Welcome to a new edition of our monthly newsletter on the latest digital marketing news, insights, and updates.

This month, Google was the main character in the search marketing field.

As we previously announced, the AI industry is taking up more space and could potentially become a threat to Google. To stay ahead, as we expected, Google is moving forward by developing conversational AI into its search engine!

On the other side, we are thrilled to share a sneak peek of the improved Frizbit dashboard. With the latest update, segmentation has become a powerful tool for retargeting and driving sales.

We’ll see what the coming months bring for AI and the search field. In the meantime, if you don’t want to miss the latest updates on MarTech and social media, be sure to read the full blog.

Digital Marketing News & Updates from April 2023

CONTENT

Search Marketing Updates

• Google reveals the ideal number of products on a page for better rankings

• Google reveals how it detects fake reviews of local businesses

• Conversational AI is coming to Google’s search engine

Tech Marketing Updates

• AI arrives to Shopify

• YouTube has introduced AI-powered music ad solutions that target Gen Z

Social Media Updates

• TikTok’s sister App “Lemon8” is gaining traction and might become the alternative app in the U.S. for short-format content

• Instagram is developing a text-based social network called Barcelona (in competition with Twitter…?)

• On LinkedIn Premium Member Profiles, LinkedIn has added new CTA buttons

Updates from Frizbit

• Product update: New Improved Dashboard

• Frizbit attends the EU Startups Summit

Search Marketing Updates

1. Google reveals the ideal number of products on a page for better rankings

SOURCE: DEPOSIT PHOTOS

If you are an eCommerce manager or owner, stay tuned, because this first piece of news is just for you.

John Mueller, from Google, recently provided insight on how many products should be listed on a page for optimal ranking purposes.

The conversation was brought up by a user who asked in Mastodon social website.:

“@johnmu do you prefer an extensive product range (e.g. 30 products) on a page because offering many products is a ranking factor? Or, would you prefer a smaller and more specific product range (e.g. 2 – 3 products) which contributes conversion more (less choice stress) in terms of E-E-A-T?”

Rather than providing a specific number, Mueller suggested considering the question from a different perspective.

This different perspective comes quite aligned to the new “Experience” focus that resonates so much with Google lately.

Mueller suggests considering usability testing when determining the optimal number of products to display on a page for improved rankings.

The truth is that no theory or formula can define it better than your actual clients. And according to Jenny Cove, a UX researcher at Google, the key insights regarding usability testing are:

1. Ask people, ideally not friends or family, to use your product with the desired tasks you want them to do
2. Watch closely what happens when people are using it
3. Identify touchpoints that are critical
4. Modify and test again

In summary, there isn’t an ideal number of keywords that Google prefers. This may sound counterintuitive in the context of SEO, but Google now has a lot more signals related to the user experience, such as the review system algorithm.

 2.  Google reveals how it detects fake reviews of local businesses

SOURCE: DEPOSIT PHOTOS

Google has published a report detailing how it catches fake business reviews and fake profile accounts.

Google published a blog post announcing an update to their machine learning systems. This update is intended to catch and remove more fake reviews, fake business listings, and fraudulent contributed images and videos.

As a result, automated systems and human review teams removed over 200M photos and 7M videos and blocked or removed over 115M reviews (20% YoY increase).

So the question here is, how does Google catch user contributed spam?

As part of its efforts to detect and eliminate fake and fraudulent content, Google has developed new machine learning models.

These models examine user-contributed content for unusual patterns, including identifying those previously unseen before.

As mentioned by Google:

“We’ve long used machine intelligence to help us spot patterns of potential abuse, and we continue to evolve our technology.

Last year, we launched a significant update to our machine learning models that helped us identify novel abuse trends many times faster than in previous years.

For example, our automated systems detected a sudden uptick in Business Profiles with websites that ended in .design or .top — something that would be difficult to spot manually across millions of profiles.

Our team of analysts quickly confirmed that these websites were fake — and we were able to remove them and disable the associated accounts quickly.”

Google reviews new content before it is posted to its Maps system to prevent the submission of fake or fraudulent content. Additionally, they use a machine learning model to scan published content and catch any fake content that may have slipped through the initial reviews.

Thanks to these new systems, spam is now blocked faster and with greater accuracy than in 2021.

Furthermore, Google has announced that it is now scanning images to detect content overlaid on them that is intended to redirect phone calls away from a business and toward the scammer’s phone number.

They also use a system called “intelligent text matching” to identify misleading content, especially if the content contains bots, duplicate content, or similar word patterns.

 3. Conversational AI is coming to Google’s search engine

SOURCE: ADOBE STOCK

During an interview, Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that the company plans to integrate conversational AI into its search services in response to increasing competition.

This announcement was made during an interview with The Wall Street Journal in response to increasing competition from AI chatbots like ChatGPT and other business pressures.

As we mentioned in our last month’s blog post, with the emergence of GPT-4 and other search AI models, it was impossible for Google to lag behind in the game.

Even though they were optimising their search experience at multiple levels, the truth is that conversational AI could be one of the best approaches to simulate human-like conversations.

Let’s take a look at the current market.

Microsoft has already integrated ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine, Bing, which poses a challenge to Google’s core business.

Bing users can now engage in extended conversations with the language model, leading to increased usage.

This is a problem for Google, as search ads are its primary source of revenue, generating $162 billion last year. For every percentage point gained in the search market, Microsoft expects an additional $2 billion in revenue.

Having said this, it is clear that the decision from Google to implement conversational AI supposes a shift in the industry, and by doing so, Google intents to remain a leader in the search market.

So, what actions are being taken?

Pichai revealed that Google will continue refining its standalone Bard chatbot with new AI models and is still searching for the right market.

Marketing Tech Updates

 1. AI arrives to Shopify

Source: Shopify

Writing product descriptions for eCommerce sites can be a time-consuming and challenging task since it requires providing accurate and detailed information about your products while making them sound compelling and attractive to potential buyers.

The main goal of product descriptions is to convince customers that your products are the best choice for them, and it is essential to invest time and effort in creating high-quality and engaging descriptions.

Fortunately, with the help of AI tools like Shopify Magic, writing product descriptions can be a breeze. Shopify Magic uses advanced algorithms to analyse your products and generate descriptions that are not only accurate but also engaging and persuasive.

By taking advantage of AI-powered software, you can save time and effort while also increasing your sales and attracting more customers to your eCommerce site. And we are loving that the same feature is available to use on-the-go with unlocking productivity whenever it’s most convenient for you.

We love this Shopify update because it is intuitive and fun to use. By providing a few details about your product or the keywords you want to rank for in search engines, the tool automatically generates a product description for you on the product setup page in your store’s admin.

2. YouTube has introduced AI-powered music ad solutions that target Gen Z

Source: Deposit Photos

YouTube, the video-sharing platform owned by Google, has introduced two new AI-powered features to help brands advertise to Gen Z through popular music.

These new features aim to position YouTube as a strong platform for music and a one-stop-shop for brands that want to use music to connect with younger audiences.

After this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, YouTube released an announcement describing itself as the “ultimate destination for content during festival season, especially among Gen Z, who use the platform to share and engage with videos ranging from performances to outfit inspiration, vlogs, and more”

These two updates are:

1. Gen Z Music
2. Leveraging Shorts

The first of the new features announced is Gen Z Music. It uses AI to identify songs that are popular among Gen Z users on YouTube. Advertisers may be surprised to learn that hit songs from Cindy Lauper have become a favorite among some Gen Z users on the platform.

The second feature is designed to help brands use Shorts, a short-form video feature similar to TikTok that was introduced by YouTube in September 2020.

As YouTube states:

“Gen Z uses short-form video to participate in pop culture, discover new hits, and engage with their favourite musical artists”

YouTube Shorts has amassed over 1.5 billion monthly logged-in users and over 50 billion daily views. YouTube suggests that its upcoming Trending Music on Shorts feature will strategically place ads within popular, music-themed Shorts videos with the help of AI.

As a result, YouTube will be piloting Trending Music on Shorts in the coming months.

YouTube is familiar with AI; the platform has used algorithms for some time to personalize user feeds. However, as the announcement shows, the brand intends to rely more heavily on technology to connect advertisers with key audiences.

 Social Media Marketing

 1. TikTok’s sister App “Lemon8” is gaining traction and might become the alternative app in the U.S. for short-format content

Source: Lemon8z

As the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok faces scrutiny from lawmakers in Washington, its creators are looking for alternative platforms to share their content with American audiences.

