The marketing insight and news from November are here! As we head into the last month of the year, there has been a clear trend for a new channel for eCommerce powered by interaction and emotion. Any clue of what we might be talking about? 

During this month, the topic of social media as a new eCommerce channel was definitely relevant. Both giants TikTok and YouTube shorts are taking the leap in this field. Could it be too much of a coincidence that channels with similar content types are trying to incorporate a direct sales experience into their customer journeys?

Keep on reading to find out more about this new trend and, of course, about the other search marketing, tech marketing, social media news and updates from Frizbit.

Digital Marketing News and Updates from November 2022

CONTENT

Search Marketing Updates

• Google releases the ultimate guide to understanding current and retired ranking systems

• Google finally rolls out their new Local search features

• Drive traffic to your eCommerce with the new Google Shopping tab

Tech Marketing Updates

• The new era for ClickUp and Hubspot: the strategic partnership

• Get ready for Notion AI and all its possibilities

Social Media Updates

• TikTok Shop begins rolling out in the United States

• YouTube Shorts has rolled out product features in videos (also just in time for the holidays) 

• Tumblr is back. How can you use it for your marketing strategy?

Updates from Frizbit

• Frizbit exhibited at WebSummit

• Hello, Helsinki: Frizbit was present at Slush

• Client Spotlight!: We welcome Zelucash on board!

Search Marketing Updates

• Google releases the ultimate guide to understanding current and retired ranking systems

Source: Adobe Stock

Good news from Google, just in time before the end of the year! Get ready to readjust your SEO strategy as the company has rolled out the ultimate guide to understanding the current ranking system and discarding old practices.

In the new ranking guide, Google explains which ranking systems it uses to rank search results as well as introduces new terminology, such as highlighting the difference between “ranking systems” and “ranking updates”. In this case, the word “system” stands for a constant concept that is always functioning. And on the other hand, “updates” stands for a one-time specific change to the ranking systems.

With that being said, we will go first through some of the current ranking systems in alphabetical order.

• BERT: Short for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. It allows Google to understand different combinations of words to create different meanings and intent.
• Exact domain system: It ensures that Google doesn’t give higher punctuation to websites with domain names that exactly match a query.
• Helpful content system: A system developed to rank better content created to add value rather than content created to gain or increase traffic.
• Neural matching: A system that aims to ensure Google understands representations of concepts of queries and pages to match them accordingly.
• Reliable information systems: It ensures that reliable information is shown by elevating authoritative pages, demoting low-quality content, and rewarding quality journalism.

Now let’s move to the retired Google Ranking systems.

• Hummingbird: Rolled out in 2013, it represented a significant improvement in Google’s rankings system.
• Mobile-friendly ranking system: It preferred the content rendered specifically for mobile experiences. It has since been incorporated into Google’s page experience system.
• Panda system: Introduced in 2011, this system preferred high-quality content and original content. It is now part of Google’s core ranking system in 2015.
• Secure sites system: Introduced in 2014, this system preferred websites secured with HTTPS. It is now part of the page experience system.

With this update, Google isn’t implying those older ranking systems, such as page speed, rewarding original content, or secure navigation, are obsolete. On the contrary, Google has transformed most of the retired rankings to be part of their essential needs to be met through their core ranking system or Google’s page experience. This ultimately means that meeting these requirements is no longer optional, but a must when creating content to improve the search experience of the users.

• Google finally rolls out their new Local search features

Source: Google Blog

The time has come, and Google is finally rolling out the local search features that were briefly introduced earlier this year. We believe the timing couldn’t be better as well, as it can increase the positive impact for local businesses during the holiday season.

As a local business in the hospitality industry, this update brings to life the feature of searching a restaurant by dish, as well as incorporating new search capabilities built into Google Maps Live view. This means having a possible increase in both visibility and reach results. 

If you own a local store, keep on reading to find out the new functionalities available to elevate your search possibilities.

1. Live view search: For the moment, it is only available for London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Tokyo on Android and iOS. This feature allows you to find information around you through the lens of your camera. Information includes if a business is open, how busy it is, star rating and even price range.
2. Search restaurants by dish: In the case of restaurants, this update brings up two ways of being found. Restaurants can be found by either the user manually typing their desired dish or conducting a visual search through Google Lens.
3. Accessibility search: Available worldwide, now users can search in Google Maps for wheelchair-accessible, stair-free places.

• Drive traffic to your eCommerce with the new Google Shopping tab

Source: Google Blog

With the goal in mind of supporting merchants to achieve growth, Google Search Console is introducing the new Shopping tab listings. This new feature aims to help online store owners to showcase their products with ease on the shopping tab on Google.

Through merchant listing reports and product structured data, among other features, Search Console is making it easier for merchants to display their products across Google. The company is then helping merchants drive more traffic to their online stores and connect with customers who already have a need/search in mind.

With this update, merchants can easily create a Merchant Center account and ease the process of having to re-verify the website ownership or submitting a product feed. All that is required from you as a business owner is to keep the product structured data up-to-date. The company hopes that speeding up processes will get products quickly on the Shopping tab on Google.

The roll-out will be deployed gradually and only to eligible businesses.

Marketing Tech

•  The new era for ClickUp and Hubspot: the strategic partnership

Source: Adobe Stock

One of the most remarkable CRM platforms: Hubspot, meets productivity with ClickUp. This partnership aims to help customers create more efficient processes and workflows while collaborating across multiple team members.

Yamini Rangan, CEO at HubSpot, mentioned: 

 “Building deeper relationships with customers starts with having a team that’s aligned and working together towards creating a better customer experience. That’s why I’m so thrilled about our partnership with ClickUp, the power of HubSpot + ClickUp enables growing companies to create strong connections at every point in the buyer journey.”

How will ClickUp contribute to Hubspot?

The productivity app enables teams to achieve their deadlines and goals by creating a seamless and collaborative experience that ultimately reflects delightful experiences for its customers. It will be achieved through:

• Two-way-sync between ClickUp and HubSpot. This creates more efficiency in teams as it saves time on some manual tasks, therefore accelerating the customer success workflow.
• Seamless Automations: By collaborating, if a project needs to be handed off, now it can be done automatically while ensuring the best experience for the users.  Also, stakeholders will get to know the status of the project at all times.
• Special deals for Users: If you are a client of either of the platforms, you can enjoy a 20% discount on the previously unused software during implementation.

We believe that by joining forces, the results will be a game-changer for creating powerful results in the experiences for both the front-end and back-end parts when managing and delivering different projects. 

• Get ready for Notion AI and all its possibilities

Source: Notion AI

 

Recently, Notion has been the number one tool for productivity, planning, and organization. From simple planning to complex tracking, Notion has become the platform to do-it-all in one place. 

In its most recent update, the company has announced that now the tool is putting all its efforts into developing what seems to be the most dynamic and powerful writing artificial intelligence assistant.

They state that its development is able to generate any type of content. What can you achieve?

• Blog post: Write the page title, and Notion AI will do the rest
• Press release: Become an expert in PR.
• Poem: Inspired by the Japanese haiku, Notion AI promises to write poems about all topics
• Meeting Agenda: Provide a topic, and Notion AI will outline the agenda
• Job Description: You only need to add the basic requirements
• Pros and Cons list: Consider and evaluate different scenarios 
• Social media posts: The tool provides specific copy for different channels while providing multiple options.
• Sales emails: It can help you to be persuasive and increase your revenue
• Outline: Create structures while staying in your creative flow. 

Besides generating any type of content, the tool has also announced its great capabilities to work as an editor by translating in real-time, summarizing and fixing grammar and spelling.

As Ivan Zhao mentions: 

“For many users in this space, it solves the cold start problem. And even more than that, it saves time.” Notion AI won’t write you a publishable blog post, but it can help you skip the crappy first draft phase and go straight into improving and polishing.”

Zhao also envisions Notion, further than a mere writing assistance tool. As he describes it, the platform already has the potential to be able to answer questions and act as a knowledge database. Could it be the next Google, powered with AI and productivity tools?

The alpha private version started rolling out in mid-November and will gradually release to more users on a waitlist basis.

 Social Media Marketing

• TikTok Shop begins rolling out in the United States

Source: Adobe Stock

TikTok keeps being controversial, as now the social media platform has decided to broaden its lists of competitors and enter the eCommerce and ads space, competing directly with one of the biggest retailers: Amazon.

Having said this, TikTok is rolling out its shop feature in the United States. For the time being, the feature is only available to a limited number of merchants that have been invited to test the social commerce solution.

TikTok is slowly building fulfilment centres in the US, which might indicate that the platform is serious about making it big in the social commerce space. With this, TikTok has also established the benefits that brands are entitled to by selling on the platform:

• A built-in payment system that creates a streamlined customer experience to buy products
• A rich user base that connects merchants with potential customers in a more trusted space
• An algorithm designed to match brands and content with users who find it relevant, which means that products will be visible to people who are most likely to buy.

This new approach isn’t surprising, as TikTok knows the potential it has, the growth it has achieved through the years, and the capabilities of its algorithm that connect people with their interests. This makes it the perfect space for promoting online shopping dynamics.

 

•  YouTube Shorts has rolled out product shopping features in videos

Source: Deposit Photos

Following up with the new social media eCommerce selling trend, Shorts from YouTube is adding shopping functionalities to this format. The shopping features allow users to purchase products while scrolling through the app.

Is it available to everyone yet? Unfortunately, it isn’t. For the time being, it is being rolled out only to eligible creators in the United States, who are able to tag products of their own shops. 

Who can shop, then? Viewers in the United States, India, Brazil, Canada, and Australia. YouTube has stated that it plans to continue expanding its shopping features to more creators and countries in the future.

The eCommerce social news doesn’t stop here. YouTube is also experimenting with an affiliate program, in which creators can earn a commission for products they recommend through their content, both regular and Shorts formats. 

As the company stated:

“We firmly believe YouTube is the best place for creators to build a business, and shopping is a piece of that” 

 

• Tumblr is back. How can you use it for your marketing strategy?

Source: Deposit Photos

 

Tumblr is back, and although its interface hasn’t changed in more than 10 years, they have understood what it is that its audience wants to get from them, and they are not holding back.

In times when we are overwhelmed by how the algorithm is trying to work on other platforms, Tumblr still works with a reverse chronological feed, you see only what you’ve followed, there’s no pressure and feels absolutely free.

Tumblr invites users to post freely, diversely, and as creatively as they’d like to. Currently, there are 135 million monthly users who are enjoying the freedom and feeling relief from traditional social media channels.

With this rapid resurge, how can marketers take advantage of Tumblr?

Although the social media platform might not be suitable for every brand, here are our takeaways for you to audit if your brand is a good match.

1. Tumblr is defined by its culture, not its content type.
2. Understand its chaotic nature and use it to your benefit
3. Be open to a less structured way of selling 
4. Organic marketing is everything, making your user really see more of your posts
5. Be authentic and content relevant

We are sure Tumblr isn’t for every business, but if your industry fits into this platform, we encourage you to take the leap. Connecting with customers has been one of the biggest pillars of eCommerce this year. It’s a natural and organic way of functioning, making it perfect for brands to show authenticity.

Updates from Frizbit

• Frizbit exhibited at WebSummit

  

From November 1st to November 4th, Frizbit attended one of the most claimed events, WebSummit, in which +2000 companies redefining the global tech industry gathered in just one place.

