandoned if the pages take longer than 2 seconds to load. Marketers should make speed a priority to deliver a positive experience. And also, ensure that the design and navigation is simple so that people can find what they are looking for quickly.

– Be Helpful

Constantly endeavor to better understand your customers and deliver brand experiences that enable solutions rather than just distribution of brand information. Users who find mobile experiences helpful are more likely to repurchase from that particular brand. Make an effort to help your consumers. It can either be fast & friendly customer service or a simple functionality to quickly check if the items are in stock, etc. Aim to understand consumer behavior and anticipate their needs, and use this to offer products/ solutions that are useful to them.

– Be Relevant

Data as they say is the new oil. By constantly analysing your own data as well as adopting a data-led marketing approach you will be able to tailor your brand messaging a lot better for your audience. Not only will this drive greater efficiency in your marketing investments, but also enable better engagement with your audience. Mobile data, both first party as well as through trusted third-party sources, gives deep insight into consumer trends and behaviours which further drive the ability to build delightful and personalised mobile experiences. And the more relevant you are, the more brand love you will be able to generate.

Today’s consumers are more aware and want to be in control of the content they consume. Brands that do not make them feel empowered could be damaging their relationship with them in the long run. When it comes to mobile, brands need to be more proactive. Be it speed, assistance, relevance or any other aspect, users should be made to feel as if they are in control of every step in their journey. This is surely a big secret for a positive brand experience these days.

– Nadeesh Ramachandran, Vice President – Sales, Vserv
December 29, 2017
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google’s new Daydream headsets, Twitter’s Video Website Card ad format, Adobe Advertising Cloud mobile app and more..
1. Google’s new Daydream View: Another step on the long road toward VR adoption
Google’s Cardboard VR and the new Daydream View headsets offer very affordable options. The new Oculus Go announced by Facebook last week, which doesn’t require a PC or smartphone, will cost $199. The Daydream View, however, is $99 and comes in three colors. [Source: MARTECH TODAY]
1. Facebook Adds ‘Explore Feed’ to Desktop, Which Could Provide Reach Benefits
Facebook has been working on new ways to expose users to more content, showing them more of what they like to keep them on platform longer, while also diversifying their content sources. One of their more recent attempts on this front was the addition of an ‘Explore’ feed for some users, which is essentially a secondary News Feed populated by content which is similar to that which you’ve previously interacted with. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Google Posts can now be automated with new API support
Google has updated the Google My Business API to add some support for creating and editing Google Posts. Google Posts is a feature that allows people and businesses to create content directly on Google that can appear highly ranked in Google search results for their names. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook is now testing paywalls and subscriptions for Instant Articles
Facebook has started testing subscription support for instant articles. Facebook will start with two paywalled options for publishers to choose from. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Twitter’s new Video Website Card ad format uses video to push link clicks
Twitter’s rolling out a way for advertisers to use video to get people to visit their websites. The company unveiled the Video Website Card, a new ad format that pairs an autoplay video with a website link. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Instagram’s Changing the Look of Their Ad CTAs to Better Merge with User Feeds
Instagram has announced an update to their call to action buttons on promoted posts, which will see Instagram ads become a little more subtle – a change that may help them push more ads into user feeds. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Adobe Advertising Cloud introduces mobile app for cross-channel advertising
In a bid to address the challenges faced by advertisers due to non-availability of sufficient digital technology for advertising, Adobe announced the release of the Adobe Advertising Cloud Mobile App, the industry’s first mobile app for cross-channel advertising campaign management to provide marketers with the tools they need to ensure performance and delivery wherever they are. [Source: ET Brand Equity]
1. Google AdWords to roll out ‘parallel tracking’ to speed up mobile landing page delivery
Google’s been working to speed up mobile web experiences on several fronts, AMP being the most visible of these efforts. The company announced a change to the way it will handle tracking parameters appended to AdWords landing page URLs. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook is testing a resume feature to take on LinkedIn
It looks like Facebook is considering barging in on LinkedIn’s turf. Facebook is currently trialing a resume feature, according to screenshots posted on social media – a move that would put it in direct competition with professional social network LinkedIn. [Source: Business Insider]
1. Pinterest Adds Search Ads to Their Self-Serve Platform, Providing New Opportunities
After adding search ads to their platform earlier this year, Pinterest is now making the option available to all businesses by adding search to their self-serve ad platform. [Source: Social Media Today]

Expert Opinion:
1. Focus on customer success and retention strategies to stay ahead of the competition
Customer acquisition has been the primary focus of most companies for corporate expansion and growth for a long time. Lately, brands have started realizing the importance of customer success for improved retention and longevity of the business. A lot of brands have shifted their focus towards customer success and retention strategies to achieve maximum shareholder value and grow their businesses. According to a research conducted by Walker, the number of companies that decided to introduce dedicated customer success units went from less than 40% to almost 90% in the past year. Also, 90% of marketers in 2017 seem to agree on the fact that designing a successful customer journey and working at close quarters with customer success represents their top priority.

