Tag: Google

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
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google’s new AI, Facebook’s WhatsApp feature, Snapchat’s new feature to share content outside app and more..
1. Google’s new artificial intelligence talks like you, me and everyone
In a major step towards its “AI first” dream, Google has developed a text-to-speech artificial intelligence (AI) system that will confuse you with its human-like articulation. [Source: The Economic Times]
1. Facebook’s WhatsApp feature will help lure more advertisers
FACEBOOK’S latest move in hoping to attract more advertisers to its platforms is the addition of a “Click to WhatsApp” option for Facebook ads. The move follows the “Click to Messenger” option introduced in November 2016 and Instagram’s “Click to Messenger”, added in last May. [Source: Tech Wire Asia]
1. Alibaba’s UC browser beating Google Chrome in Indian mobile market
The Alibaba-owned UC browser is winning the war for mobile users in India and Indonesia. Relying on StatCounter data, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that it’s beating Google’s Chrome in these large developing markets. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Ad buyers prefer Instagram to Snapchat—and Snap’s stock is taking a nosedive
A new report from Cowen analyst John Blackledge has some bad news for Snap. He interviewed 50 ad buyers and found that they overwhelmingly preferred Instagram to Snapchat. [Source: Fast Company]
1. Snapchat Wants To Expand Snaps’ Exposure With A Feature To Share Content Outside The App
With the idea of spreading snaps everywhere, Snapchat is trying to launch “Stories Everywhere” option in their platform. The social media platform wants to provide content that can last longer than just a few hours. Stories Everywhere would allow the snaps to appear on websites and applications outside the native Snapchat app. [Source: Logicserve Digital]
1. Google Chrome Built-In Ad Blocker to Go Live on February 15^th
In June of 2017, Google announced that they would be introducing an ad blocker for the Chrome web browser in an effort to filter ads violating industry standards. Now, we have a sense of when: February 15, 2018. [Source: DMN]
1. Facebook beats YouTube and TV as best place to launch new ad campaign in survey of ad buyers
Facebook will chip away at Google’s dominance in digital advertising thanks to the growth of Instagram and video ads, according to a new research note from Cowen. [Source: CNBC]
1. Instagram tests letting users post Stories directly to WhatsApp
Last October, Facebook extended the usage (and flexibility) of Instagram Stories — the Snapchat-like feature that lets you patch together photos and videos into a slide show — by making it easy to directly post a Story to Facebook. Now Facebook is looking at how to bring WhatsApp into the fold. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Snapchat ads could get a lot more like YouTube ads
Snapchat might be going the way of YouTube. The messaging and camera app, which has been wary of forcing ads on its audience, is seriously considering whether to subject viewers to three seconds of advertisements before giving them the option to skip the commercial break, Ad Age reported (paywall), citing advertisers and media players familiar with the company’s plans. [Source: Quartz]
1. New Facebook News Feed Algorithm Updates You Need to Know
To keep your interest and attention, Facebook’s always tweaking its News Feed algorithm to ensure that users are served the most engaging and relevant material possible. Usually these updates are good for the overall user experience, but they can also cause significant headaches for marketers, and there were two that were recently announced which marketers need to be aware of if they want to make the most of the already dwindling organic reach. [Source: Social Media Today]

Expert Opinion:
1. Giving a good consumer experience on Mobile – a must for Brands
We know that mobile phones have become an essential part of our lives and how the new-age consumers are utilizing it for fulfilling their needs. On one side, consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones to seek information about a brand, interact with it and maybe even buy their product online and on the other side consumers are spoilt for choices.

In such a scenario, it has become imperative for brands to focus on providing consumers a seamless and positive mobile customer experience in order to thrive in this disruptive environment.

Here are a few ways marketers can work on improving mobile consumer experience:

– Create compatible designs for various platforms

Various mobile handsets have different operating systems and functional capabilities. It is important to create your designs that render perfectly and uniformly across platforms & devices, thus avoiding any dissonance amongst users and creating a strong foundation for a great user experience.

– Simple, friendly onboarding experience

Different studies have indicated that on the mobile a user takes not more than 8 seconds to decide if he wants to engage with the content/brand. In this scenario if a brand wants to really connect with their users, they must have a very simple and interactive onboarding experience. This is where the customers will get to know the brand and can develop affinity and preference for it.