Representing Frizbit, our co-founder & CEO, Ata and our business developer for Spain, Oscar, let the participants at the Summit learn more about Frizbit and how we can help bring your customers back through cookieless remarketing strategies.

From the Frizbit team, we are deeply thankful to Eureka for the opportunity of participating in the startup Alpha track this year under the category Advertisement, content & marketing.

•  Hello, Helsinki: Frizbit was present at Slush

November was a pretty dynamic month, and Frizbit travelled all the way to Helsinki for this.

In this case, our CEO & Co-founder, Ata Gur was at Slush 2022, representing our AI-based SaaS startup Frizbit and our solution helping the e-commerce industry to bring customers back, revolutionising retargeting without ads or third-party cookies.

The event was a great opportunity for connecting startups with relevant potential stakeholders or even just other startups, their unique solutions and proposal. Thanks to ACCIO for the opportunity to join their delegation as a part of the selected Catalan startups.

It was a great opportunity to connect, inspire, and be inspired!

 

•  Client Spotlight!: We welcome Zelucash on board!

We are thrilled to announce that the Argentinian number one reconditioned devices retailer, Zelucash has decided to join the Frizbit family.

Zelucash knew the potential they had with the service and products they were offering, but was also aware of the need for them to expand their reach and be present in a multichannel customer journey. It was then that the solutions Frizbit introduced were the perfect match for them, and after the one-month free trial, they took the leap and incorporated web push notifications into their strategy.  

During this first month, they have generated a database with more than 20000 push notification subscribers. Our platform multiplied their reach as we are capable of targeting both registered and non-registered users.

Happy to have you on board!

If you wish to experience what retargeting without ads can do for your business, get in touch with us for a personalised demo.

A new month is here, and with it, our monthly newsletter has arrived as well. As we enter the last Q4 of the year, it is even more crucial to keep up to date with the latest digital marketing news and start adjusting our strategies.

So, if you are ready to dive into this new quarter of the year with the latest trends and updates, keep on reading to get the latest insights and advice from us. 

Just a quick announcement for those living in Barcelona, our next event (in Spanish) is scheduled on October 26th, 18.00h @Aticco Verdaguer. For those who can’t attend on-site, we will also have a live-streaming option.

Without further do, we wish you a happy reading!

Digital Marketing News and Updates from September 2022

CONTENT

Search Marketing Updates

• Mobile Search will experiment 5 new changes, according to Google.

• Google includes a new HTTPS Report in Search Console
  

Tech Marketing Updates

• iOS 16 has landed, and with it, the web push notifications for iOS (earlier than expected).

• Meet the new Flodesk Checkout

• Canva Create 2022 surprises with its new features

Social Media Updates

• Instagram announces that videos up to 60 seconds are available for stories

• TikTok is competing to become the leading search engine social media platform

• Snapchat provides voter registration tools ahead of the US Midterms

Updates from Frizbit

• Mark your calendars. A new Workshop about GA4 is scheduled.

• New software updates to the Frizbit dashboard

• It’s a wrap! The replay of the session and event recap for How to Do Retargeting in the Cookieless World are up.

Search Marketing Updates

• Mobile Search will experiment 5 new changes, according to Google

Search mobile experience is definitely getting an upgrade, according to the latest announcement from Google. The company has recently listed 5 upcoming changes worth learning to increase your search possibilities on mobile devices.

1. Say hello to Google Search Shortcuts:
   
   

   Source: Screenshot from Google Blog Post
   

   As we know, users can search on Google beyond typing their queries. However, although the possibility of this has always been there, few are fully aware of it. From searching through Google Lens uploading pictures to humming songs, the search experience is just so much richer nowadays.

   Well, Google has decided to amp up the experience and introduce more tappable solutions. For the moment, this update is only available for the Google app on iOS and is here to compete directly with the native Safari browser.
   
2. Predicted results are coming from the results in the search bar:
   

   Source: Screenshot from Google Blog Post

   This feature is expected to roll out in the upcoming months, but Google has shown that they are committed to improving the navigation for users. 

   The new feature aims to shorten the search time spent when doing a query by suggesting the most suitable solutions right away. This plays a significant role in SEO to match and guide the users in the right direction, working seamlessly with the algorithm.

    

3. Refined queries:
   

   Source: Screenshot from Google Blog Post

   
   Following the previous update, Google is enhancing the search for queries with recommended words to tap on. Again, we believe having a clear SEO strategy can boost your company to be associated with the most common related searches.

   While the user types his/her query, Google with start recommending associated and common words to that search to make it more relevant and specific.

    

4. Welcome to the Google Web Stories:
   

   Source: Screenshot from Google Blog Post

   This update aims to make the mobile searching experience a more pleasant one through the integration of visual layouts. However, this rollout also gives credit to content creators and positions them as a valuable source for content search. 

   As stated by the company:

   “So, we’re also making it easier to explore a subject by highlighting the most relevant and helpful information, including content from creators on the open web. For topics like cities, you may see visual stories and short videos from people who have visited, tips on how to explore the city, things to do, how to get there and other important aspects you might want to know about as you plan your travels.”

   This feature will be displayed as a widget in the search results, in which the users will be able to expand further, if interested.

5. Visual Search Feeds will be a reality:With the clear goal in mind of enhancing searchability navigation, Google aims to bring a visually harmonic experience by combining text, images, and video in mobile searches. The feed is expected to look like the following example:
   

   Source: Screenshot from Google Blog Post

   As aesthetic as it looks, the next big question is what happens with the traditional ranking system? This new search layout puts all media at the same level, so it will be safe to say that visuals and graphics will become as relevant as the main content for upcoming searches.

   Google has stated that creating aesthetic searches is going a step further into the mobile navigational experience:

   “We’re also reimagining the way we display results to better reflect the ways people explore topics. You’ll see the most relevant content, from a variety of sources, no matter what format the information comes in — whether that’s text, images or video.”

• Google includes a new HTTPS Report in Search Console

  

Source: Adobe Stock

 

Google has announced a new rollout to identify which sites are HTTPS and which ones aren’t, all accessible from Google Search Console. Unfortunately, the new integration will still need a few months to be completed, but it is undoubtedly a functionality that users have been requesting.

As the company stated in its blog: 

“One of the common requests we heard from you was to provide more information regarding the HTTPS status of the site and make it easier to understand which pages are not served over HTTPS, and why not,”

Why does this matter? How can it be useful?

Both marketers and SEO professionals can benefit from this new feature, given that it will help to map out which URLs from the same site are indexed as HTTPS or HTTP. 

HTTPS doesn’t only serve a secure navigation purpose, but also, as announced by Google in 2014, it is a recognised ranking signal. The report will also help to prevent common errors that prevent pages from being served as HTTPS by addressing the exact cause of failure. 

Lastly, this report will certainly come in handy as, according to the Core Web Vital from Google, using HTTPS increase the metrics ranking for UX. 

To recap, both in providing secure navigation to the users and for better ranking possibilities, this report is an outstanding addition to Google Search Console.

 

Marketing Tech

•  iOS 16 has landed, and with it, the web push notifications for iOS (earlier than expected)

Today as Safari 16.0 ships for iOS, macOS Monterey and Big Sur — lots of you are asking about Web Push.

Yes, real Web Push is coming to macOS Ventura in Oct. 100% web standard based. No Apple Developer Program membership required.

Read all the details:https://t.co/RYGjmoJUrQ

— Jen Simmons (@jensimmons) September 12, 2022

Earlier this year, we published an article highlighting what this rollout could actually mean for the ‘cookieless’ retargeting world. We finally have some dates to mark on our calendars for the release on MacOS Ventura in October 2022.

Let’s recap what web push notifications or browser notifications are: These are alert-messages types working on an efficient opt-in basis. Users get asked for permission to receive time-sensitive alerts without compromising their personal data.

What do we know so far about the update?

1. It will be available for all users, regardless if they have or not an Apple Developer Program membership.
2. Apple rolled out this update ahead of its original expected date, which was appointed to be in early 2023.
3. It will use the same Apple notification service powering Native Push on all iOS devices.

If you want to be ahead of time and prepare for when push notifications are ready to be used on iOS (iPhone), get in touch with us for a personalised demo

• Meet the new Flodesk Checkout

Source: Flodesk

Flodesk has slowly worked on its branding positioning as one of the most visually pleasant and straightforward email marketing platforms in recent years. By providing high-performance experiences to their users, they have partnered with Stripe to bring to live Flodesk Checkout.

What is it, and how can it benefit you?

It might be one of the simplest and most visually aesthetic ways to sell online. Their advantage is that you don’t need to create a fully operating website to sell.

With this rollout, you can:

1. Build a sales page
2. Build a checkout page
3. Build a delivery page
4. Publish a functional payment gateway page
5. Integrate payment methods with Stripe.

Of course, while keeping the great CRM and email marketing functionalities from Flodesk.

 

•  Canva Create 2022 surprises with its new features

Source: Canva

 

Canva Create 2022 came in with tons of new functionalities. It is positive to affirm that the platform is evolving and growing with its audience needs to become the new one-stop-shop for all visual needs. Yet, by remaining accessible to non-designers. 

From the Frizbit team, we have highlighted 3 of their recent updates:

 

1. Video Background remover:
   

   Source: Canva

   In the same way that removing the background from a picture was possible for non-designers with Canva, now the platform brings a whole new level to video editing. Video background removal is now possible, just under one click. This is an outstanding development, considering that not even professional tools can get done the same job with that ease.

    

2. Creating websites is now accessible to everyone:
   

   Source: Canva

   This rollout allows users to create responsive websites with both desktop and mobile previews. Again, everything under the same mission of making design accessible to everyone. Choosing from beautiful templates and customising it was never so easy to bring a website to life
   
   

3. Canva Docs (Beta Version coming soon):
   

   Source: Canva

   
   Canva announced their Canva Docs development, aiming to create visual docs in an entirely collaborative environment. The main standout characteristic is that these documents are meant to work on building richer media documents. As in opposite to the other existing text-based document with a difficult media integration option. The rollout already has a waiting list for when its Beta version becomes available.

   
   

 

 Social Media Marketing

• Instagram announces that videos up to 60 seconds are available for stories

Source: Instagram

The well-known video updates from Instagram continue their course over the last months. The newest announcement revealed that now videos of 60 seconds will no longer be split into 15-second segments in the app.

The new feature has already started rolling out in September by showing a pop-up notification to users. 

So, can this have an entirely positive experience for content creators?

• Pros: Content creation through stories for promotions, selling content or engaging could be easier for creators, easing the work to split the content.
  
• Cons: Users typically scroll through stories to get the information they are looking for as fast as they can, meaning that engagement might actually drop.

Instagram has confirmed the new Stories video expansion to TechCrunch, explaining that:

“We are always working on ways to improve the Stories experience. Now, you’ll be able to play and create Stories continuously for up to 60 seconds, instead of being automatically cut into 15-second clips.”

 

• TikTok is competing to become the leading search engine social media platform

Woah…! TikTok has increased video description character limit to 2,200 characters!

This is huge for creators and massive in terms of TikTok’s plans for becoming a search engine pic.twitter.com/kGhnL97uUM

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) September 23, 2022

The video platform is clearly evolving into a wider version of itself, leaving behind being considered only as an entertaining social media platform. 

According to Matt Navarra, TikTok has increased the maximum length of its captions from 300 characters to 2,200. Although the company describes the update as a space to express more details about creations, the truth is that it leads the platform to become more competitive as a search engine social media platform, especially for Gen Z.