One such platform is Lemon8, which is gaining popularity among U.S. content creators and viewers.**

Lemon8 offers similar features to TikTok, such as the ability to create and share short videos, but with a focus on fostering a positive and safe community.

So, what’s the hype with Lemon8?

By using Lemon8, content creators and viewers can avoid the controversies surrounding TikTok and enjoy a fresh, new platform to showcase their creativity. 

With its growing popularity, Lemon8 may become a viable alternative to TikTok for those who are concerned about privacy and security issues.

ByteDance marketers sent a message to creators inviting them to become a launching creator on their new Lemon8 platform before it officially rolls out in the United States. The message stated that ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, will be using the same recommendation engine that helped TikTok succeed.

The app’s layout resembles a combination of Pinterest and Instagram. It encourages people to share posts on topics such as health, fashion, and travel. Despite Washington’s push to ban TikTok, the China-based company introduced the app to the U.S. in February and ramped up marketing efforts in late March. This suggests that the company was not deterred by the ban and is determined to succeed in the U.S. market.

However, one concern remains: how much can the platform change in terms of users’ privacy data?

Lemon8 is a social media platform like Instagram, which collects information on its users. Additionally, it shares the same ownership structure as a subsidiary of ByteDance. According to Lindsay Gorman, a former tech adviser for the Biden administration, the same political issues that arose with ByteDance are likely to arise with Lemon8.

 2. Instagram is developing a text-based social network called Barcelona (in competition with Twitter…?)

Source: Twitter Alex 193A

It was reported early last month that Meta was taking into account the growing discontent among Twitter users. Having said this, Meta has been playing around with text-based features and is set to believe that it is creating its own alternative to Twitter, which could attract users who are dissatisfied with Twitter and are seeking a new platform.

As Meta stated to Platformer in early March:

“We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”

The project, initially codenamed ‘P92’, is speculated to target Twitter users who are looking for an alternative due to the various changes at the app under its new owner, Elon Musk.

This has led to comparisons with Twitter’s style. However, it seems that the project is moving ahead, with Meta’s new text-based social app, ‘Barcelona’, slowly taking shape, as reported in this tweet.

Source: Twitter Alex 193A

As shown in this image shared by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, an internal prototype of a separate app is being pitched as “Instagram for your thoughts”. The release date listed is just a placeholder at this stage and we don’t know when it might be launched.

However, the concept appears to be a text-based feed of posts that aims to tap into the rising popularity of private messaging in a more expanded and accessible format.

Given Meta’s history of acquiring features from competitors, this doesn’t come as a surprise. In fact, earlier this year, Instagram launched the text feature ‘Notes’ inside the app.

On the other hand, Meta has also developed Channels, which works similarly to broadcasting messages to followers. So we could say the previous moves, indicate the clear interest from Meta in text-based platforms.

Here’s what we know about the Barcelona project so far:

1. Barcelona will be a separate app that uses your Instagram credentials to log in.
2. As shown in the above screenshots, Barcelona will also use your Instagram ID as your username in the new app.
3. Posts on Barcelona will have a maximum length of 500 characters.
4. Barcelona will be decentralized, although it’s not entirely clear what that means in a Meta context yet.

 3. On LinkedIn Premium Member Profiles, LinkedIn has added new CTA buttons

Source: Social Media Today

LinkedIn has recently made an update to its Premium Member Profiles by adding new CTA buttons, which are designed to give users more options and opportunities for engagement.

The new feature for LinkedIn Premium subscribers allows them to add a custom call-to-action (CTA) button to their profile. Profile visitors will be directed to their LinkedIn profile’s URL by clicking this button.

We believe the biggest benefit would be for creators who are interested in building their own brand.

As mentioned by **Ora Levit, head of Growth at LinkedIn:**

“For many of our Premium Business subscribers, their LinkedIn profile is crucial for connecting to new business opportunities. That’s why we’re starting to roll out a new Custom Button that provides the option to add a personalized call-to-action to their profile.”

It is important to note that this feature is specific to Premium Business users, which is slightly more expensive than Premium Career, the cheapest of LinkedIn’s premium packages. To access the new ‘Custom Button’ option, go to your profile settings.

There are six preset call-to-action options available with this feature:

1. Visit My Store
2. Visit My Website
3. View My Portfolio
4. Visit My Blog
5. Request A Consultation
6. Sign Up for A Demo

So, What is the real impact of this new rollout?

To put this into perspective, only about 6% of LinkedIn members currently pay for LinkedIn Premium, which is a fairly good take-up rate for a social media subscription service. Comparatively, Snapchat+ is used by 0.33% of Snap users, while Twitter Blue is used by 0.26%.

This could help you to attract more direct traffic from your LinkedIn profile, with a wider range of marketing options available to you.

The latest update on this roll out is that currently, LinkedIn Premium subscribers can access the Custom Button, which will be rolled out to more members soon.

Updates from Frizbit

1. New Product update: New Improved Dashboard

In collaboration with our technical team, we recently released an exciting new product update: the new and improved dashboard.

This new update offers a more visual and efficient way to customise campaigns, allowing for easy segmentation and filtering by brand, category, colour, in stock segmentation, and more.

One of the most significant benefits of this update is the ability to filter by device and user information, including timezone, city, and country, and browser. This added functionality allows for more precise targeting, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

At Frizbit, we understand the importance of providing our clients with the tools they need to succeed in a competitive digital environment. With this in mind, we are constantly working to improve our platform and offer innovative solutions that empower our clients to achieve their goals.

This new dashboard is just one example of our commitment to excellence, and we are confident that it will make a significant difference in the success of our clients’ campaigns.

If you’re looking for a powerful and easy-to-use cross-channel marketing automation solution that helps you reach your marketing goals, enquire a demo here.

With our advanced features and user-friendly interface, we make it easy for businesses of all sizes to engage their audiences and drive conversions.

2. Frizbit attends the EU Startups Summit

The summit organised by EU-Startups, was a two-day event that brought together entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders from across Europe to discuss the latest trends and innovations in the startup ecosystem.

Our CEO & Co-founder, Ata Gür, attended the event representing Frizbit, and we were thrilled to be a part of the summit.

During the event, we had the opportunity to network with other startups, participate in informative panel discussions, and showcase their innovative technology to potential investors and customers.

Overall, this experience was valuable for us, and we are looking forward to attending similar events in the future as we continue to grow our business.

This month marked the end of the first quarter of the year in a particularly exciting way for digital marketing enthusiasts.

The digital marketing news and updates during March were exciting, especially in the search and AI industry.

An AI clone named Dolly – yes, like the cloned sheep – has appeared to democratise large language models. On the other hand, ChatGPT-4 has launched, positioning itself as a threat to Google with its multimodal model, and Google has announced a new core algorithm update to spice things up in the search field. 

The marketing technology field has seen its share of updates with the introduction of new features for two of the most relevant tools for marketers and managers: HubSpot and Salesforce.

These updates are exciting, and to stay ahead of the game, you’ll want to read the full article.

Digital Marketing News & Updates from March 2023

CONTENT

Search Marketing Updates

• Google Rolls Out March 2023 Core Algorithm Update

• OpenAI GPT-4 becomes multimodal and positions as a threat for Google

• Introducing Dolly: A New Open-Source ChatGPT Clone

Tech Marketing Updates

• SalesForce Spring 2023 release

• Hubspot rolls-out new functionalities relevant for managers

Social Media Updates

• TikTok might get banned in the US due to data and security concerns

• LinkedIn adds new features for B2B marketers

• Meta Launches New Reels Ad Options as it Embraces Evolving Consumption Shifts

Updates from Frizbit

• New Product Update: new segmentation features

• Frizbit attends the e-Show Barcelona 2023

 

Search Marketing Updates

1. Google Rolls Out March 2023 Core Algorithm Update

Source: Pexels – PhotoMIX Company

Google has announced the start of its March 2023 core algorithm update rollout, and naturally marks the beginning of search marketing this year. We understand that these updates can have a major effect on search rankings, which is why staying informed is essential. 

Please keep in mind that core updates may take several weeks to fully implement, and search rankings could change over that period. It will be impossible to determine the full impact of the March 2023 core update until the rollout is closer to its end. So we can predict this will be an ongoing topic.

What do we suggest having in mind with this update?

Google is well-known for its algorithm updates, which it introduces regularly to improve its understanding and ranking of content.

These updates aim to provide increasingly relevant and high-quality search results. However, they also bring changes to how Google evaluates and ranks websites. As a result, SEO professionals and website owners must stay informed and adapt their strategies accordingly.