– Understand user personas and their context for interactions

In addition to focusing on design tools, a brand should give context a priority; they should understand the customers, their profiles, buyer personas and the context for their interactions. This can help a brand deliver memorable experiences to the customers.

– Be interactive

A Brand should be able to engage with the visitors, gain their attention and develop interest among them. Interactive customer experiences are a great way to build long-term relationship with consumers and marketers should build their websites/ apps based on anticipated user behaviors and thought out actions.

– Navigation and accessibility

Ease of navigation and easier accessibility to useful information is crucial to deliver a positive mobile consumer experience. A brand should understand the general usage pattern on mobile devices and the way users navigate across the small mobile screen. It will then be able to place important action buttons and showcase relevant information that the users are likely to look for.

Brands should also ensure there is an option for a search box/icon so that it becomes easier for users to look for what they need without having to browse through multiple pages. Complicated navigation can tend to take your users away from your website/ app and on the other hand, a good website/app with relevant information and simple navigation pattern is sure to leave the users feel good about the brand.

– Testing and alterations

It is of paramount importance to regularly test the mobile customer journey and make any changes/ alterations wherever required basis the observations and customer feedback. This will ensure the customers have a fulfilling mobile experience every time they approach the brand on mobile.

Looking at the way mobile phones are taking over every aspect of our day-to-day lives, there is a need for brands to focus their efforts on providing a great and immersive user experience to the consumers through their mobile app/ site. This can make a lot of difference in a consumer’s brand preference and loyalty.

– Anurag Gupta, CEO at SVG Media Pvt. Ltd
January 5, 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: Maccabees update, Google chrome app, Facebook’s face recognition and more..
1. Maccabees Update: Google Confirms New Core Algorithm Changes
“We released several minor improvements during this timeframe, part of our regular and routine efforts to improve relevancy,” a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Journal. [Source: Search Engine Journal]
1. Adobe Campaign to roll out enhanced email functionality
Adobe wants to make it easier for marketers to reach its email targets with creative messaging. That’s why it’s adding drag-and-drop functionality to Adobe Campaign in early 2018. [Source: MARTECH TODAY]
1. Google Chrome app removed from Microsoft Store: Here’s why
Recently, Google had published a Chrome app on the Windows Store that simply opened up the download page to the actual browser. While Google never intended to bring the actual browser to the Microsoft Store, Microsoft responded yesterday by removing the actual link to the Google app. [Source: TIMES NOW]
1. Digital publishers cry foul as Google exerts more control over an industry it already dominates
Google’s latest move to block “intrusive” ads starting February 15 next year has made digital publishers wary and left them wondering how such a unilateral, top-down approach could impact their bottom line. [Source: The Times of India]
1. Lotame’s prep for GDPR highlights big changes in data management
As data management platform (DMP) Lotame gears up for compliance with the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), some of the far-reaching changes are coming into focus. [Source: MARTECH TODAY]
1. Having collected enough unique ‘Indian’ data, Flipkart gears up with ‘AI for India’
Flipkart is all geared up to double down its work with artificial intelligence technologies, across operations ranging from conversational search, visual similarity, better last-mile delivery, fraud detection, personalisation to warehousing. [Source: The Economic Times]
1. Facebook is clamping down on posts that shamelessly beg for your engagement
The social network giant said on 18^th December that it will penalize Page owners and people who resort to “engagement bait,” which means posts that encourage users to like, comment or tag people in the comments section in order to gain wider visibility of their content. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Facebook’s facial recognition now finds photos you’re untagged in
Facebook launched a new facial recognition feature called Photo Review that will alert you when your face shows up in newly posted photos so you can tag yourself, leave it be, ask the uploader to take the photo down, or report it to Facebook. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Brands Can Now Sponsor Snapchat Filters With Animated Messages
Earlier this month, Snapchat began rolling out animated filters (like a twinkling wreath of holiday lights) that move across the screen when users take a photo or video. Now, the platform is opening up animated filters for advertisers that enable users to snap and share moving graphics. [Source: ADWEEK]
1. The new consumer behaviors that defined Google’s Year in Search
This year, people turned to Google Search to discover the secrets of slime and locate solar eclipse glasses, as well as to learn how to help hurricane victims, and support the city of Las Vegas in the wake of October’s mass shooting. [Source: think with Google]

Expert Opinion:

