Social Media
Snapchat has published a new study which looks at evolving video consumption behaviors, particularly among younger audiences, and provides recommendations on how businesses can align their content efforts with these shifts. The report is based on research conducted by The National Research Group, and incorporates responses from over N=1,000 respondents aged 13-35 in the US – while Snap has also produced localized versions for the UK and Saudi Arabia as well.
For the full article click here
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer Issues Challenge to Facebook in First Public Statement
After coming into the role back in May, new, US-based TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has today issued his first public statement, in which he takes an aggressive stance in facing up to the challenges posed by regulators and competitors, whom, he says, are seeking to shut the app down. TikTok is currently under investigation in the US and other regions over its links to the Chinese Government, which has already resulted in the platform being banned in India. Amid the speculation, Facebook has also taken the opportunity to further squeeze the app, by releasing its similar ‘Reels’ functionality on Instagram into more markets. Facebook has even offered deals to prominent TikTok creators to get them to share their content on Reels instead.
For the full article click here
Facebook Ads is easily one of my favorite platforms to run ads across the entire customer journey. There are so many targeting options and placements – the opportunities are endless. Done right, you can prospect, re-engage, and convert in a cost-efficient way. Here are 11 tips for driving more value with Facebook Ads.
For the full article click here
Marketing
Marketing Disrupted: 5 Ways AR & VR Are Reshaping Digital Marketing
Augmented reality is more than a buzzword. Move over human influencers; virtual beings might be the next-gen in the near future of marketing. Ever want to grab a headset and meet your client in virtual reality instead of Zoom – see what your home office makeover could look like using augmented reality or create a virtual copy of yourself and send it off to teach your next webinar or Facebook Live? Digital marketers are facing new realities, thanks to pandemic disruptions, diversity movements, and social distancing. Everything – from virtual spaces, micro-messaging to digital creators to platform targeting – has completely turned marketing upside down in the last few months.
For the full article click here
Google is notifying site owners via Search Console of an increase in searches related to work from home jobs. The increase in searches is directly related COVID-19’s impact on businesses and employment. The purpose of alerting site owners is to make them aware of an opportunity to use remote job structured data markup.
For the full article click here
Competition is constant. No matter what business you’re in, there will always be other people competing with you for customers, subscribers, viewers, partners, etc. Even Google technically has competition — maybe you found this article through Bing? The point is…you have competitors trying to beat you. Do you know who they are?
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – August 11, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
Twitter Has Updated its Warning Prompts on Potentially Harmful Tweet Replies
For the full article click here
TikTok Takeover Update: Twitter Looking for a Way In, Microsoft Facing Staff Backlash
With only 35 days left to negotiate a buy-out, or face a potential ban in the US, the pressure is on for TikTok, and its potential suitors, to get the details of any such deal straight, and establish what, exactly, the platform is worth, and whether it’s a viable prospect for their respective future plans. Thus far, only one company has publicly stated that it’s looking to purchase the short-form video app, but in recent days, two more organizations have reportedly expressed an interest in buying the app – though in slightly altered form to the Microsoft proposal.
For the full article click here
New Reports Underline Facebook’s Role in Exacerbating Political Divides – But Will Facebook Take Action?
As part of the ongoing investigation into potential antitrust activity among US tech giants, the CEOs of Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple all recently appeared before the US House Judiciary Committee, where they were asked a range of questions relating to varying concerns about how their companies operate.
For the full article click here
Marketing
Google Suffers Massive Glitch
For the full article click here
Covid-19 Seems to Have Changed Lifestyles for Good
For the full article click here
15 Seconds of Engagement as a Simple Content Metric
Time on page is a familiar metric for content success, although it’s obvious that a page can be left open with no engagement happening. inPowered, the AI-driven content marketing, has proposed a minimum 15 seconds of engagement as optimal, and is reporting positive business outcomes.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – August 10, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Image Sizes in 2020 [Infographic]
For the full article click here
Facebook Adds New Sponsored Post Options for Groups
As Facebook continues to emphasize group engagement, The Social Network is also looking to create more opportunities for businesses within these highly engaged communities. And while you can already run ads in the Groups feed, Facebook’s looking to add another potential revenue pathway specifically for group admins, with new brand partnership posts built into the groups experience direct.
