It may be the last day of August as we head into Labour Day weekend, but we still technically have twenty-one days left of summer. Let’s make it count!
Instagram’s safety update, YouTube ads, Facebook Pixel for Groups and the international release of Watch and LinkedIn auto-bidding… Get ready for The Weekly Download!
Instagram’s Safety Update
On Tuesday, Instagram announced its most recent update that will be rolling out in the next couple of weeks. The update intends to improve the safety and transparency within the growing community of over one billion users.
The “blue badge” verification is now accessible to the masses through a “Verification Request” found within the settings of an account. Every request is screened, and should an account receive verification they would be considered a “…public figure, celebrity, global brand or entity.” Every verified account must strictly abide by Instagram’s community guidelines.
The update will allow users to explore the authenticity of the accounts that they are following. Instagram will be adding an “About This Account” option to every account as well.
And that’s not all. Instagram will be introducing a third-party authenticator app – in addition to phone number authentication – to log into Instagram accounts, as another measure to keep out hackers.
Instagram introduces a wide-range of new tools with security and transparency in mind https://t.co/mw1tgRYpBq
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) August 29, 2018
YouTube’s Non-Skippable Ads
The only feature making video ads bearable for users is the ability to skip them after five seconds – not for long! That’s right, soon channels will be able to implement non-skippable ads to generate more revenue. Until now, only select channels had that feature. Non-skippable ads have a maximum video length of 15-20 seconds based on the viewer’s location. They’ll also cost advertisers more money, thus generating more revenue for any and all YouTube creators!
Facebook pixel for Groups
Facebook pixel – a code you can place on the website to help monitor conversations by collecting data – will soon roll out for Facebook Groups. According to digday.com, the pixel feature will “…track user’s behaviour after clicking on posts.”
Facebook has been encouraging brands to use take advantage of their Groups to solicit more engagement, but with little ability to track user behaviours and study how the success of their strategies, some haven’t felt it was attractive enough attractive… they have no idea what they’ve been missing.
Marketers will appreciate being be able to track their audiences in a valuable manner and experience high levels of engagement simulations.
Facebook Watch Becomes International
Facebook announced on Thursday that a year after its release, they have made Facebook Watch accessible worldwide. Until now, it’s only been available in the U.S. Facebook Watch is designed to make video more social by encouraging more interaction and engagement “…with friends, creators and other fans.”
Facebook Watch has the potential to become a huge new platform for international content creators to share and market their videos. “Over the past year, we’ve made the experience more social – like making it easier to see which videos your friends have liked or shared, creating shows that have audience participation at their core, and opening Watch to videos from Pages.”
Facebook is giving pixel access to a small number of Facebook Groups that will provided greater detail in the Group Insights. This is seen as a preparation for a larger roll out. pic.twitter.com/x86FHmYy1G
— Peter Roesler (@TheSEOGodfather) August 30, 2018
LinkedIn Auto Bidding
On Wednesday, LinkedIn introduced their automated bidding for Sponsored Content. “That means that by using a powerful combination of machine learning and pacing algorithms, our system will find the perfect bid for your Sponsored Content campaigns to get you the most results – be it more clicks, impressions, leads, website conversion, or even video views – for the best possible price.”
Yes, several social platforms already have auto-bidding set in place to make campaigns easier for everyone, regardless of their savviness. Just set your budget and let LinkedIn do the rest!
In our experience, ads tend to perform better when people familiar with the social ad platforms are managing ad targeting, placement and creative. Let us know how we can help.
Thanks for featuring the @CarnegieDartlet auto bidding best test success, @LinkedInMktg! https://t.co/MnWwa6KnKl #HEmktg
— Erika Fields (@e_fields) August 30, 2018
Friday Fun
This week’s Friday Fun speaks for itself…