As we await more information on Google’s March 2023 core algorithm update, there are a few key takeaways to keep in mind:

• Allow time to work its magic: it can take days or even weeks for Google’s crawlers to fully assess the web.
• Measure organic traffic: Make sure to monitor your site’s organic search traffic and keyword rankings. These metrics can help you determine the impact of the update and identify potential areas for improvement.
• Don’t write for the rankings: Delivering quality content that is tailored to your target audience’s needs is essential. The goal of these updates is to provide the best search results for your users.
• Optimise your site for rankings: Technical aspects such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, and proper indexing have a significant role in determining your overall ranking, so pay attention to the fine details.

 2. OpenAI GPT-4 becomes multimodal and positions as a threat for Google

Source: OpenAI

On March 14th, the new multimodal version of OpenAI GPT was launched. It’s safe to say that if Google wasn’t already wary of this popular AI tool, they have even more reason to be now.

What does it mean to OpenAI CPT-4 to integrate a multimodal model? 

Multimodal AI refers to the ability to process various types of input, such as video, images, and sound. In machine learning, the term “modality” refers to the different forms of input, including text and senses like sound, vision, and smell.

As GPT-4 states:

“We’ve created GPT-4, the latest milestone in OpenAI’s effort in scaling up deep learning. GPT-4 is a large multimodal model (accepting image and text inputs, emitting text outputs) that, while less capable than humans in many real-world scenarios, exhibits human-level performance on various professional and academic benchmarks”

What are some of the improved capabilities of GPT-4?

• GPT-4 is more reliable and creative than GPT-3.5
• GPT-4 is able to handle much more nuanced instructions than GPT-3.5
• The distinction between GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 is subtle in casual conversation, but becomes apparent when the complexity of the task reaches a sufficient threshold
• GPT-4 can handle text and image inputs, which means users can assign any language or vision task they want, not just text-only tasks.
• GPT-4 appears to work across all languages.

Below, you can find an example of what adding this visual inputs to OpenAI GPT-4 can bring to the table:

Source: OpenAI

Undoubtedly, this is where GPT-4 steps stronger, thanks to its exceptional ability to incorporate inputs in a more natural language through the integration of this multimodal model. Over the last year, we saw Google striving to implement a more human-like Search in 2022, using different tools such as Google Lens, etc.

3. Introducing Dolly: A New Open-Source ChatGPT Clone

Source: Databricks

Dolly and clones are two words that historically have pared well together, and in this case is no different.

Databricks, an enterprise software company, recently released a new ChatGPT clone called Dolly. The clone is named after the famous sheep that was the first mammal to be cloned. The Dolly Large Language Model (DLL) is another step forward for the open-source GPT Chat.

Open Source Large Language Models in AI Development

Source: Databricks

 

The Dolly Large Language Model (DLL) is the latest addition to the open source AI movement, which aims to provide greater access to technology so that it is not monopolized and controlled by large corporations. 

One of the driving concerns behind this movement is that businesses may be hesitant to hand over sensitive data to a third party that controls the AI technology.

The Open Source Model

Dolly was created from an open-source model developed by the non-profit EleutherAI research institute and Stanford University’s Alpaca model, which was in turn created from the 65 billion parameter open-source LLaMA model developed by Meta.

LLaMA, which stands for Large Language Model Meta AI, is a language model trained on publicly available data. According to a report by Weights & Biases, LLaMA can outperform many top language models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-3, Gopher by DeepMind, and Chinchilla by DeepMind, despite being smaller.

What happens with an Open Source model for AI?

Open source in AI offers several advantages, including cost-effectiveness and the ability to customize to fit a company’s specific needs. Collaboration between developers is encouraged, leading to better AI solutions. Innovation and experimentation are promoted, resulting in better AI algorithms and solutions. Transparency is also provided, allowing for better scrutiny of algorithms and code.

However, open source AI also has its disadvantages. Security vulnerabilities and malicious attacks can occur, and the quality of code and algorithms may be lower than that of commercial AI developers. Ongoing maintenance is necessary, and fragmentation can occur if different teams and developers are working on different versions of the same project. Inaccuracies may also arise with open source AI.

Comparing ChatGPT and Dolly, databricks mentioned:

“We evaluated Dolly on the instruction-following capabilities described in the InstructGPT paper that ChatGPT is based on and found that it exhibits many of the same qualitative capabilities, including text generation, brainstorming and open Q&A. Of particular note in these examples is not the quality of the generated text, but rather the vast improvement in instruction-following capability that results from fine-tuning a years-old open source model on a small, high quality dataset.”

Marketing Tech Updates

 1. SalesForce Spring 2023 release

Source: Deposit Photos

Salesforce, the leading cloud-based CRM platform, has been helping businesses grow and succeed for many years by organizing and managing customer data. With over 100 new features and updates released, Salesforce continues to be the top choice for businesses of all sizes.

Recently, Salesforce rolled out its spring update, which included a number of exciting new features. In particular, we were impressed by the following:

• Use Lightning Web Runtime (LWR) to build faster and cheaper websites:
  The B2B LWR template enables easier customization of storefronts. Additionally, the improved functionality and performance of the framework results in faster run times and more personalized experiences for customers.
  

• Salesforce Payments now works more seamlessly:
  Quick payment processing is essential for ecommerce businesses. Salesforce’s new payment framework makes the process smoother and requires less backend coding. It is more user-friendly and allows for third-party payment providers to be integrated into the checkout process. A new click-and-go function streamlines the checkout process for customers.
  

• Salesforce CMS now supports approvals, viewing, and restoring including: the ability for consultants and contributors to create, edit, and view content in their workspace, and for other users to approve or request changes. Additionally, users can now view and restore previous versions of content, track changes, and revert to older versions if needed.
• Metrics and analytics:
  Sales Analytics now has better filters and quicker access to data. This lets you find what you require without going through unnecessary data. Sales managers and reps can see which sales strategies work best, which products are doing well, and find things to improve.
• The Account Engagement Optimizer can assist you in:

1. Identify ways to improve your marketing automation system, such as optimizing sales processes and email campaigns, to increase ROI.
2. Identify risks to your marketing automation system to improve overall marketing. For example, the Account Engagement Optimizer may flag campaigns where click-through rates are below industry averages and prompt changes.
3. Prioritize recommended changes based on what’s most important. These suggestions will help your team focus on changes with the biggest impact.

2. HubSpot rolls-out new functionalities relevant for managers

Source: Deposit Photos

If you are a business manager, it is likely that you are a HubSpot user. The tool has been publishing more comprehensive monthly updates outside individual portals, such as the “What’s New in HubSpot’s Software” page. We are here to tell you about the 5 latest updates that might come in handy.

1. Marketing Campaign custom properties (beta):
   Organise your campaign information and assets more efficiently by creating custom properties for Marketing Campaigns. The once-limited Marketing Campaigns feature now behaves like other standard CRM objects (i.e., contacts and deals), eliminating the need for complex naming conventions to store campaign information in the name.
2. Check bot filtering status to track campaign engagement more accurately:
   Check if your email engagement metrics are accurate by verifying if bots are being filtered out. Look for the new Bot Filtering setting on the email post-send page. If your email engagement metrics are different after migrating to HubSpot, toggle this switch on and off to see if bots were the reason for the higher engagement numbers in your previous system.
3. List releases: Create a random sample, clone and restore static lists, and filter releases based on ‘has/has not completed’:
   If you conduct A/B testing, personalise actions for specific lists, or randomly select contest winners, the new beta release enables you to create a random sample of any list. This feature eliminates the need for previous workarounds and potential errors from exporting and importing spreadsheets, and allows you to choose a percentage or count of list members to add to a new static list.
4. Coloured deal tags (beta):
   Use the new beta feature for coloured deal tags to prioritize your constantly changing deal pipeline boards.
5. Easier social media publishing and email replies on mobile (beta):
   The new HubSpot mobile app features help your team create and edit social media posts on the go. Additionally, the new beta release lets you send and reply to emails within the app. This ensures timely, tracked emails and enables all team members to see the latest conversation and context for the record, regardless of the device used.

 Social Media Marketing

 1. TikTok might get banned in the US due to data and security concerns

Source: Deposit Photos

We can say that 2023 has been an eventful year for TikTok. In January, due to data security & privacy, the company was already facing legal consequences in the EU. 

The focus is currently centred on the US, where nearly two and a half years after the Trump administration threatened to ban TikTok in the country unless it divested from its Chinese owners, the Biden administration is now doing the same.

What are the concerns around TikTok?

Explained in two words: data privacy/security.