For the full article click here
Top YouTube Searches During COVID-19 Pandemic
YouTube published a new set of insights with information about the most popular video topics since the pandemic started. From sourdough to self-care, trending topics reveal that people turned to YouTube to learn skills and improve their wellbeing. YouTube’s report is full of rich visuals, as well as insight into what can be derived from the popularity of each search term. Here’s a quick rundown of key insights from the report.
For the full article click here
Marketing
The 11 Most Important Hard & Soft Skills Marketers Need to Have
For the full article click here
How Visual Commerce is Transforming the Customer Experience
As we near the six-month milestone in the new world of the digital customer experience, one often overlooked segment is now more relevant than ever—visual commerce. But what is visual commerce? 3-D images? Video sales calls? Visual commerce is much more than just these tactics, which proactive marketing departments are getting to know as they adjust to the new normal. “The transition that people expected to take four years has occurred in four months,” said Chris Beaudin, director of marketing for Atlatl Software, a visual commerce platform. “It is a drastic mental shift that is now a necessity. A lot of big companies were dragging their feet, making the back end a priority, now they have to play catch-up.”
For the full article click here
How Connected TV Measurement Proves Its Performance Marketing Potential
A lot has been written about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world of advertising. Budgets were decimated and marketers scrambled to find other ways to do more with less. One of the less talked about themes, however, has been how the pandemic served as a major blow to linear TV consumption and as a boon to Connected TV (CTV). There are tons of stats that support this sea-change – 80% of US households now own at least one connected TV (CTV) device, and Nielsen has tracked an 81% YoY increase in CTV viewing time while linear has fallen off. Some TV networks are now even starting to prioritize their content for streaming ahead of linear TV in a nod to the new normal of user behavior.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – August 7, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
TikTok Updates Efforts to Counter Misinformation and Election Interference on its Platform
For the full article click here
Instagram is Reels Complicated Now
Instagram has something valuable that Facebook doesn’t: a young, trendsetting audience. That makes it an irresistible venue for striking blows against competitors. For Snapchat, Instagram has Stories. For YouTube, there’s IGTV, and for TikTok, there’s now Reels, which works almost exactly the same way as the popular but controversial video app. Through a lot of copycatting trial and error, the company has found that any new product that isn’t wrapped into either Facebook or Instagram’s network usually fails to get traction. That’s right. (Did you use Poke? Bolt? Slingshot? Lasso? Exactly.) Wrapping Reels within Instagram is the only way to guarantee at least a few hundred million people will use it fast enough to weaken TikTok at vulnerable moment.
For the full article click here
Snapchat Adds In-App Voter Registration Targeted at Young People
Snapchat is rolling out a slew of new tools and features to help prepare young people to vote in the November election. Snapchat has unparalleled reach into Gen Z and Millennial demographics. The tools it’s building are meant to guide those specific populations to more resources to help them register to vote and form a voting plan. Other platforms focusing on voter registration are doing so with a much wider user population in mind.
For the full article click here
Marketing
Can PageRank Predict the NHL Playoffs?
For the full article click here
Search Console API Announcements
Over the past year, we have been working to upgrade the infrastructure of the Search Console API, and we are happy to let you know that we’re almost there. You might have already noticed some minor changes, but in general, our goal was to make the migration as invisible as possible. This change will help Google to improve the performance of the API as demand grows.
For the full article click here
Should You Ignore 2020 In Your 2021 Marketing Plan?
“How do I think about 2020 when building my 2021 marketing plan?” To be sure, 2020 has been a year. And it’s barely half over. So many related questions are still unanswered:
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – August 6, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
Instagram Launches its TikTok-Like ‘Reels’ Functionality in 50 New Regions
For the full article click here
TikTok Valued at Around $30 Billion, as Microsoft Evaluates Takeover Offer
How much is TikTok actually worth? Some estimates have put the app at close to $50 billion, given its meteoric growth and large user base. Official predictions suggest that Microsoft, or any other suitor, will need to pony up between $10b and $30b to purchase the short-form video app – and for comparison, Instagram is reportedly worth around $100 billion. It stands to reason that TikTok could be worth around half of Instagram’s price – but then again, that depends on what exactly they would be getting for that price.