Leading brands are designing marketing strategies by leveraging big data to improve the overall customer relationship. According to a Bain & Co. study, great customer success programs combined with key account management can increase profitability substantially. It is imperative for brands to define customer retention strategies in order to flourish in today’s competitive world.

– Nidhi Hola, Sr. Director-Marketing, GoDaddy
October 20, 2017
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: AdWords’ new interface, Facebook’s Image-Based Search, Microsoft’s LinkedIn integration and more..
1. AdWords rolls out new interface to all advertisers
Google has announced that the new AdWords interface is now available to all advertisers. Along with new features for data visualization, the overhaul enhances load speed of account data up to 20 percent. New reports and controls built into the updated experience have also been highlighted periodically by AdWords on their blog over the past several months. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook Is Testing Out Image-Based Search for Related Products
It appears that Facebook’s testing a new tool which would enable users to search objects in Facebook’s Marketplace via an image. The option makes a lot of sense, and it clearly aligns with Facebook’s ongoing development of their image-recognition technology. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. LinkedIn connects sales, marketing tools for B2B advertisers to target leads, accounts
LinkedIn is linking together its sales and marketing products for the first time. As a result, B2B marketers will be able to more easily target their ads on the Microsoft-owned, business-centric social network to new leads and existing accounts. [Source: MARTECH TODAY]
1. Snapchat’s Context Cards turn Snaps into location-based search queries
Snapchat continues to flip location-based search on its head. Snapchat rolled out a feature called Context Cards that enables people to access information about a venue tagged in a photo or video posted to the app. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Twitter launches in stream ads in India with Amazon, Maruti and Motorola
Twitter announced on Thursday that it has launched in-stream video ads to marketers in India. The company said with in-stream video ads, brands in India can align with videos from Twitter’s premium content partners across sports, news and entertainment globally. [Source: The Economic Times]
1. Twitter Is Adding a ‘Happening Now’ Module to Highlight Real-Time Discussion
Twitter’s adding another way to highlight happening news events and real-time discussion within the app, by pushing out a new ‘Happening Now’ notification which will appear on user home screens, focusing on live events. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Microsoft’s LinkedIn integration, AI and what it means for marketers
The recent Microsoft Ignite event told us a lot about the direction technology is going — and specifically how it will impact marketers. Microsoft emphasized two trends that will have a significant effect on marketers. The first is an effort to make artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning available to the masses. The second is heavier integration between Microsoft and LinkedIn. [Source: MARTECH TODAY]
1. Facebook opens up Stories to Pages so that someone will use the feature
Facebook announced that over the next month Pages will be able to post Stories through its iOS and Android apps. Unlike normal people, however, Pages will not be able to cross-post Stories simultaneously to Facebook and Instagram. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Twitter Is Adding a New ‘Bookmarks’ Feature to Help Keep Track of Tweets
Twitter’s working on a new bookmark feature which will help users keep track of tweets they want to come back to, without having to ‘Like’ them to keep tabs. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. LinkedIn launches autoplay mobile video ads
LinkedIn has announced a closed beta for testing video ad units as Sponsored Content. This comes just two months after enabling native videos in the LinkedIn Feed. The video ads will autoplay, and appear as a standalone unit with a “Promoted” label to distinguish them as paid content. [Source: Marketing Land]

Expert Opinion:
1. Shifting from ‘Mobile strategy’ to ‘engagement strategy’ is the way forward for marketers
Mobile has become an important part of every person’s life these days. It is also an essential medium through which the modern customer experience takes place. It is the easiest device accessed by every individual and has become a gateway for brands to showcase their products and service offerings to the users.

With the rising awareness about the importance of mobile as an impactful medium for marketing and considering the increasing trend of mobile marketing strategies followed by various brands, it is important for the new-age marketers to focus on creating compelling engagement strategies for consumers.

While designing any campaigns for mobile, marketers need to consider the unique capabilities of mobile. Also, the strategy should not just focus on the mobile experience. Activities across various channels need to be in sync. The new-age customers do not recognize your brand differently through different channels and expect a seamless experience from one brand across multiple channels.

One of the best ways to stand out through your mobile experience strategy is to deliver relevant content to the users whenever and wherever they are highly likely to make a purchase decision. Data can be extremely useful in this regard. Analysing the data available about the user behavior and how they react to the marketing activities (like app behavior, email opens and clicks, web behavior) can be of great assistance to devise impactful mobile campaign strategies that can provide higher returns.

The devices on which customers engage and interact with brands are growing at a rapid rate. For marketers to make an impact and achieve better returns from their marketing campaigns, it is vital to integrate the technologies, processes, teams and internal systems in such a way that the customers’ online and offline behavior is in sync and provides useful insights to create meaningful strategies.

For brands to succeed, it is essential to understand all the platforms (old as well as emerging), consider the pros and cons of every platform and determine ways to use them effectively in a way that can help the business to sustain in the constantly changing digital environment. This way marketers can create experiences that add value to the customer’s day which in turn will help their business to flourish.

