Are Google and Facebook tweaking their business, hoping to get more of your business? What’s important to know about Instant Articles, imported call conversions, and 360 video? Have you fallen for any of the myths concerning email marketing?
Take a few minutes to consider news that could make a major shift in the way you approach digital marketing in the coming year. Here’s this month’s collection of stories you don’t want to miss.
Let’s get started!
1. ATTRIBUTION TAKES A GIANT STEP FORWARD
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising – Attribution[/highlight]
Key Point: Google’s mobile click-to-call feature made the distance from ad to phone call just one finger away – but how do you attribute that business to the PPC add that sparked it? That process is way easier now, thanks to the newly launched AdWords imported call conversions capability. To make it work, advertisers need only collect the caller phone number, the call start time, and the call length. Here’s more info: Import Phone Call Conversions.
[line]2. KEYWORD PLANNER RESULTS – HOW ACCURATE ARE THEY?
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]SEO[/highlight]
Key Point: Google’s willingness to share keyword data is still on the decline. Results for similar keywords and keyword phrases are no longer distinguishable in Keyword Planner. Instead, they’re grouped. Consequently, your ability to attribute search popularity to many keyword variants is diminished. Types of keywords affected include acronyms, plurals, stemming variants (selling/seller), spacing variants (housepainter/house painter), and terms with or without punctuation. Find out more in this Wordtracker article: Google Grouping Search Results in Keyword Planner.
[line]3. FACEBOOK WANTS TO BUILD BETTER NEWSFEEDS
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: Google keeps tightening access to keywords, and Facebook is on the same trail with newsfeeds. In their “Building a Better News Feed for You” document, Facebook sets forth goals and values, saying “The strength of our community depends on authentic communication. Many small businesses, though, say Facebook’s primary concern is really about getting more ad revenue. The changes will make it even more difficult for marketing messages to show up organically in users’ newsfeeds. To find out how to set your newsfeed preferences to maintain a modicum of control over your own feed, see the “Controlling What You See in News Feed” page.
[line]4. HAVE YOU TRIED FACEBOOK INSTANT ARTICLES?
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: Some say one bright side of Facebook’s march forward is the development of “Instant Articles” capability. Rather than send mobile users to your website for content consumption, Facebook can now (upon approval) access your rss feed and deliver posts to your Facebook Page. Potential benefits include faster loading times, more exposure for your work, and making it easy for users to access your work without leaving Facebook. On the downside, you’re losing traffic to your website, Facebook algorithms can be fickle, and your calls to action are limited. For an in-depth look at the issue, check this article: Facebook Instant Articles Beginners Guide.
[line]5. VIDEO AD SPEND PROJECTED TO DOUBLE BY 2020
Topics: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Last month’s issue of News You Can Use referred to a report saying video ads are a trend every digital marketer should consider. This month, we’ve a set of charts supporting that advice. Projections include how much growth (nearly double that of 2014), where the growth will occur (multi-device), and the site that will draw most of the investment (YouTube). See the graphics displaying those figures and more here: US Video Ad Spending.
[line]6. MOBILE AD SPEND PUSHING $100 BILLION
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: If you took a look at the charts in the preceding key point, you know that mobile is leading the charge for video ad spend. Some predict mobile ad spend will overtake desktop ad spend within two years, maybe even sooner. Analysts earlier predicted explosive mobile growth would cool down a bit, but the advertisers aren’t listening to the naysayers. Mobile advertising is hot, hot, hot. Banner ads aren’t working well on mobile, though. Find out which advertising methods are right here: A Mobile Billion.
[line]7. HIGHLIGHTS FROM A GOOGLER AT SMX ADVANCED
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]SEO[/highlight]
Key Point: Google-guessing is a favorite pastime of many SEO practitioners, but every now and then Googlers drop the curtain and allow a peek inside the machine. Gary Illyes did just that at SMX Seattle recently, giving insight on authorship (officially dead), RankBrain (see what you think), Panda (alive & well), and more. The report is a good, if not surprising, read. One huge takeaway concerns HTTPS (do it). Here’s the scoop: Google Speaks.
[line]8. ARE YOU CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT GOOGLE REALLY KNOWS?
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Analytics[/highlight]
Key Point: Google’s new “My Activity” page gives users the ability to see and control the information Google collects via their individual Google account. And while that’s interesting enough, LiveIntent’s Nick Dujnic discusses how the previously siloed information could be helpful to brands. Nick may have been a bit too enamored with a certain Pokemon craze when he filmed this, but the questions he raises are valid and intriguing. You can see the brief presentation here: My Activity and Brand Warfare.
[line]9. DON’T BELIEVE THESE EMAIL MARKETING “FACTS”
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Email Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: Email marketing is dead. Automation is expensive and mysterious. Unsubscribes are the worst thing that could happen to your campaigns, your subject lines should be short in order to be effective, and there’s just one perfect time and day to send email. Muhammad Fahad tackles these and other email marketing myths head-on in this excellent article: The Top 6 Myths.
[line]10. IS 360 VIDEO REALLY WORTH THE EFFORT AND COST?
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Let’s look at one more angle on video marketing before we close this month’s report. Google and Columbia Sportswear wanted to determine whether or not the “revolutionary” 360 video format would get better engagement than traditional video. Want to know what they discovered? Read all about it right here: 360 Video Case Study.
[line]Congratulations! You’re all caught up on your digital marketing news and updates for the month! Tweet your excitement!
That’s it for the last 30 days or so. When you find news every digital marketer should hear about, let us know. If we include the story in the next month’s issue, we’ll give you a shout-out for suggesting it. Deal?
Hit us up on Twitter @StukentApp or message us via the Stukent Contact page. Wishing you the best summer ever! Keep learning.