For the full article click here
Twitter Publishes New Data on the Rising Gaming Discussion on the Platform
If you’re not paying attention to the rise of gaming culture, you’re missing a huge chunk of how the next wave of consumers connect and interact. The majority of the top-performing channels on YouTube relate, in some way, to gaming culture, while gaming more generally is set to become a $196 billion industry by 2022. And that growth has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdowns around the world – which is reflected in the latest research data from Twitter, which looks at the emerging gaming conversation via tweet.
For the full article click here
Marketing
Google Ads Advertisers Can Now Capture Leads From YouTube
For the full article click here
Google Ads Rolling Out Multiple Updates to App Campaigns
App campaigns in Google Ads can now be optimized specifically for driving as many app installs within as short a timeframe as possible. An update coming later this year will simplify the campaign creation process with a new tool for optimizing images. Here’s more about each of these updates to app campaigns.
For the full article click here
4 Ways to Get Started with Agile Marketing
The only constant in marketing is change. And with that constant change comes greater expectations for the marketing team to produce bigger results at a faster pace with limited resources and a newly remote workforce. Now more than ever, marketers must be ready for whatever comes their way—and they must be equipped with the right tools and processes to get results. To keep up, many marketing teams are making big changes to how they manage their work and create differentiating content by adopting an Agile methodology. Agile marketing allows marketers to be more organized, get more done and be more responsive to market changes or with shifting company strategy.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – August 5, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
Facebook Launches ‘Black Business August’ to Support and Highlight Black-Owned Businesses
For the full article click here
Facebook’s Updated Chat Plugin for Websites Enables Messaging Without Logging onto Messenger
Facebook has launched a new update for its Messenger chat plug-in for websites, which enables businesses to prompt direct message conversations with visitors to their site via a pop-up chat window. Facebook has updated the design and format of the plug-in, and made it easier to integrate into your website code. But the biggest change is that website visitors will now be able to start a Messenger conversation with your business, from your website, without having to log on to Messenger to do so.
For the full article click here
Snapchat Updates Audience Reach insights with Regional Audience Counts
This could help provide more context for your Snapchat marketing approach. Last month, Snapchat shared its Q2 performance numbers, in which it reported a 17% year-on-year increase in daily active users to 238 million. Reflecting this increase, Snapchat has also updated its Snap Focus education module on Unique Audience Reach, which also includes more specific detail on Snap’s regional audience numbers.
For the full article click here
Marketing
Google’s Search Quality Raters Do Not Directly Influence Rankings
For the full article click here
SEO for Images: See What You’re Missing in Your Visual Search Strategy
The visual aspect of communication and marketing has become increasingly important. But why is SEO for images – and the general concept of visual search – still considered a little more than a marketing nice-to-have? In his SEJ eSummit session, Gianluca Fiorelli detailed all the visual search opportunities you might be missing out on that can increase your organic traffic through the correct usage and optimization of images. He also talked about how to get more and better organic traffic using Google Search, Images Search, Google Lens, Photo and Assistant. Here’s a recap of the presentation.
For the full article click here
How Search Data Can Inform Larger Online Business Decisions
As an SEO I’m constantly utilizing keyword search volume data to help make more informed decisions about clients’ online presence. But the reality is, this data has way more use cases than anyone gives it credit for. The role of a decision maker in any online business requires the ability to gather (or be presented with), understand, and forecast with all types of data. Simple yet effective methods for identifying trends in online searches can ensure you’re getting your product or services in front of the right people at the right time. This is particularly useful if you sell a variety of seasonal products online. But the same process can be leveraged for single-focus businesses, as well. This data can then trickle down to a variety of team members, from SEO and Paid Search Account Managers, to merchandisers and content strategists.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – August 4, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
White House Gives TikTok Till September 15th to Sell its Business: Here’s What You Need to Know
For the full article click here
Snapchat’s Working on a New Option to Add Popular Music Clips to Your Snaps
Snapchat’s working on a new way to share music within Snaps, which could be seen as another nod towards the rising popularity of TikTok, though there are some variances in application.
