Krista Neher
May 02 2018
This month we continue to see the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica “scandal” with Facebook. While Facebook reports that all is well in terms of ad revenue and users, they continue to launch features to secure data and protect themselves from future issues. We also see AI continuing to be a big trend that brands and experimenting with and finally – Mobile, Mobile, Mobile!!! Mobile first is for real. Facebook, Instagram, Google… all the big players are making big plays to optimize mobile experiences. Are you?
We spend hours reviewing articles, posts, and reports to stay up-to-date so you don’t have to. Here are the May 2018 digital marketing news updates to keep you current in performing your job.
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Facebook News Updates
- Social media use is increasing despite privacy issues – While #deletefacebook sounded fun, the reality is that Facebook and other social networks continue to grow. People aren’t leaving the platform and privacy takes a back seat to sharing.
- Facebook requires admins of big Pages to be verified – This only impacts large Pages, but it is another clear step towards transparency for Facebook.
- Facebook allegedly testing AI loyalty tool – This is maybe more gossip at this point, but leaked info shows that Facebook is testing an AI tool that can predict brand loyalty. On the heels of privacy concerns maybe not the smartest move.
- Facebook explains newsfeed algorithm – If you want to understand the algo better, check out this post. The head of Newsfeed points to four factors: 1) Inventory 2) Signals 3) Predictions 4) Relevancy and (not listed but mentioned) is Recency. This isn’t different vs. how we typically explain edgerank – just more context and another way to look at it.
- Facebook expands A/B testing and reporting – If you want to optimize your Facebook ads, it is now easier with the Facebook A/B testing tool. We saw this in our Business Manager, and it makes proper A/B testing a breeze as Facebook controls ad-buy type variables to make testing easier and probably more accurate.
- Facebook continues to push videos – Launching new features for monetizing video for creators while encouraging users to watch.
Twitter News Updates
Snapchat News Updates
- Snapchat lays off 100 people from ad division – Snapchat has never really been able to crack the code on advertising – and this news suggests they maybe never will. Reducing their ad division may suggest a shift in focus – while Snap continues to grow in popularity among teens
LinkedIn News Updates
Instagram News Updates
Search News Updates
- Google updated search algo in mid-April – Google seems to be taking a more “low-key” approach to algorithm updates. In the past, Google often made major updates to the algorithm and provided guidance around updates and implications. In the past month, Google has stated they are regularly making updates to provide better experiences, so we may over time see a reduction in big, planned updates.
- Google switches to infinite scrolling for mobile – This may increase relevance of lower-ranking results if consumers scroll more vs re-searching. It will be interesting to see studies on this.
Digital Advertising News Updates
Industry News and Research
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