This update allows content creators to include keywords that will improve the discoverability of their content in search. If we take into consideration that TikTok is already recognised for having one of the most accurate algorithms, then this entitles TikTok as a leading search engine social media platform.

 

•  Snapchat provides voter registration tools ahead of the US Midterms

Source: Snapchat

Snapchat has shown a history of educating its users and providing in-app tools to build youth engagement in political events. For instance, in 2020, the platform helped 1.2 million users to register to vote and play a part in what resulted in the largest youth turnaround in decades. 

The platform reaches 90% of the 13-24-year-olds, giving the opportunity to empower and educate the youth about the importance of participating in the democracy. 

2022 couldn’t be any different from previous elections periods aiming to build youth civic engagement, so they have developed some tools:

1. Allow Snapchatters to register to vote
2. Allowing 16- and 17-years-old Snapchatters to pre-register in selected states.
3. Community building to reach out to friends who haven’t registered yet
4. Creation of Voting 101 Hub: an in-app training on how to register to vote, becoming a poll worker, and so much more.
5. Curated Map stories 
6. Safeguards to review the content and prevent misinformation 

 

Updates from Frizbit

This monthly newsletter comes with some outstanding updates from the Frizbit team! 

We have a special invitation for those interested in evolving with Google Analytics 4, some product updates and past-events recap.

 

• Mark your calendars. A new Workshop about GA4 is scheduled.

  

 

In partnership with Jevnet, Aticco Workingspaces and the Barcelona Growth Marketing Group, we have designed a new workshop to skyrocket your digital marketing skills.

As some of you might already know, the traditional UA (Universal Analytics) platform is phasing out in less than 9 months, meaning that data and traditional measuring will come to an end.

So what solution do you have at your fingertips? The answer is short: migrating into Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible.

We have come to realise that there is still some hesitation and doubts around the new platform. Having this in mind, we’ve created this event in Spanish to equip marketers with all the relevant information about the new software.

Event details:

Date: October 26th 2022

Where: Aticco Workspaces Verdaguer for our friends based in Barcelona and streamed online for those who can’t attend live.

Time: 18.00h to 20.30h

Workshop Facilitator: Michele Sforza, Senior Account Manager at Jevnet

Language: Spanish

Book your spot here

•  New software updates to the Frizbit dashboard

In the last few months, we have been working on improving the experience and added value for our customers on the platform. Currently, our product could integrate different channels such as web push, email and SMS to provide seamless messaging strategies. However, in order to improve and reach a wider audience, we are developing the WhatsApp channel as a retargeting medium without ads.

The update is still under development, so elements such as images included in the message are not yet available. However, we have prepared an example as a preview of what is to come.

Among the hyper personalisation possibilities, you can have the following:

• User name
• Name of the specific product
• Price of the selected product
• CTA
• Product image (coming soon

From the Frizbit team, we are excited about this new launch as it will generate more possibilities to reach and bring back more users at different points of their customer journey.

If you’d like to know first-hand what these new software updates can mean for you and your business in bringing customers back, you can get in touch with us for a personalised demo.

•  It’s a wrap! The replay of the session and event recap for How to Do Retargeting in the Cookieless World are up

 

On the 22nd of September, we hosted our first event after the summer break, and we must admit it felt like a great way to come back to the routine. As usual at our events, we enjoyed -which was maybe – the last open terrace networking session of the year with some mandatory beers.

If you work in/with the digital marketing industry, you might be aware of the constant changes that we frequently face. During the event, our main goal was to demonstrate to our attendees that entering the cookieless is less scary than what we could imagine. There are alternative ways to do retargeting without ads or third-party cookies.

Also, in the way things are shifting, leaving third-party cookies behind is no longer an option or a choice, but rather a necessity. In our event, we teach you how to do it seamlessly.

Having said this, if you couldn’t join us at the event or simply would like to refresh what you’ve learnt, we have created two options for you:

? If you’d like to learn more about the right strategies, channels and have a deep understanding of the cookieless world, you can find all the necessary information here:

Read all the info from the blog here

?If, on the other hand, you are more of a visual learner and would like to learn first-hand, then the event session replay in Spanish is here for you:

Watch the replay of the event here (In Spanish)

We welcome September after a slower summer season with our monthly newsletter. During August, while most professionals enjoyed a well-deserved break or had a slower-business season (at least in Spain), the rapidly changing marketing landscape kept its usual pace.

Let’s start this back-to-school and back-to-business season with the most recent and relevant digital marketing news and updates.

Keep reading to find out the latest insights from the digital marketing world.

Digital Marketing News and Updates from August 2022

 

CONTENT

Search Marketing Updates

• Meet the new Helpful Content algorithm by Google

• Google sets the race for Local and Smart Shopping campaigns to shift into Performance Max campaigns

• Do you have an international SEO strategy in place? Google Search Console will remove its International Targeting report

   

Tech Marketing Updates

• Introducing Shopify Collabs: the new digital solution to connecting creators with Shopify businesses

• Canva gets one step closer to becoming the one-stop-shop for visual needs with Whiteboards

Social Media Updates

• LinkedIn introduces the ability to pin comments under posts

• Podcasts steps firmly into the YouTube platform

• Twitter is testing professional account options, which include shopping & link features

   

About Frizbit

• Save the date, a new workshop is coming up on September 22nd [Event held in Spanish]

   

Search Marketing Updates

• Meet the new Helpful Content algorithm by Google

 

As announced in the blog of the company, Google is rolling out a new algorithm for its search engines. While many eCommerce stores are still struggling with the recent Product Review Update, Google is determined to provide a more human approach to online navigation. And clearly, this update demonstrates so.

So far, there are many reactive opinions about this new update going around in the SEO industry. Most of them are implying that with this new update, the SEO era will come to an end. Some experts are arguing that the new algorithm will devalue the content written for SEO purposes. However, all that this update aims for is to favour the content written for people by people.

So, what can you expect from the new roll-out? Contrasting with the previous update, which only affected certain pages of a website, the new Helpful Content algorithm has the potential to impact all pages within a site. 

As Google describes it, this update aims to:

“Tackle content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people.”

What else do you need to know about the algorithm?

• A new signal ranking is coming out for both new and existing websites.
• It will start rolling out in September
• Google is prioritising expertise and added-value rather than simply summarising content from other posts.
• Undefined niche categories in publications might classify a site as unhelpful.
• If Google detects that users aren’t finding what they truly need, it might affect the ranking of the site.
• Writing about trends outside your niche or industry might get classified as an effort to classify higher in the rankings, rather than providing value.
• Removing unhelpful content will increase the possibility of ranking in a higher position

 

So what can we learn from this update?

First things first, the SEO era will not come to an end. It is definitely taking a new direction towards a more streamlined practice, connecting humans with humans. 

This new update isn’t either devaluing the SEO practices, but rather is an open invitation to content creators to incorporate conscious practices into creating content with people in mind.

 

Google sets the race for Local and Smart Shopping campaigns to shift into Performance Max campaigns

Earlier this year, Google announced that its Local and Smart Shopping campaigns would embrace changes and turn into Performance Max campaigns. In their announcement, Google provided clear deadlines for this placement, with it being September 2022. 

To understand the relevance of this update, let’s get back to the basics: what exactly are the benefits of the Performance Max campaigns?

Performance Max campaigns use Artificial Intelligence combined with automatisation to maximise the performance based on a specific conversion goal. 

So conversion, performance, AI, and automatisation are in one place? Yes! And the benefits don’t just stop right there. These campaigns encompass all Google properties such as YouTube, Gmail, maps, search discovery, and display. Ultimately, you are able to track the customer journey a client does when searching for a product or purchasing online.

Now that we’ve covered the basics and we are well aware of the tight deadlines Google is giving, let’s break down the official news.

In August, Google released a tool to self-upgrade both Local and Smart Shopping campaigns with just one click. The trick with this update is that although you can do it with a simple configuration setting, it won’t be available for all the merchants yet. 

So, how can you know if you’re eligible for the self-upgrade?

If your campaigns were compatible with the upgrade, it is likely you have received a notification with a link or that you are able to find the option through the Google Ads Dashboard. If, on the contrary, that wasn’t your case, your Local campaigns won’t update to Max Performance until 2023.

Now, the next big question is: What happens with the old campaigns?

We do recommend that you use the self-upgrade option as soon as you are eligible. The reason is that all the old self-upgraded campaigns will keep all the historical performance data and your chosen settings.  

Although having this option is great for analysis and reporting purposes, all old campaigns will be automatically set to “Removed” status. This means that no edits, nor reactivation, will be allowed.

 

• Do you have an international SEO strategy in place? Google Search Console will remove its International Targeting report

 

The International Targeting report has been deprecated, and will be removed from Search Console soon. We continue to support hreflang and our recommendations for managing multilingual and multiregional sites still stand. https://t.co/yz4lsHhXhO

— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) August 24, 2022

If you own a multilingual or multi-regional website, stay tuned because Google has officially announced that its International Targeting report will be removed from Search Console by September 22nd.

Many are the questions that have arisen with this announcement, such as:

• Where will the hreflang-tags errors be found?
• Can you target a specific country manually with a .com domain?
• Will hreflang continue to be supported?

While Google hasn’t announced what will happen with the hreflang errors found in websites through the report, they have stated that hreflang tags will continue to be supported by Google Search Console. In fact, as they quoted in their tweet, Google will continue to support multilingual and multi-regional sites with their standard recommendations still. 

So, how can you help Google understand your site if you support different languages or locations?

1. If you are managing a multilingual or multi-regional site, you can optimise Google Search results directly from your website
   
2. If you manage multiple sites for different languages, make sure you are reporting and telling Google about each of these variations. By doing this, Google will appoint the corresponding variation to the right user.
3. If your website shows certain content based on the location or language of the user, Google might not be able to crawl, index or rank all the content for the specific locale.

With this update, certainly, manually targeting countries or the preference of the language from users might become a harder practice. We believe that by doing this, Google continues to strive in its fight against SEO-done content and keeps moving towards a more human navigation experience.

 

Marketing Tech

• Introducing Shopify Collabs: the new digital solution to connecting creators with Shopify businesses.

With creators and brand experiences in mind, Shopify has rolled out its Collabs. It’s a win-win for both creators that can sustain their activities with brands they love, and for brands that can reach new audiences.

Influential marketing has played a big part in the development of brands. In most cases, it helps to boost the awareness of a brand or increase the sales of a product or service. We can agree that nowadays, it is a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy.

This is a free initiative in which brands can:

• Communicate that they are open to collabs
• Detail the brief and description of the brand to match with the perfect creator
• Build stronger and real partnerships with creators
• Announce specific products to be promoted by collabs 
• Send gifts to creators
• Track reports and analytics by the performance of the influencer

Collabs will work on an application basis to ensure that brands connect with the right audience. 

As stated by Kabbara, its Director of Product, in the article of the company:

“For Shopify merchants, Collabs is a new way to find potential customers at a time when it’s never been more difficult or expensive,” Kabbara continued. “By giving merchants the ability to discover and partner with creators that align with their brand, they can tap into the power of community-driven commerce to reach consumers in new and meaningful ways.” 

For the time being, Shopify Collabs will be available only in the US and Canada.

 

 Canva gets one step closer to becoming the one-stop-shop for visual needs with Whiteboard

Canva is living up to its name with its newest product release. The online visual and creative platform surprised everyone with the brand-new feature Whiteboards.