Recently, there has been growing concern regarding the use of TikTok and its potential impact on data security. Many are worried that the app is collecting sensitive user information and sharing it with the Chinese government. Some worry that the Chinese government could use the app to spread propaganda to a US audience. 

The fundamental concern behind both is that any company doing business in China may ultimately be subject to Chinese Communist Party laws, with all its implications.

Lawmakers have renewed their scrutiny of TikTok due to its ties to China through its parent company, ByteDance. This comes after a report last year suggested that US user data had been accessed multiple times by China-based employees. TikTok, however, has disputed this claim, and why wouldn’t they?

What has TikTok said about the accusation?

At a Harvard Business Review conference earlier this month, TikTok CEO Shou Chew reiterated the company’s commitment to address lawmakers’ concerns:

“The Chinese government has actually never asked us for US user data,” Chew said, “and we’ve said this on the record, that even if we where asked for that, we will not provide that.” Chew added that “all US user data is stored, by default, in the Oracle Cloud infrastructure” and “access to that data is completely controlled by US personnel.”

The real question here is, is TikTok truly a threat to national security in the US?

One of the biggest fears is not being able to have full control over the matter. 

China’s national security laws compel companies under its jurisdiction to cooperate with various security activities. However, it is difficult for the public to verify the extent of this cooperation. 

And although TikTok doesn’t operate in China directly, its parent company, ByteDance does. There’s a potential leverage the Chinese government may have over them. 

Overall, privacy and security researchers have found that TikTok’s app is not inherently malicious or spyware, but there are concerns about the relationship between TikTok and ByteDance with the Chinese government.

 2. LinkedIn adds new features for B2B marketers

Source: Deposit Photos

Some exciting updates are coming to the platform for marketers and B2B owners that are regular users of the platform. Aside from the long-awaited native scheduling feature, LinkedIn has released some interesting updates regarding the company pages.

1. Native scheduling: You will be able to choose what day and time you want your post to go live when you compose it on the web. With LinkedIn’s native post scheduling option, you can plan your posts up to three months in advance.
2. Get the most reach for job listings: Company pages can now share an automated post when they add an open job listing, which helps maximize exposure and reach.
3. Audio Events: LinkedIn is introducing audio events for Company Pages, providing another way to engage with your on-platform audience. With this new feature, you can make professional connections via audio events or listen to industry-specific discussions with leaders in your field. This addition could be valuable given the platform’s user base, even if broader interest in audio options has decreased.
4. Connecting businesses together: As of now, Company Pages will have the ability to follow other pages in the app, giving you another way to stay informed on relevant industry trends in real-time.
   

 3. Meta Launches New Reels Ad Options as it Embraces Evolving Consumption Shifts

Source: Social Media Today

Meta is advancing its advertising options to help businesses grow even further by leveraging Reels’ growing popularity on Facebook and Instagram. Recently, Meta introduced some new ad video options, allowing advertisers to take advantage of short-form video clips to maximize their promotional opportunities.

Firstly, Meta is introducing Click-to-Messenger ads within Facebook Reels. This will enable businesses to drive traffic directly to DMs via Reels clips. Click-to-Messenger ads in Reels will include a large CTA button to drive contact via private chat. This feature capitalizes on the increasing popularity of short-form video and private message interaction.

Secondly, Meta is making WhatsApp Conversion optimisation available for Facebook Reels Ads. This addition further enhances the capabilities of Reels Ads for businesses.

As mentioned by Meta:

“Typically, we show Click to Messenger ads to people who are most likely to initiate a conversation with a business on WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram. With this update, advertisers who use the Sales, Engagement or Traffic objectives to add a “Send Message” button to their Facebook Reels ads will now give people an option to start a conversation in WhatsApp right from the ad.”

What’s the possible impact for businesses from these updates?

More social media users are now sharing content in DMs instead of public news feeds, causing a major shift in online interaction. A recent survey by Meta showed that almost 50% of Reels viewers contacted a brand through DMs after seeing its short-form video content.

Meta’s broader vision to maximise its business messaging opportunities is also reflected in adding WhatsApp to the mix. This is an area where Meta still holds a significant lead over its competitors.

Meta is also making the Ads on Facebook Reels post engagement objective more widely available, which will provide another means to measure reactions, comments, and likes, and compare them to engagement from other ads or campaigns.

As a result, the Meta In-Stream Reserve video ad product is being retired from its in-Stream video options due to the growth of short-form video options.

Updates from Frizbit

1. New Product Update: new segmentation feature

Source: Pexels | Luis Gomes

We strive to continuously enhance our customer experience, and one way we do so is by constantly improving our marketing automation platform.

Our technical team have recently deployed a new version of database, which enables to segment users also “excluding” them based on any behaviour. This capability has been present for a long time on our triggered campaigns, however we needed to wait this update to have it on any type of campaign.

This not only creates the ability to create specific and impactful campaigns, but also allows our clients to target users who have not yet completed desired actions.This new product update also permits “user merge”, which allows our customers to track users on cross devices.

User merge is particularly useful when considering the increasing number of devices individuals now own, making it more difficult to track users and consolidate data. By merging user data, we can better understand user behaviour on cross-device and provide more personalised experiences.

Additionally, this update allows us to enhance our data analysis capabilities, giving us greater insights into the effectiveness of our campaigns and how to improve them moving forward.

 

2. Frizbit attends the e-Show Barcelona 2023

As Frizbit team, we attended the e-Show Barcelona 2023, the largest event for eCommerce and Digital Marketing in Barcelona. 

During the conference, we participated in a variety of workshops and seminars, gaining valuable insights into topics such as cookieless strategies for 2023, mobile commerce, hyperpersonalisation, social media marketing, and customer experience optimization

We also had the opportunity to network with other industry professionals, establishing new connections and paving the way for future collaborations.

Overall, our attendance at e-Show Barcelona 2023 was an enriching experience that has provided us with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration!

 

Digital marketing is an ever-evolving field that is constantly changing with the latest trends and technological advancements.

It’s been an exciting month, especially in the Search Marketing field. We’ve noticed a lot of activity, thanks in part to the role of AI. Even Google Search has incorporated AI, and we’re happy to share that Google has addressed concerns about whether AI can negatively impact a site’s ranking. Spoiler alert: it won’t! But for all the juicy details, make sure to go through the blog post.

As a marketer, it is essential to stay updated with the latest news and updates to stay ahead of the competition. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the most significant updates and news from the digital marketing world in February 2023.

Digital Marketing News & Updates from February 2023

CONTENT

Search Marketing Updates

• Google sheds the light about AI Content in Search Results

• Google updates its 2023 Product Reviews

• The new era for Google Search powered by AI is here

Tech Marketing Updates

• Pinterest launches their own learning platform for Pinterest Ads

• Amazon Ads plans to step their game in 2023 with AI

Social Media Updates

• Instagram has launched a new feature called ‘Channels’, which allows accounts to broadcast DMs with their audience

• Meta is quickly rolling out verified subscriptions

• Instagram’s co-founder comes out with a NEW social media app, Artifact, which is going to be like a TikTok – for text

Updates from Frizbit

• Frizbit attends the Mobile World Congress 2023

 

Search Marketing Updates

• 1. Google sheds the light about AI Content in Search Results

Source: Deposit Photos

Google has clarified its stance on AI-generated content . As a result, it provides guidance to ensure that high-quality content that prioritizes people ranks well.

There’s a whole tendency revolving about different AI tools specifically made for content marketing. Going beyond how useful or helpful it would be for different businesses, the question that has always remained at the back was what about SEO factors when actually using AI to create content?

In response to the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content in search results, Google has recently released a statement clarifying its approach to such content. As a company with a longstanding commitment to valuing high-quality content, regardless of whether it was created by humans or machines, Google’s ranking systems prioritize content that demonstrates expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).

This E-E-A-T was their latest system update, and without doubt Google’s emphasis on E-E-A-T underscores the importance of original, high-quality, people-first content. Creators who aspire to succeed in search results must produce content that showcases their expertise, experience, and authoritativeness while being trustworthy to users. By doing so, creators can ensure that their content ranks well, providing users with helpful and informative content to make informed decisions.

In summary:

• Google prioritizes high-quality content, regardless of whether it is generated by humans or machines.
• Google advises publishers to produce helpful, people-focused content that demonstrates expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
• Using automation or AI solely to manipulate rankings in search results is considered a violation of Google’s spam policies.

Our advice? Rely on storytelling and experiences to enrich your content. While the latest developments might help you save time and even enhance your skills, there’s one thing AI will never be able to replace: telling your story or sharing your knowledge from your own unique perspective.