Q. 5 things that worked for Zoho in our journey of Entrepreneurship

The journey of entrepreneurship has been long and struggle some, but we were able to hold firmly, withstand the storms, only to emerge successfully as a company. Here are five things that worked for us in our journey of success.
1. Dogfooding
Before you launch your products, use them internally. Once you use them for your day-to-day work, you will be able to sort out the issues and anomalies long before the products hit the market. For instance, we cannot use Outlook internally while providing Zoho mail to the outside world. We will have to use the same internally too, so that issues, if any, can be addressed well in advance, instead of waiting for the clients to raise them.
1. Look beyond academic credentials
When you look forward to building a start-up, or scale-up the existing one, you will realize that most of the academic environments prepare talent for regimented evaluations in sanitized environments. However, startups are dynamic and look for something beyond the paper degree. They look for learning potential, risk-taking capacity, resilience, and the ability to try again, after being defeated, with an undefeated strength.
1. Focus on Products that work well together
The product you build is going to enter a highly cohesive world of interconnectivity. Every customer of yours also uses other products and services, some of which might be of your competitors. Thinking about the customer first, and giving him the highest priority by ensuring that your products and services play in-sync with others will give your company a positive boost. This can be done by sharing data, unifying interfaces, complementing features, and co-ordinating workflows.
1. Empower your customers
It is not possible to asses every need of the customer as each customer is unique. 5% of your product features may be not satisfactory for all. So, instead of just enabling them to do X or Y, build your product, or architect your service in such a way that they are empowered to build on top of it. Give them a room for customization by allowing to add their own coded modules, loose-coupling what you provide with what others provide, or separating design from data so that it can be consumed and repurposed in interesting new ways.
1. Think long-term about running the marathon, rather than a quick sprint
There are companies that look for fast money and quick exit, and then there are those that outlive the individuals. Leave a lasting legacy by building value and wealth over the decades. When you keep your needs to a minimum and think long-term about the company’s future, you may not be able to enjoy the quick windfalls and sudden spurts of prosperity. However, you will be able to sustain the storm of struggles and thrive long enough to finally emerge successfully as a brand.

Patience and perseverance are the two keys when sticking to these points, but they have worked for us effectively and contributed to Zoho’s success.

Rajendran Dandapani, Business Solutions Evangelist at Zoho Corporation
December 22, 2017
Google’s First Click Free Policy for Journalism Articles to End Soon

Google had aligned several protocols to ensure the growth of digital subscription for news articles online. One such move was the ‘First Click Free’ policy that mandated the news providers to publish free articles in order to rise up the order on the search engine. The move that was supposed to aid the news publishing houses’ digital growth, backfired for many reasons. As per News Corp (which publishes The Sun in the US), the move meant that if the articles weren’t provided for free, then the site virtually disappeared from the search rankings, proving to be harmful to the overall online marketing strategies of the publishers.

What is changing?

As per the ‘First Click Free’ policy, subscription-based publishing needs to comply with Google’s demands of providing the first three articles for free before opening the ‘subscribe for more news’ dialog box. This was the only way they could come up on search engine query results. By ending this move, Google will now allow publishers to decide how many articles they want to provide for free before they show the paywall (the ‘subscribe for more news’ dialog box) to the users.

What does it mean for news publishers?

Nielsen’s study reported that around 20% of the readers were fine with to pay for the subscription of premium content published by the known news agencies and publishers, provided it is ad-free. While the market is there, news publishers must strike a fine balance between monetizing their premium content and ranking well on search engines.

For news publishers, Google’s decision to remove the ‘First Click Free’ policy provides advantages at many levels –

1 – As subscription-based news access is gaining popularity, news publishers can set their monetization strategies without the fear of distributing it for free.

2 – The occurrence of fake news will go down as publishers and reporters will be incentivized for working hard, putting in their best efforts, and bringing only factual information as news to the public.

3 – News publishers promoting premium news content can build a stronger relationship with their readers and craft an enduring brand loyalty

What it means for the end readers?

For the content consumers, the move offers a mixed bag of scenarios. On one end, they will now be able to access better-quality content knowing that the publishers will be working doubly hard to retain subscriptions and build loyalty.

On the other hand, they can no longer get a feel of the website without subscribing to it. However, this is expected to be a minor obstacle, as reputed news publishers would have already proved their mettle with a stellar background. This will provide the impetus for serious readers to go ahead with the subscription without the need to try it out for free first.