This feature includes pre-made templates to brainstorm and express ideas visually by non-designers. It’s bringing creativity to the fingertips of the day-to-day user. 

One of the most loved features is the possibility of collaborating online with others. This property comes in handy nowadays that remote working is more common. 

From Kanban templates to all types of diagrams and mapping options, Canva is building limitless spaces to bring your ideas to life.

What are some of the best usages you can have with the new rollout?

• Create dynamic presentations that expand in a limitless space.

• Conduct workshops with experience and timing in mind.

• Create Customer Journey and general mind-maps while collaborating online with others.

As Canva states in their blog:

“Great things happen when people come together to bring their ideas to life. There’s truly no limit to what you can do with Canva Whiteboards, which is free for our global community and available on the web, desktop and mobile.”

 

 Social Media Marketing

• LinkedIn introduces the ability to pin comments under posts

LinkedIn has rolled out a new feature that enables all users, both company pages and personal profiles, to pin comments under a thread. To pin a response, simply access the three dots menu, and become ready to place the best responses on the top.

How can this update be useful to you?

With LinkedIn being a social media platform in which getting awareness and visibility tends to be easier than other channels, this new functionality has the potential to elevate the engagement of your publications and get seen by many others.

We firmly believe that this new update will boost interactions and can become a great tool to build personal branding in this social network.

 

Podcasts steps firmly into the YouTube platform

 

The long-format video platform is slowly introducing a dedicated section for podcasts. YouTube is updating itself to provide podcasts with its own dedicated section. 

YouTube has decided to make the best out of a common malpractice of users publishing static content on a dynamic and video-based platform (A.KA. Podcast videos on YouTube). Truth be told, most podcast producers would update their episodes despite sometimes displaying only a picture with the audio behind it. 

Although YouTube hasn’t formally announced the new platform changes, many users have found it while navigating within the platform. Some have even documented how to access the dedicated section.

To access the update, just go to the Explore tab, which will display the menu options, including the podcast. Then click the option of ‘Podcast’ and get ready to support your favourite content creators. 

 

Does this mean YouTube will also raise the fight for podcasts in the industry? 

What we know about this update is that it is slowly being tested and rolled out by countries. It is also known that podcasts are being displayed by subcategories to ease the navigation of the user.

There are 9 podcast categories to suit the need of the customers and help them explore the vast content. These categories are:

1. Popular episodes
2. Popular podcast playlists
3. Recommended (Based on your Subscriptions and History)
4. Popular podcast creators
5. Comedy
6. True Crime
7. Sports
8. Music
9. TV & Film

It does seem that this rollout is the start of something bigger than merely performing changes in the layout of the platform. YouTube knows its market advantage and has taken the first steps into the podcast industry.

 

• Twitter is testing professional account options, which includes shopping & link features

 

These sure are exciting times for professional accounts on Twitter. The platform has announced that a new set of features are being unlocked exclusively for professional accounts. 

Twitter is committed to helping businesses, brands, and creators to have a strong online presence and this new shopping and custom links functionality seems to be hitting off the ground.

 

? We’re going global! Now, any professional around the world can add a Location Spotlight to their profile to help customers find their biz location and get in touch faster. And☝️it has a new Google Maps integration to help customers with directions. pic.twitter.com/Uw5oLdJWXU

— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) August 4, 2022

 

Let’s review what these two new profile spotlights are about. The first one would be the Location Spotlight has rolled out globally. This update aims to help any business owner to become visible to their customers with even a Google Maps integration for directions. 

 

But this isn’t all this new spotlight feature can do for your business. It also includes updates such as displaying business hours and direct contact methods to bring customers closer to businesses. Among the contact options, you can set up to be contacted by phone call, text message, direct Twitter message, and email.

 

 

Last but not least, the Shopping Spotlight is perhaps the most exciting update for professionals and their sales goals. Unlike the previous update, this functionality is available only to qualified accounts, mainly in the US. 

So what’s exciting about this update?

Those qualifying accounts will be entitled to a dedicated section at the top of their account profiles to display their products. The spotlight will act as a catalogue for easy access to purchase products without having to leave Twitter.

As Twitter describes this update:

“This is a feature that allows us to explore how shoppable profiles can create a pathway from talking about and discovering products on Twitter to actually purchasing them. “

The update doesn’t stop here. Twitter is actually developing a product management platform to create a seamless experience in showcasing products. This development will mainly assist business owners to create their own catalogues in-line with the right display in the app.

 

About Frizbit

• Save the date, a new workshop is coming up on September 22nd [Event held in Spanish]

 

We are delighted to announce that we are back with our offline events in Barcelona after a well-deserved summer break. In this event held in Spanish, we will review the strategies to perform retargeting without using third-party cookies.

Despite the delays from Google in fully implementing the cookieless era, we know the change and upcoming challenges are imminent. So, what better way than to actually get your hands on a theory-practical workshop to get ahead of the game?

If this event already sounds like you, keep reading to find out the details about this exciting workshop. 

During the event, you will learn what these types of alerts really are, and you will discover everything they can do for your e-Commerce to bring your customers back. 

In addition, you will explore this channel, which besides being innovative, is aligned with the new data privacy restrictions and third-party cookie limitations that will come into force by 2024.

Of course, after-work, and networking could not be missing in this workshop, so besides learning about best practices and tips to implement them, you will also be invited to enjoy some free beers on a nice terrace in Barcelona.

If you are not in Barcelona but still would love to attend the event, we got you covered! For those who can’t make it physically to the event, we will have a live broadcast for the workshop. To access the broadcast, register through the link below and choose “Watch Online – Remote”.  We will email you the live link on the day of the event.

The details:

When: September 22nd

Time: 18:30 (registration opens) until 21:00 

Where: Aticco Verdaguer, Barcelona

Workshop Facilitator:  Ata Gur, CEO & Co-founder of Frizbit

 

You can register for free here

Summer is mostly a slow-work season for most businesses, but it doesn’t mean that changes and new dynamics aren’t going on in the digital marketing landscape.

If you are experiencing less workload, it might be a good time to revise and adjust your marketing strategy with the latest updates. Marketing can be as amusing and effective as we want it to be.

So, are you ready to start off a great month ahead with the latest digital marketing updates?
We sure are! Let’s dive into the content.

Digital Marketing News and Updates from July 2022

Content

Search Marketing Updates

 

• Google reveals the strategy behind the Title Tag

• Google shares six tips for a better eCommerce searchability

• Google rolls out a product review algorithm update

   

Tech Marketing Updates

• Google to delay the cease of third-party cookies to 2024 (again!)

• Squarespace introduces Fluid Engine

• Shopify allows eCommerce stores to sell on YouTube

   

Social Media Updates

• YouTube spills the tea on its Shorts format 

• Say hi to reels stepping strongly into Instagram.

• “Follow me”: the new TikTok update aiming to help small businesses

   

About Frizbit

• The Dream Tech-Stack for eCommerce Roundtable Recap

• Save the Date! A new workshop is ready for you on September 14th. [Event held in Spanish]

   

Search Marketing Updates

 

• Google reveals the strategy behind the Title Tag

 

Google made an announcement in its Central Search documentation guiding users on how to use title tags for better rankings. No changes were introduced, but what’s better than getting more clarity on this demanding topic?

If you work in the marketing field, you might be well aware of the relevance of the title tags and SEO as they display directly on the search results pages. 

Previously, there was a big confusion about the word “headline” that Google used in its previous guideline. The usage of this word caused a lot of confusion among users, as it wasn’t clear whether Google was making reference to the HTML components (H1-H6) or the title of the page. 

 

Let’s review some key changes:

 

Title tags are essential for anyone trying to position their content in front of the right audience. As Google mentions, this piece of content is often the first one people see and use for deciding whether they want to visit a website or not.

We are certain this renewed, and clarified documentation will be of good use. Hooray Google! 

• Google shares six tips for a better eCommerce searchability 

  

  Google Search Console / Adobe Stock

If you run an eCommerce business, then this news is just right for you. Google recently published a video on its official YouTube channel sharing six tips for enhancing searchability. 

Standing out from other sites is often one of the main pain points for eCommerce sites. In its video, Google suggested three main pillars to pivot your content strategy:

• Use visual resources to engage the customers with your product
• Display prices and availability, so it is easier for users to compare sellers
• Get social proof that increases trustability

 

Now, let’s dive into the six pieces of advice Google announced to be eligible for special presentations in the search results.

1. Pay close attention to how you are writing the Title Tag, so Google doesn’t overwrite it.
2. Include high-quality images to ease the decision purchase process.
3. Structured data helps Google better classify websites and makes them eligible to be displayed as rich results. Make sure your product has the essentials: Product title, description, images, ratings, price, and availability.
4. Be transparent with your pricing. If dropping prices and availability might incur in the product page to be eligible for a special price drop presentation in the search results.
5. Identify products that you sell with product identifiers, such as the GTIN identifiers. Applying this advice increases the chances for a product to make it eligible for listings like the carousels.
6. Make the best out of the Google Business Profile. If your business also moves into the offline space, this is a must for your business.

Increasing your chances of being eligible for special listings was never so accessible to everyone. Make sure to implement the given tips by Google to make the best out of this online tool.

 

• Google rolls out a product review algorithm update

 

Today we released the July 2022 product reviews update. We’ll update our ranking release history page when the rollout is complete: https://t.co/sQ5COfdNcb

— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) July 27, 2022

Social proof has never earned so much relevance for business as it has today. A good review might boost your sales and even get you sold out. On the other hand, what can a bad review do to your business? The harm is unimaginable.

If that’s the latter is your case, keep on reading because there are still chances to improve in the ranking lists.

In July 2022, Google confirmed their new product update – part of the fourth series of updates – targeting low qualities reviews has rolled out. This update will be ongoing for three weeks, starting out on July 27th.

What are the new updates for search rankings?

The new update includes a change in its algorithm, which is designed to reward reviews that truly stands from a point of view instead of just showing descriptive information.

Google is now looking out for the reviews, and they want to see they are transparent, that the product has indeed been tested before, and that it is real.

How does this affect you? If you are a website that has reviews on its product page, focus on giving incentives to create user-generated content. Rewriting the content that already exists on the web won’t make it anymore. Google is prioritizing reviews that can truly help to build a more trustworthy online space.

Some of the elements that reviews can include are original photos, specifics about the usage benefits of the products, and comparisons, among others.

If you are interested in learning more about this update, see the developer’s Google page.

 

Marketing Tech

• Google to delay the cease of third-party cookies to 2024 (again!)

               Google Chrome / Pexels

Third-party cookies have been a trendy topic this year. At first, the online world trembled with the announcement of the cookieless era approaching soon. Many platforms started preparing for it to be still able to provide businesses with aligned retargeting solutions. So, you’ve been there, informed yourself properly, done your part, prepared your cookieless strategies, but when is this so-called cookieless era coming along?

The original announcement indicated that the cookieless era would start by 2022, and back then, it got pushed back to 2023. We get it, life happens, and perhaps they needed a bit more of time to readjust this large update. Now, six months away from the fearly date, Google announced on the company blog that they are postponing it and phasing them out in 2024.  Hmm, Google? What’s going on here?

What’s the main reason behind this new extension?

Google is still testing out its Privacy Sandbox initiative -the new solution for delivering retargeted ads in a more conscious way.

The Vice President of Google’s Privacy Sandbox stated:

“The most consistent feedback we’ve received is the need for more time to evaluate and test the new Privacy Sandbox technologies before deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome…

This deliberate approach to transitioning from third-party cookies ensures that the web can continue to thrive, without relying on cross-site tracking identifiers or covert techniques like fingerprinting.”