•  2. Google updates its 2023 Product Reviews

Today we released the February 2023 product reviews update, which applies to these languages globally: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, Polish. It’ll take ~2 weeks to fully roll out. More here: [https://t.co/YpNnK97G3O](https://t.co/YpNnK97G3O)

— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) February 21, 2023

The upcoming update, which will be rolled out next week along with the product reviews update guidance, will be implemented globally and applied to 11 languages.

What did this roll out include?

First, note that if your site is affected by this update, Google is well-known to affect rankings when roll-outs are happening, however it doesn’t mean that they are necessarily permanent.

Source: Adobe Stock / Thaspol

The Product Reviews System, as announced by Google in February 2023, is designed to improve the quality of product reviews that appear in search results. Its purpose is to identify and remove content that is deemed “thin” or lacking in substance, such as those that only provide brief summaries of products without offering any valuable insights for consumers. Instead, the system aims to surface more in-depth product reviews that are based on actual experiences and research.

By doing so, Google hopes to provide users with more helpful and informative content that can assist them in making informed purchase decisions. The system works by analysing various factors, such as the length and depth of the review, as well as the credibility and authority of the website or author.

This update makes special emphasis on the words “product review system”. While it might seem like a light change, it completely changes the focus of the update, taking Google’s guidance away from product reviews update.

One of the new sections in the updated guidance for the Product Reviews System explains:

“Periodically, we improve how the product reviews system works.When we do this in a notable way, we share this as a “product reviews update” on our Google Search ranking updates page.”

So, what’s the main goal of the Product Reviews System?

Overall, the implementation of the Product Reviews System represents a significant shift in how Google prioritizes content in its search results. It underscores the importance of providing high-quality, informative content that can truly add value to users. So, if you’re a content creator or website owner, it’s essential to ensure that your product reviews are comprehensive, well-researched, and provide genuine value to your audience.

•  3. The new era for Google Search powered by AI is here

Source: Pexels / Photomix Company

Google is introducing new AI-powered features for seach to Google Lens and Multisearch, making searching easier and more efficient.

It has been announced that Google will use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance its search features, as a response to Microsoft Bing’s enrichment its algorithm with its partnership with ChatGPT as we mentioned last month.

The impact of ChatGPT was significant, especially in terms of disrupting the Search Engine market. With its advanced natural language processing capabilities, ChatGPT has revolutionized the way people search for information online.

Moreover, ChatGPT’s ability to understand the context and nuances of language has made it easier for users to find the information they need, even if they don’t know exactly what they’re looking for.  As a result, ChatGPT has had a profound impact on the search engine market, and is poised to continue shaping the future of online search.

Throughout the history of Google’s search technology, artificial intelligence has played a crucial role in improving the company’s ability to understand foreign languages. As a result of further investments in artificial intelligence, Google has expanded its understanding of information to include images, videos, and even context from the real world.

Google is using this intelligence to improve the search experience in the following ways:

• Search your screen with Google Lens: Google is now using AI in a new way through its Lens feature. This feature has become increasingly popular, with over 10 billion monthly searches. With the latest update, users can search for information directly from their mobile screens using Lens. Soon, Android devices will be able to access this technology globally.
• Multisearch: Google has introduced a new feature called multisearch, which allows users to search with images and text simultaneously. This feature is available globally on mobile devices in all languages and countries where Lens is available. For example, if a user is searching for “modern home office ideas” and comes across a desk that they like but in the wrong material, they can use multisearch to add text such as “wood” to find what they’re looking for.
• Location and proximity: for all searches, Google has also added the possibility to search at local levels, which will make it much efficient for users to find what they are looking for in their proximity.

Google is constantly striving to make its search experience more natural and visual. With the AI race heating up, it’s likely that we can expect more from the search giant in the coming months.

Marketing Tech

•  1. Pinterest launches their own learning platform for Pinterest Ads

Source: Pinterest Academy

Pinterest has just released the latest edition of Pinterest Academy, a powerful and interactive e-learning platform that covers everything advertisers need to know in order to effectively engage and inspire their target audience on the platform.

Different from other existing platforms, Pinterest confidently claims that they offer advertisers a unique and valuable differentiation.

Sharpen your pencils ✏️

It’s time to enroll in Pinterest Academy, our new e-learning platform guaranteed to give you a best-in-class ads education.

Get started today 👉 https://t.co/9edIFeHY4Upic.twitter.com/iEXB0EsTyU

— Pinterest Business (@pinterestbiz) February 13, 2023

This is mainly given that usually the users arrive to the platform with a clear intent and are actively seeking to shop, making Pinterest an ideal destination for advertisers looking to connect with potential customers.

More than a social media channel, Pinterest has become a visual search engine in which users often visit Pinterest early in their decision-making journey. This positions Pinterest as the perfect place to discover new ideas for both purchases and activities, so ads are both expected and welcomed on the platform.

So, why Pinterest Academy?

The Pinterest Academy courses provide valuable guidance on a range of Pinterest ad formats, including how to use measurement tools and a deep dive into specialty subjects. This includes an explanation of why Pinterest is worth your time. You’ll also learn how to use the Trends tool, whose trends on Pinterest are proven to take off faster and last longer than anywhere else on the internet.

As Stacy Malone, head of global business marketing at Pinterest, said:

“We created Pinterest Academy to help brands, agencies and marketers alike harness the unique intent and buying power of people on Pinterest and understand how to unlock the full potential of their campaigns on the platform. Only on Pinterest do people come with the clear intention of discovering the things that add value to their real lives, so they welcome content from brands that help them do just that. In today’s uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to connect with your audience where it matters, and Pinterest Academy will teach marketers how to do that effectively.”

• 2. Amazon Ads plans to step their game in 2023 with AI

Source: Deposit Photos

AI is here to elevate almost every corner on the digital world, and Amazon Ads could be no different. Can Amazon make the most of its own capabilities with AI-powered marketing recommendations?

Amazon’s advertising business is expanding and the key to its success is delivering ads that consumers actually want to interact with. According to The Drum, the company is committed to investing resources in developing its video advertising capabilities, based on the consumption habits of users.

Given Amazon’s increasing collection of video content, it’s no surprise that the company is expanding its video ad capabilities to meet the growing demand for this format.

According to Heaton-Armstrong, the Vice President of EU Sales at Amazon Ads, Amazon’s sponsored display options are deliberately created to offer advertisers a variety of choices in the video ad arena.

This means that brands can deliver a wide range of immersive video ads, including tutorials, demos, unboxing, and testimonials, while also being able to accurately measure their campaign’s performance with standard sponsored display metrics.

This comes as a fantastic news as we mentioned in our 2023 Digital Marketing Trends, proximity and transparency are demanded by customers to make better informed decisions. In our opinion, video ads definitely can have a bigger impact and engagement on desired audiences.

 Social Media Marketing

•  1. Instagram has launched a new feature called ‘Channels’, which allows accounts to broadcast DMs with their audience

Source: Instagram

Let’s begin with the basics: what exactly are broadcast channels?

Broadcast channels are a public, one-to-many messaging tool for creators to invite all of their followers into and engage with their most interested fans.

As Instagram states:

We’re always exploring new ways to help creators directly reach their audience and form deeper connections with their communities.

Broadcast channels can be used by creators as a casual and efficient method of updating their followers.

With the ability to share text, photos, videos, and voice notes, creators can easily provide their followers with the latest updates and behind-the-scenes moments. Additionally, creators can create polls to crowdsource fan feedback, allowing them to gather valuable insights from their audience. It’s important to note that only creators can send messages, while followers can react to content and vote in polls.

In the next few months, Instagram will be introducing even more features to help you connect with your fans. These include the ability to bring another creator into the channel to discuss upcoming collaborations, collect questions for an AMA using question prompts, and much more.

With these new possibilities, we are confident that creators will find exciting and innovative ways to engage with their fans.

Some alternative uses of how you can use this new feature:

• Free trainings or challenges with your community
• News and updates on your industry
• Product or services launches
• Community building with guest speakers

•  2. Meta is quickly rolling out verified subscriptions

Source: Meta

 

Meta Verified, a new paid verification subscription service, is being rolled out by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as announced in a confident update on Instagram last Sunday.

Meta has announced its entrance into the paid subscription market, following in the footsteps of Twitter and Snapchat. The company will offer an additional tier of exclusive features and increased post reach for a monthly fee. The move is expected to be a successful one, as Meta continues to innovate and provide new opportunities for its users.

So, are these actually good news? Should people be able to pay for additional reach, which is not disclosed as an ad? Does it de-value the blue checkmark? So far, both Snap and Twitter have earned millions from their programs, and Meta could also generate a significant new revenue stream.