To conclude

In order to make the monetization strategy truly successful, content publishers will have to elevate the degree of user experience and reader delight they provide to consumers. The overall browsing on the site should be as clutter-free, seamless, and free of ads. This is the way forward now that Google’s ‘First Click Free’ policy is no longer around.

December 20, 2017
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google Lens, Twitter’s broadened AMP support, Instagram’s Stories Highlight on profile pages and more..
1. Google Lens an impressive start for ‘visual search’
Google Lens has gone live or is about to on Pixel phones in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, India and Singapore (in English). Currently, Lens can read text (e.g., business cards), identify buildings and landmarks (sometimes), provide information on artwork, books and movies (from a poster) and scan barcodes. It can also identify products (much of the time) and capture and keep (in Google Keep) handwritten notes, though it doesn’t turn them into text. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook Looks to Prompt More Personal Sharing as Conversations Switch to Messaging Apps
It seems that Facebook’s still looking for ways to address its ‘context collapse’, the decline in personal sharing on the platform which has been in effect over the last few years. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Instagram now lets brands feature Stories Highlights on their profile pages
Instagram is giving brands a new reason to invest in producing higher-quality Stories. Brands and all other Instagram users can now showcase collections of their old Instagram Stories on their profile pages. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Twitter broadens its AMP support to include analytics
Twitter is broadening its support of AMP (accelerated mobile pages) to include article analytics. According to the announcement, when Twitter loads an AMP version of an article, it will now ping the original article URL to record the view, in addition to passing the query arguments from the original article redirect into the AMP run-time. This will allow publishers to receive the data using the amp-analytics component. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Google officially increases length of snippets in search results
Google has confirmed that it has made a change to the way it displays snippets in search results. Over the past week or so, many have been noticing that the snippets were longer than what’s typically been shown. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Ad spending to grow at 8.4% in 2018 in India: Zenith report
Advertisement spending in India is expected to grow 8.4% in 2018, led by growth in television ads, Publicis Groupe-run media agency Zenith forecasted. The estimated growth rate for 2018 is about three percentage points lower than the 11.2% forecast for 2017, when ad spending was estimated to touch Rs54,344 crore. [Source: Mint]
1. Apple launches ‘set it and forget it’ Search Ads Basic for the App Store
Apple says it will bring more installs with less effort “at a predictable cost.” That’s how the company is pitching its new Search Ads Basic offering. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Pinterest Adds New Facebook Messenger Integrations to Boost Exposure and Usage
Pinterest is looking to piggyback on the popularity of Facebook Messenger in order to boost growth, adding two new tools which will enable greater Pinterest functionality within Messenger threads. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Google testing an answers carousel within the search results snippets
Google has started testing and potentially rolling out a new feature in search that shows a carousel with a list of answers directly within the search results snippets. It shows the main search result snippet, and below it, it shows a carousel of answers picked from the content on the page the snippet is linking to. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Report: YouTube set to raise ad prices on premium ad inventory
Even as it has hit several brand safety bumps over the past year, YouTube is poised to raise prices on premium ad inventory in the coming year. [Source: Marketing Land]

Expert Opinion:
1. Why investing in Artificial Intelligence for Your Marketing efforts is the way to go
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are revolutionizing the marketing world. Many brands are already taking advantage of this technology and utilizing it in innovative ways to boost the impact of their marketing activities. According to a survey by The Boston Consulting Group, 85% of executives believe that AI will allow their companies to obtain or sustain a competitive advantage.

Some of the benefits offered by this unique technology are:

– Efficiently process and analyse the huge chunk of data available with marketers and gain useful insights for the same that can be used for future marketing plans

– Analyse customer profiles and provide insights that can be used to optimize customer value

– Figure out effective ways to interact and engage with the audience

– Time saving

– Improved productivity

AI is surely helping marketers profoundly by streamlining their processes and functions. Marketers can make the most out of this technology by accessing the right set of data, use the insights considering their business objectives and keep on improving the processes on an on-going basis. AI has the power to transform the overall success of a brand, if used correctly. Brands that adapt to the newer technologies like AI & machine learning, invest in them and use them intelligently are sure to succeed and sustain in the new-age marketing era.