For the full article click here
Facebook Will Look to Support New eCommerce Functionalities via its Accelerator Program
With Facebook looking to make eCommerce a bigger focus in order to assist businesses impacted by COVID-19, The Social Network has this week announced a new, specific eCommerce element within its startup accelerator program, which will provide training and support to “innovative commerce startups” that are looking to improve the online shopping experience.
For the full article click here
Marketing
Google Analytics Shifts More Data Privacy Control to Marketers
For the full article click here
Will Google’s Ad Disclosure Schema Catch On?
Google announced some updates to how it plans to inform users about the ads they see, including a new type of schema, as well as the latest on Privacy Sandbox proposals to manage ad serving, measurement and more without third-party cookies and cross-site tracking on Friday.
For the full article click here
WhatsApp Rolling Out Search the Web Functionality to Help Fact Check Viral Messages
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, but that also means a lot of misinformation and rumors are shared on the platform. Separating fact from fiction is important, especially with everything this year has thrown at us. Now WhatsApp is starting to roll out a feature that lets users quickly search Google for frequently shared messages to see if there’s more info online.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – August 3, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
TikTok Responds to Possible US Ban: “We’re Not Planning on Going Anywhere”
For the full article click here
Microsoft Mulls Purchase of TikTok as Trump Says That he is Banning the App in the US
Bloomberg reported that the US Government is planning to announce a decision which would essentially order China-based ByteDance to divest its ownership of short-form video app TikTok, or face a total ban on the app in the American market.
For the full article click here
FBI Announces Arrests Over Recent Twitter Hack
After Twitter yesterday provided an updated overview of how its recent high-profile, Bitcoin-scam hack occurred, in which various celebrity accounts were taken over by the hackers, the FBI has today announced that a man in Florida has been arrested over the incident, while two others have been charged with assisting the crime.
For the full article click here
Marketing
Doing More with Less: Automated, High-Quality Content Generation
For the full article click here
SaaS Marketing: How to Never Miss Your MQL Goal Again [Webinar]
Many marketers are struggling to find success during COVID-19. It’s no different in the SaaS industry. Digital marketers are working diligently but they are not seeing the marketing qualified lead (MQL) growth they’re striving for.
For the full article click here
Why SEOs Should Care About Brand
Brand is already affecting the performance we are held accountable for, so we can use the data we have as SEOs to benefit the whole company.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – July 31, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
Snapchat Publishes First-Ever ‘CitizenSnap’ Report Which Outlines its Contributions to Societal Improvement<
Snapchat has today published its first-ever CitizenSnap report, which provides an overview of the company’s efforts to address racial inequality, environmental responsibility and societal impact over the past year.
For the full article click here
Facebook Adds 100 Million More Users, Reports 11% Revenue Growth Amid COVID-19
For the full article click here
Twitter Provides New Detail on Recent Celebrity Account Hack
Twitter has today provided another update on the extent of the recent hack which saw the profiles of several high profile users, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden and more, taken over and used to promote a cryptocurrency scam.
For the full article click here
Marketing
3 Tips for Keyword Research & Content Localization Success
Keyword research and content localization are crucial for the SEO success of international websites. Learn proven tips to keep your campaigns in good shape.
For the full article click here
Google Maps Goes Social Giving Each User Their Own Profile
Google is turning Maps into a social network of sorts by giving each user their own profile filled with photos and reviews they’ve submitted. This is an extension of a pilot feature rolled out last year that allowed users to follow select Local Guides and get their latest updates. Following the success of the pilot launch, Google is expanding this functionality worldwide to all users.