Unlike Twitter Blue, this subscription also includes an increase for reach and visibility, making it almost compulsory for companies wanting to thrive in into the digital space.

It’s worth noting that purchasing verification instead of earning it raises questions about the level of exclusivity that can be achieved through this service, similar to Twitter Blue. Additionally, it’s important to consider how natural communication can be when accounts gain exposure purely by paying for it, rather than being genuinely exceptional through their content.

Can anyone apply to the Meta Blue Verification subscription?

• Users must be at least 18 years old
• Users should meet minimum account activity requirements
• Users should submit a government ID that matches their profile name and photo.

The finer details:

It is important to note that at present, businesses are not eligible to apply for Meta Verified. Additionally, users will need to go through the application process again if they wish to make changes to their profile name, username, date of birth, or profile photo.

•  3. Instagram’s co-founder comes out with a NEW social media app, Artifact, which is going to be like a TikTok – for text

Source: Artifact

The launch of a new social app by Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger is imminent. Though initially, its focus will be more on content specifically than social elements, at least in its early stages.

Introducing ‘Artifact’, the innovative app that combines articles, facts, and artificial intelligence to provide you with a personalized and curated news experience. With a focus on your interests and engagement, Artifact is designed to be your go-to source for staying informed and up-to-date.

So how does Artifact work?

The app provides users with a curated list of articles from a variety of publishers, ranging from major news organizations such as the New York Times, to small-scale blogs with niche topics.

With a simple tap, users can select articles that interest them and Artifact will subsequently recommend similar posts and stories, similar to the way TikTok’s For You page algorithm improves over time with user interaction.

It is clear that this new app has been strategically launched to capture the attention of Twitter users who have become disheartened with Elon Musk’s changes to the platform. With its advanced features for highlighting relevant news content, it is poised to become a valuable alternative for those seeking to stay up-to-date on the latest developments.

Artifact will be highly selective in choosing the publishers and content that make it onto the app. They stated they will not tolerate posts that promote falsehoods and will remove them without hesitation.

The app is currently accepting sign-ups exclusively through their waitlist.

Updates from Frizbit

• 1. Frizbit attends the Mobile World Congress 2023

As Frizbit team, we attended the Mobile World Congress 2023, the world’s largestevent on telco industry, held in Barcelona, Spain.

This year’s event brought together top industry leaders, forward-thinking innovators, and passionate technology enthusiasts from around the globe to showcase the latest mobile technologies and trends.

During the event, there were several trends that caught our attention. First and foremost was the development and implementation of 5G technology, which promises to revolutionize the way we use mobile devices and connect with the world around us.

Additionally, there was much discussion about the growing importance and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various industries, with many experts predicting that it will become even more pervasive in the coming years. As we left the event, we could not help but feel excited about the possibilities that these new technologies and trends offer for the future.

Our Barcelona team had the unique opportunity to exchange ideas with other industry experts, attend informative sessions and workshops, and proudly showcase our cutting-edge, AI-driven marketing automation platform.

We are honored to have been a part of such a thriving event and to have had the chance to share our innovative solutions with a global audience.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates on our latest developments and upcoming events!

From new products to strategic partnerships, this month has been a busy one for digital marketing.

During January, the social media updates definitely caught up our attention. On one side, Twitter is introducing a new model of membership to earn the verification status (A.K.A. exclusivity has a price point in today’s world). 

On the other side, there’s a big controversy towards privacy data and cookies settings with the two giants, TikTok and Meta. We’ve said it multiple times before and is that the cookieless future is approaching sooner than we might think, and this recent news is proof of this.

With so much going on in the industry, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest news. That’s why if you wish to stay up to date with the latest news, keep on reading to find out how is the year starting off in the digital marketing world.

Digital Marketing News & Updates from January 2023

CONTENT

Search Marketing Updates

• Microsoft Bing comeback with the partnership of the year with ChatGPT

• An answer from Google on how long it takes to recover from algorithmic penalties

• Twitter launches a beta Search Keywords for ads to all advertisers

Tech Marketing Updates

• The number one marketing channel for business leads remains email according to the new white paper from Sopro

• ChatGPT alternative, launched by startup Andi

• Twitter adds payment for Twitter Blue

Social Media Updates

• Meta launched their VR app which allows you to connect your heart rate (and collecting data about it)

• YouTube Shorts monetizing is (finally) being introduced in Feb of 2023

• The EU is putting their foot down & questioning TikTok’s regulations

Updates from Frizbit

• A renewed virtual home for Frizbit launching soon!

 

Search Marketing Updates

• 1. Microsoft Bing comeback with the partnership of the year with ChatGPT

Source: Real answer from OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Credit: Shane Burke

Generative-AI comes strong as mentioned at top digital marketing trends for 2023, and the recent news is just proof of it. Aside from the controversial conversations, AI is bringing to the table for digital marketing professionals, it now has entered the search marketing landscape.

In a blog post, Microsoft said that it planned investments in the deployment of specialized supercomputing systems to accelerate OpenAI’s AI research and integrate OpenAI’s AI systems with its products while “introducing new categories of digital experiences.” 

How would the integration between Microsoft Bing and ChatGPT work? 

By including artificial intelligence from OpenAI, it would allow Bing to answer search queries with complete and structured sentences rather than the traditional listing of links. By doing this, users would finally get more humanlike answers to questions, competing directly with the widespread knowledge directory that Google is known for. This partnership comes as no surprise, given that since 2019 Microsoft has been a solid investor in the AI business. 

One thing is certain is that this new update will improve the user experience by proving more accurate results by understanding the context the user is searching from.

Although it is unclear whether the service will be powered by the current version of GPT, this new feature might actually represent a threat to Google and impose a significant competitive advantage on Bing.

•  2. An answer from Google on how long it takes to recover from algorithmic penalties

Source: Deposit Photos

Google has revealed how long it takes for a site to become eligible to rank again after content quality issues are fixed. However, as enlightening as it sounds, the new office-hours format from Google doesn’t allow for follow-up questions, resulting in ambiguous answers.

The original question quoted: 

“…if a website gets algorithmically penalized for thin content, how much of the website’s content do you have to update before the penalty is lifted?”

With the new helpful content guide, the addition of experience to the E-A-T ranking system and other recent search updates, it is only natural for content owners to worry about new penalties and restrictions. And although this concern might be the same one that other thousands of creators have, it lacks context. And there, is exactly where the interpretation of the response from Google becomes critical.

The answer Google provided was:

“Well, it’s generally a good idea to clean up low-quality content or spammy content that you may have created in the past. For algorithmic actions, it can take us several months to reevaluate your site again to determine that it’s no longer spammy.”

The short answer we get from that question is that it takes months for Google to reevaluate the quality of a site. As a result, fixing all low-quality content should be a priority. Following that, it may take a few months to regain visibility in the search engines.

The main big whole about this penalty lies in the fact that assessing quality, in general, is not very easy, as the judgement needs to come from a place of impartiality comparing that website in regard to other sites online.

As a reminder to watch the quality of your content, in this video, Aurora Morales, transparent policy responsible at Google, indicated that:

“ The sites that don’t meet the monetisation or organic search guidelines might face being removed from the Search index and have their ads disabled”

•  3. Twitter launches a beta Search Keywords for ads to all advertisers

Source: Deposit Photos

Twitter is introducing a new ad unit called Search Keywords Ads, which allows advertisers to pay for their tweets to appear in search results for specific keywords. The company has been testing the ad unit for a few months now and has seen an increase in click-through rates over standard Promoted Tweets.

Search Keywords Ads are similar to promoted tweets, but with the added benefit of appearing in search results. Now, as we see it from a digital marketing point of view, the biggest advantage for businesses is that by exposing sponsored tweets to users searching for specific keywords, advertisers can reach a wider audience.

Search Keywords Ads are a new Conversion ‘campaign objective’ in the Twitter Ads interface.

For now, these campaigns will optimize only for conversions to advertiser websites, and they require the integration of the Twitter Pixel or Conversion API (CAPI) to maximize relevance. pic.twitter.com/xCowp8yvfL

— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) January 25, 2023

Advertisers can find Search Keywords Ads as a new campaign objective within the Twitter Ads interface. As the company states in the tweet above, the new Search Keywords Ads objective is designed to drive conversions to advertiser websites.

Twitter says that this new ad unit is designed for advertisers who want to reach people searching for specific keywords on its platform, rather than just those searching for anything in general. 