– Pariekshit Maadishetti, Managing Director, Grid Logic Group
December 8, 2017
Google Promotes Local Search And Lead Generation In ‘Google Home’ And ‘Google Assistant’

‘Google Home’ and ‘Google Assistant’ has come up with innovative local search procedures. With its efforts in working with local home service providers such as ‘Porch’ and ‘HomeAdvisor,’ effective interactions will become easier than ever. If you are using a platform where ‘Google Assistant’ is available, you can ask for the services of local contractors. Say, for instance, the request goes like this ‘Ok Google, find a plumber for me’. The command gives rise to structured information which further generates leads and helps you contact the local service provider.

Things to note

Right from the point of its introduction, this particular feature has garnered considerable attention. Local home services are of paramount importance for every family. The traditional search procedure involved breezing through business listings and looking for appropriate services. With Google taking the search procedure one step ahead, things will inevitably become easier for those looking for such services! Here are some of the highlights you should be aware of:

1. Refined leads: Users have the opportunity to go through inexplicable user experience. If they are looking up popular directories such as Angie’s List or ‘IAC-owned Home Advisor’, users will have the opportunity to build connections through a phone. They can also get a comprehensive list of pre-selected contractors. The presence of structured conversations and targeted Q&A refines the leads to a great extent.

2. Highly structured: This new feature rolled out by the company strikes a perfect balance between structured communication and lead generation. The benefits are diverse and bidirectional. Users will get in touch with appropriate service providers, and search results will get structured and streamlined to a great extent.

Crucial points

As the largest and most popular Global network, Google never fails to surprise its followers. The feature launched by the company is a significant step towards successful interactions. Google’s association with ‘Porch’ and ‘HomeAdvisor’ will undoubtedly bring unique opportunities for individuals. Those looking for local services will have the best chance to get in touch with popular contractors.

What is of great interest is that the search process takes place through structured Q&A. That streamlines the entire search process. If you are planning to leverage this feature, here are some points you should know and note:

· Prioritisation: Google needs to come up with crystal clear explanations about the significance of HomeAdvisor and Porch. It is imperative to understand how both these platforms will be prioritised.

· Third party directories: Google needs to be specific about the involvement of 3rd party directories. It’s also unclear whether Google will demand a share of the prices or just collect a ‘toll.’

· Personalised results: Through this particular feature, the company aims at producing personalised search results. Users will get customised and personalised information on targeted home services.

There’s no denying the benefits and advantages offered by this new feature. As far as the functionality and user experience goes, we have to wait and watch how it works!

December 7, 2017
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Updated Google Trends, Instagram’s new features, Youtube’s new feature ‘Reels’ and more..
1. Google Is Updating Google Trends with More Data Filters and Tools
Google Trends can be a great source of insights to help guide your content strategy and understand which subjects are gaining momentum online. And now, Google is adding some new tricks to the Trends application, providing additional insights based on more specific search behaviors around each topic. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Twitter testing a feature that shows how many are ‘talking about’ tweets
Twitter is experimenting with a new feature that will show how many people are “talking about” individual, popular tweets. The metric shows up under some embedded tweets when they appear elsewhere on the web, and seems to replace both the retweet and replies totals with one, cumulative total. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Facebook tests tool to make it easier for businesses to send message blasts on Messenger
Facebook is internally testing a tool that businesses would be able to use to send message blasts to people who had conversed with their accounts on Messenger. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. WhatsApp rolls out new update: You can soon watch YouTube videos within the messaging app
A new WhatsApp update rolled out for iOS will let users play YouTube videos right within the instant messaging app. The update will also let users navigate to another chat while you are watching the video. [Source: The Economic Times]
1. Instagram testing native Regram, archive Stories, Share to WhatsApp, more, no iPad support in sight
Instagram is testing out a wide range of new features including a native Regram button, an archive Stories feature, a share to WhatsApp option, a beta version of its app, and more. [Source: 9to5Mac]
1. Snapchat Launches Two New Ad Formats
Snapchat business users are in for a treat with the recent changes made to Snapchat’s self-serve ad platform. With two new ad formats, the objective is to enhance the stickiness of the platform and derive maximum engagement for the users. [Source: Logicserve Digital]
1. Google launches new Google Finance features in search and drops the portfolio feature
Google announced it is launching a new Google Finance experience that brings many of the finance features directly into Google Search on desktop and mobile. With this launch, Google has dropped the portfolio, the ability to download your portfolio, and historical tables. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. YouTube is testing an Instagram Stories-like feature called Reels
After Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, YouTube is now planning to roll out a Stories-like feature called Reels. The launch of Reels Beta was made on YouTube in its blog post titled as ‘Expanding community on YouTube’. The company says that Reels is a spin on Stories format but designed specifically for Creators. [Source: India Today]
1. Snapchat’s newest filters can recognize what’s in your photos
Snapchat is rolling out new filters that can recognize what’s in your photos in order to suggest graphics, like borders or stickers, to accompany your posts. These filters are capable of recognizing images of objects like pets, sports, and food, as well as specific locations, like beaches or concerts. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Instagram Rolls Out New Direct Message Tools, Including Remix and Replay Controls
After announcing their direct message photo remix tools back in August, Instagram has confirmed that the new option is now being rolled out to all users. [Source: Social Media Today]