For the full article click here
Feedback Optimization: A User-First Approach to SEO
Feedback optimization is the process of using readers’ comments to improve your content. See how this strategy can improve SEO performance while creating better search results for your audience.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – July 30, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
Snapchat Publishes New Study into Evolving Video Consumption Behaviors
Snapchat has published a new study which looks at evolving video consumption behaviors, particularly among younger audiences, and provides recommendations on how businesses can align their content efforts with these shifts. The report is based on research conducted by The National Research Group, and incorporates responses from over N=1,000 respondents aged 13-35 in the US – while Snap has also produced localized versions for the UK and Saudi Arabia as well.
For the full article click here
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer Issues Challenge to Facebook in First Public Statement
For the full article click here
11 Facebook Ad Tactics for High-Converting Campaigns
Facebook Ads is easily one of my favorite platforms to run ads across the entire customer journey. There are so many targeting options and placements – the opportunities are endless. Done right, you can prospect, re-engage, and convert in a cost-efficient way. Here are 11 tips for driving more value with Facebook Ads.
For the full article click here
Marketing
Marketing Disrupted: 5 Ways AR & VR Are Reshaping Digital Marketing
For the full article click here
Google Advises Site Owners of Rise in ‘Work From Home’ Searches
Google is notifying site owners via Search Console of an increase in searches related to work from home jobs. The increase in searches is directly related COVID-19’s impact on businesses and employment. The purpose of alerting site owners is to make them aware of an opportunity to use remote job structured data markup.
For the full article click here
Search Competition: Who Are You Really Competing With?
Competition is constant. No matter what business you’re in, there will always be other people competing with you for customers, subscribers, viewers, partners, etc. Even Google technically has competition — maybe you found this article through Bing? The point is…you have competitors trying to beat you. Do you know who they are?
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – July 29, 2020
/by Corey PadveenSocial Media
Twitter Updates Hate Speech Policy to Include Links to ‘Hateful’ Content
Twitter has updated its policies to now include links to hateful content within its parameters to unacceptable activity.
For the full article click here
Facebook Offers Lucrative Deals to Prominent TikTok Creators Ahead of Wider Release of Instagram Reels
For the full article click here
5 Facebook Advertising Tips for Service Businesses
If you’re a service-based business, the right approach to advertising online can feel overwhelming and downright frustrating. Paid search works great for emergency-based services like HVAC repairs, plumbers, and doctors. But what if you don’t offer emergency services? You may not be getting the calls and leads you want from a PPC campaign in those cases. But, Facebook advertising can be an effective platform to help you generate the results you want. Let’s dive into why this is the case, and some best practices and suggestions for advertising your service business on Facebook.
For the full article click here
Marketing
10 Meta Tags That Will Help Your SEO
For the full article click here
Page Load Time: How Quickly Should a Page Load in 2020?
How quickly should a page load? “As quick as possible” is the short answer. But that isn’t always as easy as it sounds. For most websites, a lot of effort will have to be made to improve page speed, so it’s important to know at what point you can feel confident that you are in the green and ready to move on to other projects. You’ll always want to be monitoring your load times, so having a number in mind is key. In 2020, that number is 3 seconds or less. Now the fun part – how to get there and how to stay there.
For the full article click here
Social Distancing Prompts Cutting-Edge Marketing Strategies At Burger Chains
Burger chains are using innovative marketing strategies to help navigate social distancing guidelines and capitalize on food trends to boost sales. As stay-at-home orders forced burger joints across the country to close their dining rooms, quick-service chains had an advantage because they were able to keep selling food via drive-thrus. Even as dining rooms across the country reopen at limited capacity, burger chains are relying on unique marketing strategies designed to help them identify with customers, inform eaters about new products and services and alleviate safety concerns. Even if you aren’t in the food business, there’s a lot to learn from these smart marketing strategies that I’d urge you to implement in your own businesses.
For the full article click here
Here Are the 5 Ads Nominated for 2020’s Outstanding Commercial Emmy
Ads by Apple, Amazon, P&G, Jeep and the Sandy Hook Promise have been nominated in the Outstanding Commercial category of the 2020 Emmy Awards.
For the full article click here