It almost seems as if despite this new regulation, Google is still having in mind not to affect the large number of businesses relying on cookies to thrive their businesses. The current testing phase has been ongoing for a few months. However, testers, developers, and marketers agree that it is still far from being efficient and ready.

How can this update benefit you?

The good news is that now Google is considering performing a gradual transition from third-party cookies to implementing the Privacy Sandbox settings. A trial version of the Privacy Sandbox API is currently available to developers. Starting from August, the API, and trial phase, will be available to millions of people globally.

What’s our advice?

Despite the new extension and delay in the roll-out, the change is imminent. We advise you to stay ahead of the game and start implementing cookieless strategies in your digital marketing approach. The sooner your business and company adapts, the sooner you will be able to get results. 

If you are interested in testing out digital marketing strategies using first-party cookies, you can apply for a demo trial at Frizbit here. 

 

•  Squarespace introduces Fluid Engine

The website design platform is doing efforts to stay up in its game with other competitors such as WordPress or Showit. This month, they started rolling out the controversial Fluid Engine tool available for Squarespace 7.1 version.

Squarespace has been known as a platform that does offer many possibilities, from a blog to even offering an eCommerce set-up for business owners. However, many users were experiencing that if they did not have coding experience, the platform, as useful as it was, wouldn’t make the cut from a design perspective.

On the other hand, Showit has been gaining traction of users with its easy-use web editor with a completely free motion range.

What’s included in this new Fluid Engine update?

Squarespace users will be able to:

• Design a separate page for the mobile version.

• Enjoy an improved drag-and-drop editor experience
• Create dynamic layouts, easing the need for coding

As the CEO and Co-founder of Squarespace,  Anthony Casalena mentioned on the company blog:

“Fluid Engine provides our customers with maximum freedom to easily play with, experiment, and stretch creative limits through an unrestricted canvas, which is guided by an advanced smart grid. Regardless of how you experiment with Fluid Engine, our guidelines and design system will ensure that your website looks good no matter what. “

 

• 
  

  Shopify allows eCommerce stores to sell on YouTube

 

Shopify has partnered with YouTube to bring online shopping to a whole new level. The two leading platforms are joining forces to give merchants and creators more ways to tell their brand stories and successfully sell more authentically.

Shimona Mehta, Managing Director, Shopify referred to these new partnerships on the company blog:

“YouTube has been integral in building the creator economy over the past decade. Shopify has helped millions of merchants quickly start, run, grow, and manage storefronts. By partnering together, we’re accelerating the next evolution of social commerce. Giving creators and merchants more ways to sustainably monetise and build successful businesses, while still authentically connecting fans and buyers.”

How can this new partnership benefit you?

Shopify merchants use YouTube to promote and sell their product offerings in three ways:

• YouTube Live: Merchants can tag and pin products at specific frames during a livestream. Picture-in-picture playback offers the possibility, so consumers can keep watching while they check out.
• Store tab: A new tab will be added to a merchant’s YouTube channel, acting as a product listing to their entire products or selection of them
• On-demand videos: Merchants can show a curated list of products on a product shelf below on-demand videos.

With this update, merchants will be able to seamlessly integrate their online stores into the leading content video platform. This results in being able to reach +2billion monthly logged-in users.

How the future of eCommerce shopping will change? We can’t predict much. However, one thing is certain, and it is that the C2C era is here to stay. Authentically engaging with customers is a necessity for any online business. 

 

 

Social Media Marketing

• YouTube spills the tea on its Shorts format

 

The newest format Shorts in YouTube is bringing lots of conversations to the table. Creators are experiencing confusion as it hasn’t been clear how the algorithm works.

Luckily, in July, the video content platform demystified the Shorts algorithm in a Q&A video that addressed several of the most common questions creators had regarding this new format.

The main questions and topics were:

• What’s the impact of publishing both long and short content formats under the same channel
• Whether it was advisable to separate the Shorts from the long-form video
• If the engagement of the Shorts format has any impact on the longer-form videos

The key takeaways:

• Could Shorts hurt long-form video channels?

YouTube indicated that it represents no harm to your channel engagement. They affirm the demand for shorter form videos is here to stay. Hence, introducing the Shorts formats can actually help to boost channel growth.

• Will YouTube recommend long-form videos if Shorts are part of the strategy?

The short answer is no. Both algorithms work independently of each other. This means that, in the same way that Shorts doesn’t hurt long-term video engagement, it doesn’t have either a positive impact on boosting long-term video recommendations. 

YouTube explains that the main reason behind this behavioural pattern is that users that might prefer shorter videos might not be keen on longer formats, and vice versa.

• Should we create separate channels for Shorts and long-form videos?

Although the company doesn’t state mixing both formats can represent a real problem, they do suggest creating separate channels. The reasoning is simple: create the right content format for the right audience.

As a YouTube representative states:

“Try to group your channels around similar audiences who enjoy the same or similar content. Separate them out when your viewers have totally different interests… If you start building up different audiences with different interests, then consider making a separate channel.”

 

• How many Shorts do I have to publish before the algorithm starts recommending the content?

The company stated that there isn’t an exact number for Shorts to start being recommended. Actually, they mention even the first Short can appear in the suggested videos. 

They clarified that the algorithm for Shorts works similarly to other short-form videos. This means that if your audience shows a preference for the video, it will reach more people. The engagement, as we know, is built over time, and here is no different.

 

• Say hi to reels stepping strongly into Instagram

As is usual now, Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, announced the latest update about the video format content on the platform.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

In the post, Mosseri clearly announces that the king form content of the platform will now be reels. Does that mean that other formats, such as the IGTV’s are disappearing? 

This is also not the first time the platform has done this kind of merge. However, with all the dramatic changes Instagram is trying to implement and with the controversy around the format of the reels, a dramatic response was expected.

Back in 2021, Instagram merged the feed videos with the IGTV videos into Instagram Videos. With Carrousels and single posts, we experienced a similar action, with a merge resulting in static posts. Now, did it mean that any of these formats is fully gone? The answer is no, mostly all these changes have had an impact on the app layout, but not on how it functions.

 

 

The new update is merely a consequence of Instagram replying to the counterpart actions coming from TikTok and Shorts from YouTube. Does it mean long-form videos can’t be published from now on?

According to the company, “new video posts shorter than 15 minutes will be shared as Reels.”

Ultimately, this means that all video formats will be gathered under the same tab and name. However, it doesn’t mean that the option of nurturing your audience with longer-form videos will completely disappear. Actually, it might have a more positive effect given that the IGTVs – that were stuck in your account – now can actually reach a broader active audience.

 

• “Follow me”: the new TikTok update aiming to help small businesses

 

Earlier in July, TikTok announced its new initiative to help small and medium businesses to thrive in real sales and results through the power of storytelling on their platform. 

“Follow Me” it’s a 6-week multichannel educational programme to provide small and medium business owners with the right tools to build a strong community and drive real-world results.

Smaller businesses and entrepreneurs have founded TikTok a fun and easy way to connect with their audiences, build a loyal fanbase and ultimately drive more sales aligned to the new C2C era.

As TikTok explains in their blog:

“We created the Follow Me experience to empower more small businesses to dive into TikTok, so that they can also share their story with the TikTok community and reach their goals.”

The “Follow Me” programme will include:

• Different learning roadmaps based on the goals and visitors
• 6-week email series to outline the essential steps to run a TikTok campaign
• A how-to-guide for integrating their brand’s story into their videos
• A guide for setting up a free Business Account
• Access to the Creative Center
• Insights from the Ads Manager and promotion features 

As more entrepreneurs and small businesses integrate digital content strategies, this certainly seems like a winning action from TikTok to give back to their users and community. 

 

About Frizbit

• The Dream Tech-Stack for eCommerce Roundtable Recap

 

The Dream Tech-Stack roundtable is over, and we are proud to announce it was a success. 

During the event, we discussed the trends, industry changes, consumer patterns and behaviours within the eCommerce industry.

For this roundtable, we wanted to create a more enriching experience for the attendees, which is why we brought together two other marketing tech automation startups: Vidjet and Spitche, with their corresponding CEOs and co-founders Baptiste Nicolas and Kevin Markowski. Representing Frizbit, we had our CEO and co-founder Ata Gür on the stage. 

Did you miss out on our latest roundtable or want to grasp the key insights and learnings? You can find a full article disclosing the key takeaways from this lively discussion panel. 

 

• Save the Date! A new workshop is ready for you on September 14th. [Event held in Spanish]

It’s no secret that the future of retargeting as we know it is at risk. That’s why we have created this workshop, where you will learn everything you need to know about web push notifications and how to do retargeting in a ‘cookieless era”,

During the event, you will learn what these types of alerts really are, and you will discover everything they can do for your e-Commerce to bring your customers back. 

In addition, you will explore this channel which, besides being innovative, is aligned with the new data privacy restrictions and third-party cookie limitations that will come into force by 2024.

Of course, after-work, and networking could not be missing in this workshop, so besides learning about best practices and tips to implement them, you will also be invited to enjoy some free beers on a nice terrace in Barcelona.

Register here 

2021 was for sure an eventful year and it went by really, really fast. We shared every step of the ways with you bringing you a sum up of the most important digital marketing news each month and here were are once more with the:

Digital Marketing News from December 2021

1. Search Marketing Updates

• DuckDuck Go is Launching Desktop Version of Mobile App

The mobile search engine solution for a more private experience has announced the release of a desktop version. They claim their solution to be an “everyday browser that respects your privacy” and to be much faster than Google. 

This new release is not to be confused with their extension for Google Chrome. The DuckDuck Go private browsing app will be a standalone product. So far this is what we DuckDuck has said about it:

• Cleaner and simpler interface
• It will keep the “Fire” button from its mobile app
• Less clutter and offer more privacy than Chrome
• Faster than Google Chrome

This desktop version is currently being tested in a closed beta and the company hasn’t made it clear when it will be available for everyone. 

• Google Updates Local Search Results

An algorithm update began to roll out late November and Google has confirmed it concluded early December. Through their Google Search Central Twitter account they said:

Our November 2021 local search update has concluded. It began Nov 30 and ran through Dec 8. It involved a rebalancing of various factors we consider in generating local search results.

On Google’s support page you can find a list of the ranking factors and how to improve them:

• Relevance: how well a local Business Profile matches what someone is searching for.
• Distance: how far each potential search result is from the location term used in a search.
• Prominence: how well known a business is keeping in mind that some places are more prominent in the offline world. 

Even though Google has never been specific about how they rank search results, with these insights you can redirect your efforts towards the one that works best for you and your business. 

• Microsoft Bing’s Integration with Shopify is now Live

Back in October Microsoft Bing announced a new integration with Shopify to allow shoppers across Microsoft to get more diverse products, great prices, and improved discovery of deals.

That integration is now live!

If users head to Microsoft Bing right now and search for a product they have been looking for, they will receive results from millions of merchants thanks to the Shopify integration. After selecting a product and clicking on the “buy now” button, they will be instantly redirected to the shopping cart page to continue with their purchase. 