Expert Opinion:
1. Build data- savvy teams for long term success
In today’s mobile-first world, it is crucial for everyone in an organization to understand analysis and interpretation of marketing data. Although a lot of marketers do not have enough analyst-related resources to accomplish data-related goals, if we look at most of the leading marketers, they seem to have figured out ways to enable everyone in their teams to be able to use and analyse the huge chunk of available data. Training the team members to be experts in data analysis not only helps strengthen the analysis purview but also helps figure out ways to effectively reach out to the customers at the right time in their journey.

Here are some ways you can make your team members data-savvy marketers and succeed in your marketing efforts.

– Knowledge and skills assessment

Get an understanding of the knowledge and skills of your team members and what they need to learn. Incorporate learning programs, training modules wherever required to speed up their analysis skills.

– Ensure your data is of great value

Make sure that the data you share is of high value and is presentable before giving your teams a peek at the same. The data should be simple, organized, understandable and usable. This also helps in setting clear and common standards that the team members need to follow.

– Provide easy access

Allow easy access to data without to help the teams understand the reports & recommendations and to provide an idea about how to use the same. This eventually helps in improving the overall performance of the organization.

– Reward the team members

It is important to recognize and reward the members who efficiently use data insights for the campaigns. This helps in building enthusiasm amongst the team and also provides you insights about the members who can take on the role of training other members.

– Provide technology support

When your team members understand the data analysis game, it is necessary to provide them the required technology that ca help them take relevant actions. This helps profoundly in optimizing user experience. As per a recent survey by Econsultancy and IBM, 33% of elite marketers say having the right technologies for data collection and analysis is most useful in understanding customers.

For brands that do not have a strong data-driven marketing strategy yet, it is high time to make use of the big data and empower your teams to be pros at data analysis. This is sure to help you reach the audience better and also grow your business in today’s highly competitive environment.

– Vish Bajaj, CEO, ValueFirst
December 1, 2017
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google’s #SmallThanks Hub, Facebook’s VR experiences, Twitter’s Bookmarks feature and more..
1. Google’s new #SmallThanks Hub automatically creates digital & printed marketing assets for SMBs
In a move to help SMBs — as well as drive up its verified business listings — Google has launched #SmallThanks Hub, an online resource that creates customized digital marketing content and printed materials based on Google reviews. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook debuts web-based VR experiences within standard News Feed
People can now enter virtual reality through their traditional Facebook News Feeds. The social network has debuted examples of brands that have developed VR apps that people can interact with through Facebook’s standard site and mobile apps. Facebook has labeled these VR-enabled posts as “360 experiences.” [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Twitter is now testing Bookmarks, its save for later feature
Twitter is testing a new feature called Bookmarks, which allows users to privately save tweets for later. [Source: The Verge]
1. Google beefs up mobile shopping results for the holidays, adds more product info & buying guides
Google is beefing up its mobile shopping experience to prepare for the holidays, now showing buying guides for broad categories like “sewing machine” and “coffee grinder” searches and adding more product-related information for specific product searches. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Forget WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger now has TWO major advantages
WhatsApp might be the world’s biggest messaging service but it may have just been overshadowed by Facebook Messenger. WhatsApp is getting some major competition from Facebook Messenger as the service reveals new 4K photo sharing and peer-to-peer money transfers. [Source: Daily Express]
1. Twitter Moments – A Look At The Recent Changes
Twitter Moments is all set to get a refreshing new look. The company is currently trying to move away from the horizontal listings of curated topics on common themes like Sports, Entertainment, and News. [Source: Logicserve Digital]
1. Facebook, Google, Bing and Twitter join The Trust Project to help users combat fake news
Facebook, Google, Bing and Twitter have all agreed to be part of a non-partisan effort called The Trust project which is aimed at enlightening users about the difference between reliable journalism and fake news. [Source: The Drum]
1. Google AdWords Editor updates to support budget type option for video ads & more
Google has rolled out version 12.2 of the AdWords Editor. It brings a nice number of new features including Gmail asset-based ads, full support for promotion and video extensions and a new budget-type option for video ads. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Pinterest adds custom QR-like codes for businesses, more shoppable pins
Pinterest rolled out several new features designed to make it easier for people to find products to purchase through its platform, from QR-like codes for brands to append to product packaging to an influx of shoppable pins to its first mashup of visual and text search. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Facebook Is Testing Yet Another Copycat Snapchat Feature
Facebook has copied so many features from Snapchat now that it’s gone beyond a joke. But hey, here’s another one to add to the list. Facebook Messenger now includes a Snapchat-style “streak” feature. [Source: Fortune]