– John Mathew, Head – Digital & Multi-Channel Marketing, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
October 13, 2017
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google AdWords’ testing automated ad suggestions, WhatsApp’s new business tools, LinkedIn’s new ad network and more..
1. Google My Business now lets businesses edit their listings directly in search results
Google has announced they are now fully launching the ability for businesses to quickly edit their Google My Business local listing directly in the Google search results. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook Tests a New Option to Cross-Post Instagram Stories to Facebook
While Facebook has seen major success with Instagram Stories, which is now at 250 million daily users, they’ve yet to report any official user numbers on Facebook Stories. Facebook Stories could still become a more significant element, if they just made a few tweaks. And now, they’re trying out their latest ‘tweak’, with some users seeing an option to share their Instagram Story direct to Facebook. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Google Data Studio adds third-party data connectors from Supermetrics and others
Google introduced a beta for third-party connectors. Supermetrics is among the launch partners. Users will find the new options in the Data Studio Community Connectors Gallery. The native connection enables data from the 20-plus marketing platforms Supermetrics connects with, such as Bing Ads, DoubleClick, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Twitter Ads and Yahoo Gemini, to be brought into Data Studio seamlessly. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Google AdWords’ automated ad suggestions test is getting a reboot
Earlier this year, Google launched a beta test that automatically launched machine-generated ads in a small set of AdWords accounts. The lack of control in that test wasn’t particularly well-received. Now, Google is giving it another shot, with some adjustments aimed at addressing advertiser concerns. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. WhatsApp Announces New Business Tools, Paid Enterprise Options
WhatsApp is taking its next steps towards monetization, with the hugely popular messaging app announcing a range of new features designed to better facilitate business use. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. LinkedIn opens new ad network to sell Sponsored Content ads on others’ apps, sites
The company is rolling out a new ad network called LinkedIn Audience Network. Unlike the old, fairly traditional ad network, however, the new one centers around LinkedIn’s flagship Sponsored Content ad format and skews towards syndicating that native ad primarily across mobile apps. It also resembles Facebook’s ad network, from carrying the same name to needing to address advertiser concerns over transparency and control. [Source: MARTECH TODAY]
1. Google rolling out support for AMP landing page in AdWords search campaigns globally
In May, Google announced it was running a beta test with advertisers to test driving traffic from mobile search ads to AMP landing pages. On Thursday, the company said all advertisers will be able to point mobile search ads to AMP landing pages beginning in two weeks. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. YouTube Broadens Access to Live-Streaming, Adds New Streaming Tools
YouTube’s upping their live-stream game again, adding a range of new features, most of which are geared towards gamers and gaming content, but which offer more general utility either way. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Instagram starts testing Facebook’s app-like Canvas ads within Stories feed
Facebook is bringing its most creative ad format to its most creative app. Over a year after Facebook said it would extend its Canvas ad format to Instagram, the photo-and-video app has started testing Canvas ads within people’s Stories feeds. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Google Analytics adds feature to unify users to Google AMP Cache pages & non-AMP pages
Google’s new AMP Client ID API, coupled with Google Analytics, allows pages that are partially served on Google platforms like search and partially on site owner domains to communicate with each other. Google Analytics can understand if a user on your non-AMP pages had ever visited an AMP page displayed by Google. When true, Google Analytics can help you understand user behavior across these two page types as a single cohesive experience. [Source: Search Engine Land]

Expert Opinion:

1. Automation of marketing campaigns for the new-age customers

Automation is no longer a fancy buzzword and has become an important part of the new-age marketers’ life. Automation can be utilised for creating impactful marketing campaigns that provide higher conversions and engagement with the consumers. Automation of campaigns allows marketers to set up various paths for connecting and following up with quality leads basis their actions and behaviour. It can help marketers save a lot of time and focus on developing robust strategies for the growth of the business. As per Marketing Automation Usage Statistics, on an average, 49% of companies are presently using marketing automation, with more than half of B2B companies (55%) adopting the technology for their marketing needs. Also, 91% of the most successful users believe that automation is very important for the overall success of their marketing across channels.

While automation of campaigns has proven to generate enhanced returns and revenues for a lot of companies, there are a lot of other key benefits provided by automation of marketing campaigns including:

– Reduced lead time

– Enhanced campaign effectiveness

– Expanded reach to a wider audience

– Better understanding of the potential customers

– Personalised interactions with the consumers

If marketers take into account the evolving needs of prospective customers, their behaviour and interactions across different channels and challenges faced by them at various touch points, they can design relevant and efficient strategies for their automated campaigns and grow their revenues substantially. As per the Benchmarking Report on Marketing automation by B2Bmarketing.net and Circle Research, post one year of automation usage, 32% marketers claimed to see increased revenues. Those using the technology for more than two years saw 40% growth in the revenues.

The ultimate goal for every marketer is personalization and the ability to have one-one conversation with their users. Automation is the only way to have the right conversation with your users at the right time. It can be a valuable tool to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing campaigns and stay ahead of the competition.

– Jaswant Singh, Country Managing Director – ad:tech, iMedia and Mobile Media Summits.
September 8, 2017

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