These products will also be available on Microsoft Start. We’re excited to launch our integration with Shopify to provide our shoppers a delightful experience with wider variety of products, better prices and convenience of “buy now”. – Microsoft Blog

2. Marketing Tech Updates

• Adobe Announces Free Creative Cloud Express

Adobe is introducing a new suite of tools called Creative Cloud Express. It’s a web and mobile app created for anyone, from students to entrepreneurs, to create:

Creative Cloud Express draws on our decades of experience working with the creative community. It makes the core technology in our industry-leading products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro available with just a few clicks — and with no learning curve. And whether your goal is to make a flyer, edit an image, or produce marketing assets, you don’t have to start from scratch — Creative Cloud Express gives you access to thousands of beautiful templates, millions of images from Adobe Stock, thousands of fonts, and many more assets that you can personalize to tell your story. – Adobe Blog

This free tool is designed for everyone to use, even people with no previous experience with design software. This new suit of tools, Creative Cloud Express is available on the web, in Microsoft stores and on apps for iOS and Android.

It’s so easy to use thanks to many simple features called Quick Actions like removing an image background, trimming a video, or creating a GIF with just a few clicks. On top of that, the suite offers access to millions of resources like photos, fonts, templates, graphics and other. 

• WordPress delayed  5.9 version Release

WordPress has delayed the release of the 5.9 version to January 25th 2022. Originally, it was intended to be published in December 2021, but the project fell significantly behind schedule and core contributors raised their concerns about being able to meet deadlines. 

On their blog they informed that near the end of original alpha release cycle there were issues related to the new features planed for the 5.9 version:

• Full Site Editing (FSE), which is a collection of features, such as global styles interface, Navigation Block, block themes, template editors, and site editing flows.
• The Twenty Twenty-Two (TT2) theme, which depends on these FSE features.

The thing is that WordPress 5.9 version is a major one because of the full editing features it includes and they need to get it right. Adding up to that, the WordPress 6.0 version was scheduled to be released in April 2022 and they felt it was too long for the community to wait.

After revising the list of issues, the Core Editor team realized that these features could be included in the 5.9 version with the new schedule. They are focusing on a schedule that delivers full release and this is what they said:

5.9 is still in feature freeze. Work from here on is strictly to address the changes that get the release to a stable state. – WordPress Blog 

• Jotform adds 3 new Widgets

Jotform takes pride in the vast amount of (very specific) widgets they have to cover their users’ needs. This month they are introducing 3 new ones they feel are worth highlighting:

• Image Gallery
• WhatsApp Button
• OpenStreetMap

The Image Gallery widget allows users to add a photo gallery to their form. They feel this feature could be useful for order forms, for example, when a user needs to display a wide range of products. The widget it’s said to be very easy to use and customize with no coding required. 

The Whatsapp Button embed directly to the forms so anyone can access and message to Whatsapp. It’s a widget that allows users a seamless way to communicate. In Jotform’s blog they say: Use the WhatsApp Button to collect orders, receive feedback or contact information, or simply as a way for users to contact you with any urgent requests.

Last but not least, the OpenStreetMap widget allows users to display an interactive map on their form or app:

This can be especially useful for giving users a point of reference for specific destinations — whether it’s to show precisely where your business is located, how to find an event space, how to navigate to the nearest parking lot, or anything else. – Jotform Blog

3. Social Media Updates

• TikTok Users Can Make Money Through Tips & Gifts

Social media platform TikTok is introducing new ways for content creators to get paid with addition of tips and gifts. These new features are part of a suite of new monetization tools called Creator Next. 

• Tips: the new tipping feature allows users to send tips of $5, $10, $15, or custom tip amount to other users to show their appreciation for the content they create. When a user gets a tip, they receive 100% of it. These payments are facilitated by Stripe and users who are eligible to receive them will display a new icon on their profiles.

• Video Gifts: the new gifting feature allows users to send virtual gifts to other users on specific videos and the recipient can exchange them for money. You might have already seen a new gift box icon displayed on certain videos. 

To be eligible for receiving tips and gift a user must comply with the following:

• 18+ years of age
• At least 1,000 video views in past 30 days
• Have at least three posts in the past 30 days
• An account that’s in good standing with TikTok’s community guidelines
• Be based in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, or Spain
• Meet minimum follower requirements (which differs depending on region)

• Twitter Adds Auto Captions for All Video Uploads in Tweets

Twitter has announced a major new feature: all videos uploaded within tweets will have auto caption enabled. 

The new captions will be enabled for in-stream videos that are muted, on both iOS and Android, while desktop users will have the option to switch them on and off as they please. The captions are available in 37 languages and will show in the language of the device used to upload the video.

Translation and editing of the captions are still in development but this new feature allows Twitter users to access content in more formats. As this social media platform has always been text-focused the auto caption for videos opens the doors to give more prominence to videos. 

• Clubhouse Launches Saved Replays, Unveils New App Icon

Clubhouse, the popular social media platform that gave us so much to talk about early 2021, has announced one more update before the year ends. 

The new “Saved Replays” feature allows users to save the audio from a recorded Clubhouse chat to listen to later. Any user can access the option by clicking the three dots and then tapping the “Save Replay” button. 

This might be a feature users were expecting from the app since it seems to be very useful to be able to listen to audio chats later in time. 

The app also unveiled a new icon featuring streaming influencer Abraxas Higgins since they consider him a “quintessential Clubhouse success story”:

“A former Wall Street banker turned music marketing strategist turned audio influencer. In addition to being the host of Clubhouse’s beloved morning show 9AM in London, Abraxas is also the most followed person in the UK on Clubhouse and makes more money now from brand partners than he did as an investment strategist.” 

That ‘s for 2021!

2021 was for sure a year full of interesting events in all aspects. We hope you enjoyed our last digital marketing news article of the year and we will see you on the next ones! 

Happy 2022! 

With just one month left to 2021 and a major holiday season right ahead, it’s imperative that we take our time to checkout the most important: 

Digital Marketing News and Updates from November 2021

1. Search Marketing News

• Google Launches New Tools and Features to Support Local News

Over the past five years Google has reported an increase in queries on search like “news near me”, reaching a special high during COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020. In response to this demand, Google is launching new features for local search results and new tools for journalists:

“At Google, we’re dedicated to finding new ways to help readers better connect with publishers and helping publishers more efficiently and creatively produce quality journalism their readers want.” Google Blog

a) New Features for Local Search Results

• Local News Carousel: readers will see a carousel of local news stories when there’s local news relevant to their query.

• Top Stories: Google is improving their system to show authoritative local news sources more often alongside national publications.

• Topic Understandment: Google is refining its ability to have a better understanding of general topics like “sports” to more specific ones like “tennis” to help readers get more relevant search results paired with location signals. 

• Local Tweets: results are now showing tweets by local sources, authors authorities and organizations relevant to the search query. 

b) New Tools for Reporters

• Census Mapper Project: an embeddable map tool aimed to help reporters sort out and visualize data in a more easy and appealing way. It displays Census data at the national, state and county level, as well as census tracts.

• Common Knowledge Project: is a data explorer and visual journalism project and Google is making improvements to integrate journalist feedback and new features including geographic comparisons, new charts and visuals.

 

• Google Ads App Updated With 3 New Features

Google is making marketers life’s a little bit easier by updating the Google Ads App adding new 3 features that allow them to make changes and monitor campaigns performance directly from mobile devices. 

• Improved Performance Insights: the update will provide information about campaign performance with a real time notification when a significant change occurs, an explanation of why it happened and, in some cases, a recommendation on how to fix the issue. There will also be insights on positive changes in performance to help marketers understand what worked and how to replicate it in the future. 

• Real-time Search Trends: Google added search trends to the mobile app to make it accessible from everywhere.
  “Let’s say you’re a grocery retailer looking to reach more customers. With Search trends, you may notice a rising trend for “cookie decorating kits” and “bread & pastry dough”. You can then act on these trends by creating new campaigns for these products, and even update your in-store and online merchandising as well. 

• Campaign Creation on the go: with just a few taps is now possible to create campaigns directly from the Google Ads mobile app. By simply tapping the “plus” button you can select your campaign type, where you’d like your ads to appear and other campaign settings. 

• Google Makes Improvements in Search Results for “Deals” Query

During Holiday season searches for deals and discounts peak. That’s why Google is introducing new ways for people to connect with businesses and find the “right deal at the right moment throughout the season.”

 

• Helping People Find the Right Deal: products with a deals badge will appear in a new feed in the Shopping Tab. People can access it by selecting the “Deals” menu or by doing a search that triggers for queries like “deals” or “Black Friday.” Any product with a deals badge is eligible and will be highlighted depending on how attractive the offer is.

• Measure Deals Performance: merchants will be able to see which of their products are eligible for a deals badge in the products tab within the Merchant Center. The dashboard now shows a detailed performance report with data on impressions, clicks and click-through rate.

  

• WooCommerce and Shopify Integration: both platforms businesses will be able to showcase their existing deals across Google by synching existing and new promotions to their products listed on Google directly within their store dashboard.

2. Marketing Tech Updates

• HubSpot Launches New Payments Solution

The CRM platform has announced the launch of HubSpot Payments to Help Customers Deliver a Better Buying Experience. HubSpot Payments is an end-to-end payment solution built natively as part of the platform and allows companies to accept payments seamlessly with fewer tools. 

“For too long, B2B companies have suffered through painful sales processes that leave customers frustrated and lost revenue on the table. That’s why we’ve built HubSpot Payments to enhance the customer experience rather than slow it down” – Brad Greene, VP of commerce and payments at HubSpot.

With HubSpot Payments companies will be able to accept digital payments without the need of any type of development, since it’s integrated directly into the CRM. It also allows a more secure buying experience for customers being able to pay in just a few clicks using the payment method they prefer.

• Mailchimp and Shopify Launch Direct Integration

Mailchimp announced a partnership with Shopify for new and existing users of both platforms to connect their Mailchimp account with their Shopify storefront through a direct integration without needing third-party tools or manual data transfer. 

Mailchimp shared the news saying that “By connecting Mailchimp and Shopify directly, merchants will be able to combine the power of purchase data with marketing data and use those insights to help drive conversions, increase revenue, and reach more customers at the right point of their buying journey.”

This integration comes in time to help small businesses make the most out of the holiday season by making it easier for merchants to reach their customers. 

“The combined power of Mailchimp’s suite of marketing tools and Shopify’s robust commerce infrastructure will level the playing field and unlock even more opportunity for independent businesses to grow and succeed into the future.” – Fatima Yusuf, Director of Commercial, App Ecosystem, Shopify.

Mailchimp also acquired the ShopSync app, which has helped Mailchimp users connect their accounts to Shopify stores.

• Slack Introduces New Platform

With the purpose of empowering organizations by understanding that each one of them works with different flows, structures and specific requirements Slack has completely rebuilt and re-engineered the Slack platform. 

They want Slack to be companies’ Digital HQ to make work more productive and pleasant. With this update they are offering businesses a tailored solution that adapts and responds to their unique business needs. On their blog they say:

“From everyday business users like sales representatives, administrators and marketers to seasoned engineers, everyone can customize their Slack experience and digital HQ to fit how they work, now and in the future.”

Here’s what’s new:

• Workflow Builder: a feature that allows non-developers to create workflows by dragging and dropping pieces of existing apps and then customizing how they work together. 

• Slack Links (coming soon): with just one click, users will be able to sign in to their work apps using their Slack accounts. 

• Subscribe in Slack (coming soon): users will be able to set up Slack notifications from their other tools integrated into their Slack workspace. 

3. Social Media Updates

• YouTube Removes Dislike Counts On All Videos

Videos on YouTube will no longer show a public dislike count, while the dislike button remains. Early 2021 YouTube experimented with the dislike button making invisible the dislike vote count to help protect content creators against harassment where people worked to increase the number of dislikes from a certain video.  