Expert Opinion:
1. Focus on Customer Lifetime Value for long-term success
In the fast-paced digital space, it has become critical for brands to think beyond short-term gains and instead focus on maximizing the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).

Simply put, CLV is the prediction of the net profit attributed to the entire future relationship with a customer. It means, how much money one can actually make from a client not just from ‘a particular transaction’ but from a series of experiences we are able to provide over time. New age marketers are increasingly seen moving from immediate returns on ad spends to long-term, company-wide growth to measure the success of their campaigns. One of the key areas focused on by them is prioritizing CLV.

While this sounds easy and the focus on this type of an approach is growing, a lot of factors make it challenging to evaluate CLV. Customer journey has been transforming over time; it is split across multiple platforms & devices, and also from online to offline and vice-versa. Brands need to figure out how to tackle the problem areas and design a way to calculate the lifetime value. And like Pareto’s Principle, that specifies an unequal relationship between inputs and outputs, recent customer lifecycle studies suggest that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts.

Some of the key benefits of CLV are:
- Improved marketing that focusses on your customer
- Saves time and money as you do not waste any efforts on the customers less likely to convert
- Encourages brands to use multiple marketing approaches
- Helps in better customer profiling and segmentation
- Boosts brand loyalty
Focusing on CLV not only helps the brands reach out to their most valuable customers but also to build better relationships with them. Various tools are available these days that can analyze the insights from the data available and deliver customized messages and experiences to the users. This also helps marketers in designing effective communication strategies for new and existing customers. Also, consumers are now preferring experiences from brands, so brand loyalty is not the only way to retain consumers. Customers that relate to a brand basis the experience they offer are more likely to help you continue climbing up the ladder.

Brands should focus on understanding their audience and the best approach to communicate with them. It is essential to reach out to the right set of consumers that can provide the most value. Brands that drive CLV for the right audience are sure to achieve long-term success in today’s dynamic environment.