With this specific approach to promoting ads, Twitter Search Keywords will become soon the new favourite platform to advertise. This can potentially be a significant revenue generator for Twitter, which the company needs as its user growth slows down and it struggles financially. 

Marketing Tech

•  1. The number one marketing channel for business leads remains email 

Source: Deposit Photos

If you were thinking about ditching email marketing in 2023, here is your reminder to remain cross-channel starting with this medium.

Email remains the top marketing channel for business leads, as revealed by Sopro’s new white paper The State of Prospecting 2023.

The white paper also reveals that 77% of B2B buyers prefer to be contacted over email – more than double any other channel. This preference for email is consistent across all industries and regions, with 90% of respondents stating that they prefer to receive communications via email, compared with just 3% who prefer social media channels such as LinkedIn or Twitter.

As Ryan Welmans, CEO and Co-Founder of Sopro states: 

“What this report does show is that the personal touch is still very much valued, whether that is a bespoke email, a face-to-face meeting or hosting a webinar or event to share information and knowledge. The personal approach is very much essential when it comes to marketing and engaging with new customers.”

Despite this high level of preference for email among buyers, marketers believe that other channels are more effective at generating leads than email: 59% believe that PPC (pay-per-click) advertising is twice as effective at generating new business prospects than email; 54% feel paid search ads are twice as effective; while 51% say the same about social media advertising in general.

• 2. ChatGPT alternative, launched by startup Andi

Source: Screen Shot of the author

The company building the next generation of search announced today that, following a months-long stealth period during which it attracted 50,000 users by word of mouth, Andi is now available to everyone.

If you’ve never heard of Andi, we are sure you won’t forget it, as Andi is the new chat GPT alternative app with Gen Z in mind. Targeting the same primary audience, the platform becomes then a direct competitor to TikTok and provides users with content that they can engage with directly through the app, without having to leave it.

As Andi co-founder, Angela Hoover said:

“Gen-Z hates Google. To us, search is broken. We live on our phones in messaging apps with visual feeds like TikTok and Instagram. Traditional search engine results are overwhelmed with ads, SEO, spam and clutter. We hate the invasive, creepy ads, and how Google is Big Brother and surveils everything. Gen-Z is so desperate for an alternative that we’re using TikTok as a search engine.”

What makes Andi different from ChatGPT?

As we mentioned before, this platform takes the interests of Gen Z, therefore it provides a much richer visual and conversational experience on mobile. It’s more human-like and has the full potential of becoming a strong competitor for other search engine platforms.

On the other hand, while some AI search tools deliver inaccurate information, Andi is different in this area too. Its generative AI searches for relevant information from multiple sources, filters out low-quality results, summarizes them into concise answers and even links back to those sources, so you can read more if you want (or not). 

Regarding data privacy, it is also quite progressive and aligned with the current trends as it currently doesn’t log or track the queries, giving users the power to remain completely anonymous. P.S. …don’t say we didn’t warn you about the cookieless future coming ahead!

As Gen-Z enters the marketplace as consumers, this app can become relevant if you want to rank higher for this type of user. The app is great as it is designed for those who tend to prefer mobile devices over other forms of communication and information gathering, this is a convenient way to get quick answers on the go.

• 3. Twitter adds payment for Twitter Blue

Source: Twitter Blue

If you are a Twitter Blue Fan, now you can lock in your paid verification checkmark for a whole year. Exclusivity now is a price to be paid thanks to this subscription, where aside from getting verified, once you are approved, you can enjoy early access to new features from the app.

Although this surely has a positive impact on those accounts, creators and businesses dreaming about the blue verification, it also generates an overall feeling of discontent in regard to actually earning and becoming notable, rather than just paying for it.

Having said this, and to mediate possible objections, Twitter assures that all the paid subscribers will get early access to all the features, however, they claim to maintain the blue mark exclusive for those accounts that meet the eligibility criteria.  

Even though the company has made it clear that still eligible filters apply, there’s some ambiguity to this initiative. With this, now the blue mark might have two meanings, and there’s no way to distinguish between both.

After the update, it can mean that the brand previously earned it by standing out and being authentic, but it can also mean that the account applied and paid for it. 

Regarding its business model, prices differ from Android to iOS (in order to avoid the 30% increase in app fees in Apple) and by region, too. For the moment, the release is only available in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand. 

Source: Twitter Blue

The real question here is, is it really worth paying for a distinction that is no longer entirely exclusive? Does it really give you a higher status, not earning it by merit? 

 Social Media Marketing

•  1. Meta launched their VR app which allows you to connect your heart rate (and collecting data about it)

Source: Meta

Meta has launched a new feature for its Quest VR headset, allowing you to connect your heart rate.

The company is adding two new fitness-related features to the Meta Quest. The first is Health Connect integration, meaning Android users can finally sync their Quest workout data automatically.

The second new feature allows you to link your Quest Move VR workouts to Google Fit without having to do anything (it’s unclear if there will be an iOS version). This means that when you finish one of these workouts in the app, it will automatically export all of your stats into Google Fit where they can be viewed by other apps like Strava or Runkeeper. Say hi to indirectly unauthorised data sharing.

It all sounds great, more integration to keep everything connected and running smoothly. However, what happens with data privacy? 

Let’s mention that with these integrations you’ll also be agreeing with Google’s terms of service, as well as any other third-party fitness or health app you connect through Health Connect. You might be providing access rights so that these companies could potentially use personal information from the profiles of users.

•  2. YouTube Shorts monetizing is (finally) being introduced in Feb of 2023

Source: Deposit Photos

YouTube is finally launching monetization for its short-form content. The program will launch in February 2023 and will be available to all creators with 1,000 subscribers or more and 10 million Shorts views 

As per YouTube:

“Starting February 1st, 2023, monetizing partners will be able to earn money from ads that are viewed between videos in the Shorts Feed. This new revenue sharing model will replace the YouTube Shorts Fund.”

The challenge with short clips is that you can’t directly monetize them through pre- or mid-roll ads like regular video uploads, so YouTube has been working on a solution. This is a significant development for creators in the space who have been waiting for this feature since it was announced last year.

On the other hand, this update also positions YouTube Shorts one step closer to TikTok competing to target content creators, as contrary to TikTok, the platform does share the revenue directly with creators.

•  3. The EU is putting their foot down & questioning TikTok’s regulations

Source: Deposit Photos

The EU is putting their foot down & questioning TikTok’s regulations. 

TikTok is causing speculation over security in the US for months now and has recently been fined by France for manipulative Cookie policies, the EU is putting their foot down & questioning TikTok’s regulations.

It is suspected that TikTok, whose parent company, ByteDance, is headquartered in Beijing, can provide sensitive data from private citizens to the Chinese government and spread communist propaganda through its algorithm of recommendation.

While TikTok has vigorously contested these claims, a relentless series of media revelations have added fuel to the fire, pushing the app into a national security realm.

A special revelation comes after TikTok admitted that several staff members had accessed the data of two journalists on the platform to contain a media leak. According to CNN, TikTok also stated that “the individuals involved misused their authority to access TikTok user data,” adding, “This is unacceptable.”.

Adding up to the previous statement, TikTok said in that same privacy update that certain company employees outside of Europe would be permitted “remote access” to European user data, including China within these regulations. This was justified since the company is operating a “global platform designed to share joyous content”.

As a solution, in addition to complying with strict security controls and approval protocols, workers will manage this data in accordance with the EU’s landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

TikTok has certainly put its best efforts into managing the situation, but one thing is certain and is that with younger generations accessing the platform, it comes greater responsibility in managing the data protection and privacy of all the users.

Updates from Frizbit

• 1. A renewed virtual home for Frizbit to launch soon!

 

2023 has started with many things happening behind the scenes at the Frizbit backend.

We have started this year being quite busy and excited as we are refreshing our digital home (a.k.a. website) and we are sure you are going to love it. 

Our brand has evolved and with it, our capacity to impact different industries and our website will reflect just that. This new change is part of the many updates we have envisioned for this year, and as always keeping our customers in mind is the main motto behind our updates.

Stay tuned for more information about this project launching soon!

Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2023 for marketers and eCommerce Managers

Digital marketing is the most effective way to reach potential customers and increase brand awareness. In 2023, brands will have to prepare for a global cost of living crisis as consumers become more discerning about the products and services they purchase. 

So, how to take advantage of the latest digital marketing trends in 2023?

Any marketer will need to make sure that their message and content marketing strategy exhibits as transparent, genuine, and stay relevant to the video and behavioural trends of the users. We will go more in detail, however for the 2023 digital marketing trends, we can see two clear tendencies. First, the usage of artificial intelligence for business development, and also we have identified that all the marketing efforts should take the direction towards influencer marketing, user-generated content and video content.