“We want to create an inclusive and respectful environment where creators have the opportunity to succeed and feel safe to express themselves. This is just one of many steps we are taking to continue to protect creators from harassment. Our work is not done, and we’ll continue to invest here”. – YouTube Blog

The results from this experiment showed that, because the count wasn’t visible, viewers were less likely to hit the button trying to drive up the number of dislikes. Apparently this is a practice that affects small and new channels the most. 

Based on these results, YouTube has decided to make the dislike count private across the entire platform. Viewers will still have the option to hit the dislike button if they want to and creators will still be able to find the exact amount of dislikes from a video on YouTube Studio along other metrics. 

This change is rolling out gradually since early November 2021. 

• Instagram Launches Live Test of Longer Videos in Stories

Instagram has launched a live test for 60 seconds videos in stories. This means that longer videos won’t be split into 15 seconds clips anymore. This is what Instagram had to say when inquired about the subject by socialmediatoday: 

“The ability to create longer Stories posts comes highly requested by our community. We’re excited to be testing 60-second Stories so that people can create and view Stories with fewer interruptions.” 

This initiative comes from the desire of Instagram to simplify and consolidate ideas, since they launched a lot of features in the last year. The decision has also been influenced by social media platform TikTok which has become most popular between younger crowds and thrives with simplicity. 

The new feature is currently being tested with only a small group of users, but soon it will reach more and more people. 

• TikTok Tests New Option to Tag Other Profiles in Your Video Clips

With the objective of boosting engagement, TikTok is rolling out a feature that allows users to tag other profiles in their clips. This option comes as an addition to the already available @mention option within the post captions. 

This means that users can still alert other profiles about their clips, but keeping the caption text free of mentions. Functionality wise it doesn’t represent a major change, however it does provide a new way to link creators content. 

The new option to tag other profiles, is still being tested and there are no plans to roll it out to all users at the moment. 

Digital Marketing News From November 2021

So here are the most important news and digital marketing trends from November 2021. As always Google is constantly providing with more and better tools for marketers to do their jobs the easiest way possible, marketing platforms are keeping up with teams’ requirements and social media competition never ends.

Which update caught your attention the most?

If you are interested in reading more about digital marketing make sure to visit some of our other blog post:

• Digital Marketing Trends 2022
• 2021 Christmas Marketing Ideas and Strategies To Boost Your E-commerce Sales
• The Future of Digital Marketing Without 3rd Party Cookies

Keeping up with digital marketing trends is already a very time consuming process by itself without adding the uncertainty and changes brought as a consequence of Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 was still a year of challenges and adjustments and it’s time to take it all in, review what we learned and prepare for the next chapter. 

Marketing trends continue to move towards offering users personalised experiences through innovative technology that, at the same time, reduces load work for marketing teams. It’s all about optimisation of processes that increase engagement and are cost effective. 

With that in mind here are the top:

Digital Marketing Trends 2022

1. Conversational Marketing

Conversational marketing is AI powered forms of conversation to talk to consumers. Is the use of interfaces such as live chats, chatbots or voice assistants to engage in conversations with customers in a more human manner. 

More and more, consumers are seeking connections and personalised treatment when evaluating shopping options. Brands need to respond to this need and apply strategies that give their customers what they want.

Adding a tool that allows engaging interactions it’s a great method to connect with consumers and offer personalised experiences that provide value for both parties:

• Brands will gain insights about their consumers
• Users will get response to their questions with super personalised conversations

Another important fact to keep in mind is that users are looking for almost immediate responses from brands when they have doubts about a product or service. Conversational marketing can provide instant connections between customers and brands, facilitating communication that gains their trust. 

Machine learning allows you, through conversational marketing tools, to create interactions tailor made for each user. Including it into your marketing strategy will help you assist them in selecting the right option for them and creating a relationship that ultimately leads to increasing your sales. 

As a trend within the trend, we can talk about WhatsApp Marketing. WhatsApp is the leading messaging platform in the world, followed by Facebook Messenger. For some years now, Facebook has been promoting WhatsApp as a tool for businesses, either through WhatsApp Business (focused on small businesses) or through WhatsApp Business API. You have a complete guide about WhatsApp Marketing in this link.

2. Gamification

Think about the features that make games so much fun and engaging. Now try and apply them to a website: that’s gamification put simply. Gamification marketing is the practice of including gaming elements in a non-gaming environment with the objective of increasing engagement and it’s a major digital marketing trend for 2022.

Gamification is a very creative way for any type of online business to get their message across and make it more memorable in an environment where it is very difficult to stand out and make an impact. 

Here are some examples on how you can include gamification in your digital marketing strategy:

• Countdowns: users are challenged to complete certain actions in a limited period of time
• Achievements: points, badges, or some kind of reward is given to users for reaching an accomplishment. 
• An actual game: you can create a game on your site for users to play and offer them a reward depending on how far they make it!

There are many advantages from gamification: increases user engagement, CTRs and conversions. You just need to find the best option that suits your business and try it out!

3. Marketing Automation

Marketing automation refers to software that allows you to set up campaigns (emails, SMS or web push notifications) that are “triggered” and sent by a specific action taken by the user. With these types of tools you can schedule messages for a certain date like Black Friday, for example, or define scenarios based on user behaviour that activate a specific message.

The great thing about marketing automation is all the time you can save. You only need to set up your campaigns one first time and then everything keeps working automatically. Plus, since the campaigns are usually behaviour-based, they offer users super personalised information that’s relevant to them, thus increasing their engagement with your brand. 

According to TheeDigital 77% of companies that have implemented some sort of marketing automation tool have seen an increase in conversions thanks to lead nurturing automated campaigns. 

Besides, marketing automation is within everyone’s reach. There are tons of tools  that offer a free subscription option out there for companies of all sizes and budgets to benefit from this strategy.

4. Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising is the automation of the media buying process. Normally, marketers would have to manually search for advertising space, create proposals and negotiate terms. With programmatic advertising they can automatically bid for an ad space, getting rid of all the manual, time-consuming process and focus on campaign optimization.

According to Projector, “brands are now assigning up to 50% of their ad budgets to programmatic advertising, and the trend is expected to exceed $100 billion in 2022.” 

One of the reasons programmatic advertising is so effective is that it uses data insights to place and show the most relevant ad, to the right user at the right time. This ultimately results in better CTRs and improves ROI. 

5. Online Reviews

Reviews and customers’ opinions have always been important, but 2022 is the year to focus on expanding the online reviews of your business. Keep in mind that now, more than ever, people are taking time to evaluate their options before making a purchase decision, and what better source of information than previous shoppers telling their experiences?

Good online reviews have the power to attract new customers to your business because they offer other potential customers a level of credibility like no other message that comes directly from you as a brand.

Depending on your type of business some review platforms will work better and suit you best. For example, for a retailer or local shop, Google Business will be the main review platform. But if you are a B2B software company, your customers will look you up on sites like Gartner or Capterra.

You can encourage your clients to write reviews of your business by offering some kind of incentive or reward. E-commerce sites like Shein, give points they later exchange for discount coupons to users that give stars, write a review and add photos of the product they purchase.

6. Automated Web Push Notifications

If you are a digital marketer and aren’t aware by now of the definitive disappearance of third-party cookies next year, you have been living under a rock. But, yes, by the end of 2022 we are going to live in a 3rd party cookieless internet, so marketers need to find new, effective ways to do remarketing.

Luckily, web push notifications are here to save the day by offering a unique solution to do retargeting without ads, making them a must-have in your 2022 digital marketing strategy. 

Web push notifications are browser based messages that appear to users after accepting them and becoming subscribers. These messages are 100% customizable and respond to user behaviour and the actions they took when browsing your site. 

You can define as many scenarios you want and target users through every step of the funnel with engaging information that compels them to come back to your site and complete a transaction. Notifications can include product images, name, price, brand and pretty much any information you want. 

The two main advantages of web push notifications are:

• They reach users outside your site: even if users leave your website, they still receive a notification while they are browsing any other page, just like they would get an ad on another site if you put cookies on them. 

• They reach users on desktop and mobile devices: without needing to create an app, web push notifications reach subscribers on all devices. 

Their reach and hyper-personalisation capabilities make web push notifications a very nice solution to tackle a cookieless internet. 

7. Omnichannel Marketing

Omnichannel marketing is the strategy of using several channels such as social media, email, web push notifications and blogs to reach more users with a cohesive message to reach business goals. 

According to ClickZ omnichannel marketing strategies bring excellent results:

• Engagement rate: 18.96% on omnichannel vs 5.4% on single-channel
• Purchase frequency: 250% higher on omnichannel vs single-channel
• Average order value: 13% more per order on omnichannel vs single-channel
• Customer retention rates: 90% higher for omnichannel vs single-channel

In order to have a well-structured omnichannel marketing strategy, you can use marketing software that provides multi-platform automation services. If you center all of your communications in one place, you can offer a much more consistent image across platforms without overlapping one message with another at the risk of oversaturating users.

Via automation you can combine message sequences in different channels to reach users through the platform of their preference. For example, you can create a sequence to recover abandoned carts with a first message delivered through email, a second one via web push and a third one via SMS. 

An omnichannel marketing strategy allows you to reach your customers where they are. Design messages that compliment one another and offer value during the entire customer journey and you’ll see amazing results. 

General Tips for you  2022 Digital Marketing Campaigns

Before we send off 2021, there are some marketing practices that will always be a cornerstone to make our strategies the best they can be:

• Optimize with A/B tests: remember that no matter how much insight you have about your target audience, there’s always room for improvement and A/B testing is your friend. When launching new campaigns, try different versions, analyze the results and optimize accordingly. 

• Content marketing is always a go: content marketing keeps gaining ground as a basis for any online business. A solid content marketing strategy that answers your target audience’s pain points for every stage of the funnel is key to create brand awareness, generate leads and increase conversions. 

• Hyper-personalisation is extremely important: paradoxically in a world that has gone global, people are eager for personalised experiences. That’s why (if you are not doing already) you give all of your communication a level of personalisation that makes users feel you are talking directly to them and that you cater to their needs specifically. This means including their names, the exact product they were interested in and any detail that makes the message as personal as possible. 

Final Thoughts on Digital Marketing Trends 2022

It seems digital marketing keeps moving in the direction of offering super personalised experiences via AI and machine learning, whilst alleviating workload for makerteres to focus on optimization. 

The imminent disappearance of third-party cookies will also require new solutions and strategies that allow brands to keep in touch and engage with their customers through time without diminishing their online experience. 

Surely 2022 will bring along lots of surprises, new marketing tech and even revolutionize the social media world like the Clubhouse app did during early 2021. As always we will be here gathering the most important digital marketing trends for you every month.

In the meantime, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2021 has gone by extremely fast, we are already in the last quarter of the year and the most important dates for marketers are upon us: Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas. That is why it is more important than ever to be informed about what’s new in the digital marketing world and use all tools available to carry out the best campaigns.

Here are the most relevant:

Digital Marketing News and Updates from October 2021

1. Search Marketing Updates

• Shopify & Microsoft Team Up To Help Merchants Reach More Shoppers

Microsoft is aware of the significant increase in online shopping and the acceleration of e-commerce sites, that’s why they are looking for ways to help brands connect with consumers. With that in mind, they recently announced a partnership with Shopify. 