Here is a “Fast Four” – Practical strategies to help improve your CLV:
- Focus on building a long-term relationship – remember it’s not just about that one click, transaction or view
- Brand Loyalty will remain important – however, the service experience will play a key role in retaining the client
- Look for opportunities to up-sell and cross-sell – it’s far easier to get an existing customer to buy more than a new acquisition
- Use multiple touch points to deliver superior customer service – the client is not just there for you to reach when he comes to you. There are more than enough opportunities to engage with him in his own backyard
– Balaji Vaidyanathan, Deputy Head – Marketing, Franklin Templeton Investments
November 24, 2017
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Google AdWords updates, LinkedIn’s Professional Mentorship, Twitter’s tweetstorm and more..
1. Google rolls out AdWords promotion extensions, custom intent audiences & ad variations for testing
Google made a few announcements for AdWords advertisers just in time, before Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season in the US next week. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook Looks to Help Brands Tap into International Business Opportunities with New Tools
As part of Facebook’s mission to ‘bring the world closer together’, international expansion, and the removal of borders as boundaries, is a key element in their development. And aside from seeking to better connect communities, providing businesses with new ways to tap into international opportunities is another part of The Social Network’s expanding framework. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Google News adds new referral URL source that publishers should begin tracking
Google has quietly announced in its Google News forum that they have added a new URL referrer source that news publishers should begin tracking to get a “comprehensive view of traffic from Google News.” [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook officially launches mobile app, educational site for video creators
Facebook is officially launching its standalone app for video creators to manage their channels on the social network. After previewing the Facebook Creators app in June, the iOS version is rolling out globally to all Pages and individual accounts, though the Android version won’t be available until sometime. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. LinkedIn Rolls Out Professional Mentorship Connection Option to All Users
After testing their professional mentorship connection process for the last few months, LinkedIn has this week announced that their ‘Career Advice’ option is being rolled out to users in the U.S., U.K., India and Australia, with all other regions to gain access ‘in the coming months’. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Twitter confirms it’s testing a tweetstorm feature
Twitter confirms it’s testing a feature that allows users to more easily create “tweetstorms” – those series of connected tweets that have grown to be a popular workaround for Twitter’s character count limitations. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Google updates mobile product knowledge panels to show even more info in one spot
Google is updating the look of of its product-oriented knowledge panels on mobile to show even more details about specific products in the search results. [Source: Search Engine Land]
1. Facebook will tell publishers, creators the top Pages that shared their videos
Facebook will give brands, publishers and creators a better idea of who’s contributing to their videos’ viewership on the social network. [Source: Marketing Land]
1. Snapchat Launches Revamped Ads Manager, Provides New Ad Options
Despite the negative press, Snapchat still remains popular with younger users, and still holds a level of cool cache that other platforms can’t attain. The company has announced a major revamp of their 5-month old Ads Manager platform, while also adding in a range of new ad targeting and creation options to streamline and improve the Snap ads process. [Source: Social Media Today]
1. Google adds new features to its job listings search tool released earlier this year
After releasing its job listing search feature in June of this year, Google has updated the function so that new details about open positions will show up in search results. [Source: Search Engine Land]

Expert Opinion:
1. Winning consumer attention in today’s hyperconnected digital era
The advertising industry is undergoing rapid transformation with every passing day. Today, brands are adopting newer ways to enhance their advertising efforts and utilising the latest technologies to drive better results. On the other hand, consumers are also evolving and consuming behaviour is rapidly changing too.

Today, brands find themselves in an overcrowded market jostling to get all the consumer attention that they can, through all the different platforms. In fact, industry studies show the average consumer is exposed to up to 10,000 brand messages a day. And as marketers are presented with more and more channels to reach their customers, that number is growing rapidly. For the marketers of today, it is the consumer’s attention that has become a premium.

This does not change the fact that consumers still do engage with marketing campaigns. However, what it does mean for new-age marketers is that they need to find more efficient ways to engage their consumers that drive real value out of their efforts.

Before we get to how marketers can enhance their advertising strategies, it is crucial that they change the way they approach digital marketing itself. Good content is the only way marketers can hope to drive any meaningful engagement as good content attracts quality audience that is highly engaged.

– At Times Internet, our bouquet of premium publishers means we always have highly engaged audiences. An Economic Times is where a marketer will always find an engaged audience because the quality of content and the audience it attracts. Gaana always ends up seeing very high engagement from the youth, given how the content on the platform manages to tap into the interest of this audience. It is therefore very important to consider the content platform that your marketing campaign will run on, before getting to it.

– People have gone digital and advertising also needs to follow suit. However, the spontaneous rise in adoption of digital has also brought along clutter making it challenging to grab consumer attention. While some of the factors that affect consumer attention cannot be controlled, there are several others that can be managed. One of them being creativity.

A good creative always stands out and audiences instantly connect with one that appeals to their emotional quotient. However, what will actually reel in a consumer’s attention is the content in your marketing campaign.

If your campaign features content that piques consumer interest, it can amp up the consumer connect with your ad and drive more engagement. Another small but important detail is the timing for appearance of the brand logo. Often, the consumers don’t like to look at the advertisements if the brand logo is seen too soon, or appears repeatedly.

– Marketers should work on building a relationship with their consumers incrementally, starting with small activities that demand relatively smaller window of attention. For instance, start with short ads and then work your way up to longer, cinematic ads. Similarly, instead of running with an ad that is smacked with content from the word go, start slowly with content that teases, then continues to build interest and finally drives greater audience stickiness. This way brands can slowly, but steadily earn consumer attention, drive greater brand recall and gain a loyal set of customers for the long-term.

– Gulshan Verma, Chief Revenue Officer, Times Internet
November 17, 2017

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