Social Media

Facebook Launches Voting Information Center, and New Option to Opt-Out of Political Ads

Amid ongoing criticism of his company’s handling of political content, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has today provided an update on where Facebook stands on political content, while also announcing a new Voting Information Center to encourage political participation. Zuckerberg has also noted that, soon, Facebook users will be able to opt-out of political ads. But more on that in a moment.

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Facebook Adds New Functionality to Portal, Including Messenger Rooms and Capacity to Go Live in Groups

When Facebook first announced its Portal smart camera device back in 2018, many were skeptical about its prospects. The release of Portal came on the back of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, at a time when people were questioning the amount of personal data Facebook now has in its’ servers. Introducing a Facebook-connected camera into your home seemed, for most, a step too far. How things have changed since then. This year, amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, Portal sales have increased more than 10x, so much so that Facebook has been struggling to keep up with demand. Facebook has also been working to find new use cases for the tool, including a partnership with the NHS in the UK on a program which has provided Portals to thousands of aged care residents as a means to keep them connected to family and friends. With more people at home more often, Facebook’s Portal may have found its niche. And now, Facebook’s adding some new connection and presentation options to make it more appealing.

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Instagram, Pinterest Roll Out New Features For Pride Month

June is Pride month and Instagram & Pinterest are marking the occasion with a set of seasonal features including rainbow text, new stories filters, and more. Here’s an overview of what is coming to both platforms.

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Marketing

Google Pulled Ads From Two Conservative Websites

Two conservative sites had their AdSense ads pulled from their sites. Lost amid the cries of censorship was the real reason the ads were removed: Failure to understand Google’s terms and conditions they agreed to. That failure led to content violations which caused their advertising to temporarily be removed by Google.

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Agile Marketing in the Era of COVID-19, BLM and Recession

A good friend asked me an interesting question the other day: How can a company in the email space build equity in today’s market? It was interesting to me because I talk about this a lot, in forums like this and with companies I’m mentoring, whether they’re start-ups or established firms looking for their next areas of growth. It’s also a relevant question for where we are today. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything we know about marketing, whether you’re in B2B or B2C. Your own degree of change will depend on your industry, your products or services, but it’s a global phenomenon that we are all experiencing. This leads us to not know what we’re doing. We’re all guessing at the right way to go forward in marketing and sales. This caution is a good thing for now because hitting “pause” for now can help us avoid doing something that could actually hurt our brand equity instead of building it up.

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Five Ways To Pivot B2B Marketing Plans During The Pandemic

As we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are being forced to examine how, where and when to market themselves. It can be viewed as a reputation tightrope as businesses and brands delicately balance having a sensitive and compassionate tone with finding opportunities to remain operational in an uncertain time. During the first few weeks of the pandemic, many businesses flooded customers’ inboxes with messages about how they were responding to COVID-19. So what do you say, or do, next? Some companies impulsively cut back their marketing efforts during a crisis, but now is not the time to take your foot off the marketing pedal. Instead, take a close look at your current marketing strategies, and adjust them. During this crisis, you can maintain and even gain a competitive advantage by investing more, not less, in your marketing strategy. Here are five ways to pivot your B2B marketing plans to effectively position your business during the pandemic.

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