If you want to stay ahead of the curve this year and create a significant digital marketing strategy, then keep on reading.

Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2023

1. Artificial Intelligence and the launch of GPT-4

2. Video Trends in 2023

3. User experience and Machine Learning

4. Influencers & User-generated content

5. Say goodbye to third-party cookies

6. SuperApps

7. Conversational Marketing

8. Generative-AI

 

1. Artificial Intelligence and the launch of GPT-4

There’s no doubt that AI is a game-changer for digital marketing. When it comes to content, you can use it to automate the process of generating ideas and creating new pieces. The technology has been around for quite some time now and can be used for everything from content curation to optimization. It also offers a lot of potential when it comes to assisting in the creation process itself. It can be especially helpful if you’re short on time but still want a high-quality result, or if you are hit by the famous writer’s block.

In 2023, it will be the norm to use AI to create content. This means that companies will be able to create videos, ads and other content with minimal human input, a valuable tool for marketing teams. While there is still room for development, here are some of the things that this technology comes in handy:

• Content marketing: Producing graphics and media
• Sales and Marketing: emails, drafts for blog posts and creating service or product descriptions 

Now, this trend comes in alignment with the launch of GPT-4. Let’s see what this is all about. GPT-4 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4) is an innovative tool that can automate many marketing tasks, making it a must-have marketing tool for any digital marketing agency or business.

The model was developed by OpenAI, based on online content that is used to train deep-learning models. It can be used for a wide range of tasks, including answering questions, summarizing text, translating texts, generating codes, and generating conversations. OpenAI hasn’t revealed yet a launch date for GPT-4, but one thing is for sure and is an update and trend for marketers to be excited about.

2. Video trends in 2023

Videos were already a big thing for social media marketing since 2021, but in 2023 they’ll be even more important than they are today. We predict that short-form video will dominate all other types of content because of its high engagement rates, cost-effectiveness for marketing budgets and the ability to reach multiple platforms (including TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Pinterest). 

As one of the consumer trends is for users to keep looking for more immersive customer experiences, we can expect the 2022 live shopping social media marketing trend to continue to grow in 2023. This automatically positions the needle towards content creators and influencer marketing, which can help brands to convey the so-desired authenticity value. It is no secret the power of influencers over brand engagement: Reviews from creators are trusted, and engagement is often higher than for brands. 

Another way for B2B marketing professionals to adjust their social media strategy is to pay close attention to the number one social media platform for b2b: LinkedIn. The platform is seeing huge success with video and is launching new ways to create long-form within. In fact, in 2023, LinkedIn Live will become a more accessible tool as B2B video content improves in quality.

What are some of our tips?

• Keep your content short in the 15–30 seconds
• Make your users rewatch your content: surprise twists, magic tricks, transformations and reveals, and of course fast-paced content strategy
• Use captions including “Wait for it” or “Reveal at the end” to retain attention throughout the video
• For brands to become closer to their users in 2023, we advise them to use original sounds such as a voiceover or remixed song that becomes popular

3. User experience and Machine Learning

Sales and marketing teams should incorporate artificial intelligence into their strategies. In 2023, users are craving personalised experiences. As a matter of fact, most algorithms and AI in digital marketing are designed to optimize for one thing alone-creating a better user experience. 

In 2022, the search engine optimization (SEO) updates were focused on providing users with the most useful content with the roll-out of the helpful content update, and even enhanced their search engine through a powerful visual search with Google Lens. In 2023, we expect nothing less than a more human approach to search results. By focusing more on customer experience, you can beat the algorithms and delight your customers.

What can you do?

• A great tip is to incorporate into your marketing ways to address customers by their names, previous purchase behaviours and preferences. You can achieve this by retaining customer data via cookieless strategies such as web push notifications.
• Create a digital marketing strategy that is cross-channel. For this, we advise the usage of marketing automation solutions to enhance your marketing channels such as email marketing to target the right user, at the right time, through the right channel with the right message.

4. Influencers & User-generated content

One of the marketing trends to watch is the marketing campaigns that focus on using user-generated content. We said it before and is that with the current global and economic crisis, customers will be more intentional with how they spend their money. Therefore, one of the new ways to get that desire to be relevant to consumers is through content that engages, and what better way to do it than with influencers?

Many platforms like Shopify, Pinterest, and TikTok are working hard to create opportunities in which intentional and quality content is created through creators. This year, valuable content will be created only if the influencers are aligned with the values of the brands to create content.

What can you do?

Look for new opportunities to incorporate influencer marketing into your marketing plan. Focus on experts that provide value and substantial knowledge to make the content relevant. Study your competition and decide which influencer can carry the messaging of your brand in the right direction.

5. Say goodbye to third-party cookies

During 2022, we talked heavily about Google phasing out third-party cookies and what it could mean for businesses and marketing professionals. This was one of the marketing trends that made the marketing world tremble. We are sure this trend will keep on existing in 2023 and beyond, as privacy and data protection are becoming relevant matters of consumer trends.

Digital marketers will be affected by this development this year, as it will limit the ability of companies to send personalised advertisements. Consequently, many business marketing strategies will have to be modified.

Paid advertisements have benefited significantly from cookies because they make it possible to target audiences based on very specific user interests. However, it will be much harder to provide personalised ads if 3rd-party cookies stop being used.

Instead, start implementing first-party cookies strategies or also known as cookieless strategies instead. These are great mediums to develop more personal strategies and one-on-one marketing tools.

This shift also means that Google Analytics will switch from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4. Consequently, if you use Google Analytics, you should start migrating to the new version now before July 1, 2023, when Universal Analytics will be retired.

6. SuperApps

Marketers in 2023 should pay attention to superapps. This is a concept of apps that combine multiple features into one. They simplify your life by making it easier for you to manage different aspects of your life, be it for business or personal use.

The WeChat ecosystem is an example of a superapp, as it combines chat and cashless payments with taxi booking and even telecom services under its umbrella. What’s more? It also has games!

Superapps have allowed companies to go beyond their traditional verticals (for example, retail), which makes them more flexible and adaptable in today’s rapidly changing world. In addition, they can use the data collected through the app to improve their products or services – which will eventually contribute positively towards consumer satisfaction levels too.

7. Conversational Marketing

One of the top marketing trends in 2023 is conversational marketing. In the online marketing landscape, people are craving closer relationships with the companies they purchase from. Conversational marketing is a type of marketing that reduces the gap between customers and brands by creating the possibility of instant communication.

One of the most common ways that business and digital marketers are implementing is the usage of chatbots or WhatsApp buttons directly on their sites. This opens the door for companies to remain closer to their users by supporting and assisting customers when they need to.

It is common for people to complain that their bandwidth isn’t sufficient to respond to conversational marketing messages. Fortunately, automated chatbots and their marketing can help with this problem by providing pre-programmed responses to common user questions. Conversational marketing allows companies to connect better with their audiences, you just have to adapt and make it relevant.

What to do if you wish to incorporate Chatbots in your digital strategy? First, make sure that the content is relevant. Prototype and test multiple times until the customer journey is smooth. Remember to give easy access to a human representative to avoid frustration for users.

8. Generative-AI

With generative AI and other foundation models, assistive technology is taking on a new level, application development time is being reduced, and non-technical users are gaining powerful capabilities.

Generative AI is poised to change the game for businesses in a big way. By learning from existing data, this technology enables companies to create original content and revolutionize industries. With generative AI, many previously human tasks can be automated, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity, decreasing costs, and creating new opportunities. Technology can therefore be leveraged effectively by businesses in order to gain a significant competitive advantage. 

One great example is Lexica, the generative-ai platform that is capable of creating eye-catching images from desired keywords. Its power and potential are truly amazing and for the sake of this post, we decided to create our cover image using it. The results? We loved how well-aligned was created. What we liked the most is that you can receive a tailored and unique product according to your preferences in just a matter of seconds.

Using data ingested and interactions with users, they can produce original content in response to queries. There are many possible activities generative-AI can engage in, from writing blogs to sketching package designs, writing computer code, and even theorizing about the cause of production errors.

Conclusion

The marketing world changes constantly, so it’s essential to stay on top of the latest digital news. With this blog post, we hope you’ll be able to do just that! We covered various trends in today’s post —from consumer behaviour to social media platforms and more—.

You can use these trends to bring in more revenue, boost your brand awareness and create a stronger customer base. As always, we’d love to hear from you! What are some of the digital marketing trends that resonated with your business? How are you using them to increase sales or improve brand recognition? Let us know in the comments below!