Shopify merchants can now reach more shoppers using the updated Microsoft Channel app available in their Shopify store. They will have access to more customers through the Microsoft Search Network and Microsoft Audience Network. 

Merchants can connect to the Microsoft Channel app using their Microsoft Advertising accounts or by signing up in a few steps. They can create new ad campaigns, access real-time reports in their Shopify store and all merchants’ products are automatically able to be shown on the Microsoft Bing Shopping tab and the Microsoft Start Shopping tab free as Product Listings.

This new feature is currently available just for Shopify merchants in the United States and Canada.

Microsoft states that soon they will be rolling out a checkout option via the Buy button “to help consumers quickly bridge the gap from discovery to purchase”. 

• Google Mobile Search Updated With Continuous Scrolling

Mid October, Google announced to their blog The Keyword that Continuous scrolling is coming to Google Search on mobile devices. 

Google is always working towards helping people find what they are looking for easily and quickly. Making Search results browsing a seamless experience is a priority, and that is why they are introducing continuous scrolling on mobile devices.

Now, when users conduct a search from their mobile device and reach the bottom of a results page, the next set of results will automatically load to offer more information. The reason behind this update is to save people from having to click on the “See more” button and make their browsing experience more pleasant.

“While you can often find what you’re looking for in the first few results, sometimes you want to keep looking. In fact, most people who want additional information tend to browse up to four pages of search results.” – Google Blog

The new Search experience is starting to gradually roll out today for most English searches on mobile in the U.S.

• Google Rolls Out New Eco-Friendly Search Filters

Google’s rolling out new Search filters to help people make more environmentally-conscious decisions when looking for flights, hotels, routes or products. Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a series of green initiatives from the company, and this new Search filter is one of them.  

• Google Flights Updates: an update to Google Flights will showcase information about carbon emissions in SERP. The information will be displayed next to the price and duration of the flight. 

• Hotel results: when looking for a hotel, users will now see information regarding their sustainability efforts such as waste reduction and water conservation measures, and whether they’re Green Key or EarthCheck certified.

• Environmentally Friendly Appliances: a Google Shopping update will help shoppers find the most environmentally friendly options when looking to buy appliances by displaying the most sustainable products. 

• Eco-friendly Routing in Google Maps: from now on in the U.S and in Europe from 2022, Google Maps will show you the most fuel efficient route to choose from. Google estimates that by doing this, they could help save over one million tons of carbon emissions per year.

Google says that all these efforts are aimed towards being more sustainable and helping contribute against climate change:

In all these efforts, our goal is to make the sustainable choice an easier choice. At the individual level, these choices may seem small, but when people have the tools to make them at scale, they equal big improvements. We’ll need nothing less to avert the worst consequences of climate change, and we’ll continue to find ways our products can help.

2. Marketing Tech Updates

• Free AI Content Optimization Tool by MarketMuse

MarketMuse is a platform built to accelerate the content research, creation, and optimization process using AI and they recently launched a free version of their software.

This tool is designed to help content creators plan and optimize their writing with helpful insights powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. The new free version is very similar to the paid one and contains the primary features of MarketMuse, the only difference is that, with the paid version, you can focus on more queries. 

The new version is thought out to help small sites with up to 35 queries a month and it offers the following features: 

• Optimize
• Connect
• Compete
• Research
• Questions

Many MarketMuse users have reported the tool to be a complete game changer for their content marketing strategy:

In my opinion, MarketMuse is useful for every business that is doing content marketing. Using MarketMuse, you can create in-depth content that is valued by readers and considered authoritative. I used MarketMuse as an experiment on one of my sites, and my organic traffic grew by 400% in less than 6 months. – Israel Gaudette, Full-time affiliate marketer and founder of the Link Tracker Pro rank tracker.

• Google For Creators Is Here To Help Publishers Get Found & Make Money

Google is introducing Google for Creators to offer personalized guidance, product recommendations and inspiration for creators. 

In a recent blog post Google announced the launch of a new tool to help content creators learn, grow and get inspired. The objective is to bring audiences closer to the content the like and enjoy, at the same time it helps creators reach and connect with more people. 

Google for Creators shows how the web can become part of your content mix. A quick quiz on the homepage provides personalized recommendations with topics most relevant to you. So if you’re just getting started, the quiz might recommend that you check out guides for finding a niche or creating a content strategy. Or if you’re a more seasoned creator, you might see recommendations for learning how to grow your audience and make more money. – Google Blog

The tool is promised to be useful for all types of content creators, new ones or more experienced ones. The quiz will offer relevant insights and recommendations on how to find a niche, planning a content strategy and how to grow your audience. 

Google will release more features in the coming months. 

• WordPress Releases Gutenberg 11.6 

Early October WordPress released Gutenberg 11.6 fixing bugs and making important changes and improvements. Gutenberg is a WordPress site builder with drag and drop functionality to design interfaces. 

Gutenberg is rolling out in a four phase development process and it’s currently in the second one. This builder is aimed to “to revolutionize the entire publishing experience as much as Gutenberg did the printed word”, according to the description in its plugin page. 

The 11.6 version includes:

• Site Logo cropping and rotating within the editor: users are now able to adjust their websites’ logos directly within WordPress. Before this update the image used as a logo had to be edited before loading it in the site. With the Site Logo block’s toolbar that won’t be necessary anymore. 

• Locking control at block level: this new feature allows designers to lock individual blocks to prevent them from moving or accidentally removing them. 

• Query Pagination uses Flex Layout: the new Gutenberg version improves the Query Pagination block to support the flex layout.

There are other notable improvements and changes with Gutenberg 11.6 such as basic support for child themes, enhancements to the writing flow and much more that you can check out in detail here. 

3. Social Media Updates

• Facebook Has New Communication Tools For Businesses

Facebook is rolling out changes and improvements targeted to small businesses. These updates are coming just in time for important marketing dates such as Black Friday and the holiday season which reportedly counts for 20% of annual revenue for small businesses.

Let’s sum up the new features:

• Video and Audio Calling on Messenger: Facebook is testing business audio and video calling with some businesses using Business Inbox in Messenger. This feature allows them to connect directly with their customers right from the platform in order to facilitate transactions.

• Live Audio Rooms: earlier this year Facebook launched Live Audio Rooms as their own version of ClubHouse appa. They are now making it available for small businesses to host live conversations on topics they consider relevant for their target audiences. 

• Expanding Appointment Booking Globally: the appointments feature on Facebook is an easy way for customers to book appointments with local service providers, and for businesses to manage their bookings. From now, Facebook is gradually making Appointment books available to all small businesses, globally.

• Personalized Ads: Facebook wants to let people know they are supporting a small business when they come across a small business ad, so they are testing the display of an informational message in the feed that lets people know they liked or loved a small business ad. According to Facebook “The message explains how engaging with an ad from a small business can help the business continue to find new customers and grow.”

 

• Instagram Adds More Demographic Insights For Businesses

Instagram is introducing new audience insights as a way to give content creators and professionals the tools they need to make more money doing what they love on the social media platform. They are rolling out: accounts engaged, engaged audience, reached audience and new transparency for creators who partner with brands.

• Accounts Engaged and Engaged Audience: the “accounts engaged” feature shows the number of people that interacted with your content in a specific period of time. Instagram is also adding demographic insights to help professionals have a better understanding of their audience. 

• Reached Audience: Instagram is adding new information about reached audiences also adding important demographic insights such as top cities, top countries, top age ranges and gender. 

• Transparency for Creators: Instagram is going to give more visibility to creators who partner with brands to create collaborative content. “When a brand promotes a creator’s post with the paid partnership label or creates an ad without a pre-existing post, that creator will now be able to see the performance of that ad including reach, likes, comments, saves and shares.”

• Instagram Tests new “Add Yours” Sticker for Stories

If you hang out a lot on Instagram you might have already come across the new “Add Yours” sticker in someones’ story. 

Instagram rolled out this new sticker as a way to create chains of content in the app. It works like this: a user uploads a story and inserts the “Add Yours” sticker of a certain topic. Then when another user sees it, they can click on it and their own input to the topic, thus creating a chain of content. 

For example, someone can create a prompt about their favorite Italian restaurant, share it, and then other users can add their own favorites. This is a great way for brands to connect and reach new audiences. 

Even though the sticker is limited to users in Japan and Indonesia, once a prompt has been created, anyone can participate. 

This are the most relevant Digital Marketing News and Updates from October 2021

There were many updates in search, tech and social media marketing this past month and certainly many interesting features to try for next big dates like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas. 

Did you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments!

You can also find useful:

• Top 2021 Black Friday Digital Marketing Strategies for Your E-commerce
• “Don’t Use Web Push Notifications!” Demystifying the Biggest Prejudices About Web Push Notifications
• SMS Marketing: 7 Tips for a Winning Strategy

There wasn’t much digital marketing news to report during summertime. However, September has arrived in full strength with many updates to note that might help us marketers strategize better for the last few months of 2021. 

Digital Marketing News, Insights and Updates from September 2021

1. Search Marketing Updates

• Google is Working on New Search Feature to Index Instagram and TikTok Videos

Google has been reported to be working on new deals with Instagram and TikTok’s parent companies, Facebook and ByteDance, to get the data they need in order to index and rank videos from the social media platform in Search results. 

Users often go to Google to search for TikTok and Instagram videos everyone is talking about and have no luck finding them. The best result they get is a preview with lower qualities. Well, Google is trying to fix that and show users the exact video they want to see in Search, just like they do with tweets. 

A few years ago tweets didn’t show in SERP like they do now. Since Google reached an agreement with Twitter back in 2015, they now show in results and the same thing might happen if these new negotiations go well. We might start getting used to seeing these short social media videos in SERP sooner than later. 

Google is always aiming to make content easily discoverable by users. However, when asked about the new feature a spokesperson stated that sites “can choose how or whether their content appears in Search.”

To this point is just a matter of time and wait to see how the negotiations pan out. 

• Google is Giving Users More Transparency Into their Google Ads Experience

Google has been innovating with different features to help users have a better understanding about ads they get in Search and Display in different formats. Features such as “About this ad” and the advertisers identity verification program, enhance user experience by offering transparency and credibility with the ads shown to them.

Not stopping there, Google has announced now they are rolling out Advertiser Pages to offer users more information about the ads they get. Users can access these disclosures in the new “About this Ad” menu and check the ads said advertiser has run over the last 30 days. 

“For example, imagine you’re seeing an ad for a coat you’re interested in, but you don’t recognize the brand. With advertiser pages, you can learn more about that advertiser before visiting their site or making a purchase.”  Google Blog

 

Users will also be able to report an ad they feel is violating Google’s policies and if they see fit, a Google team member will delete it. As always, Google is aiming to offer users the best online experience as possible and taking their feedback is key to achieving that objective. 

Advertiser pages will launch in the coming months in the United States, and will roll out in phases to more countries in 2022.

• Microsoft Advertising Launches Open Beta for Credit Card Ads 

Microsoft Advertising has announced that, from this week, Credit Card Ads will be available for advertisers targeting customers in the U.S and Canada.

Credit Card Ads are intent-triggered ads dynamically generated with no keywords or site crawling required. They appear on the right side of the Bing Search Results Page alongside text ads.

“Credit card ads trigger for queries such as brand name, card category, credit level, and more. Bank issuers, comparison sites and brands can all take advantage of Credit card ads.” Microsoft Blog

On its blog, Microsoft states that, so far, advertisers have seen great results using Credit Card Ads:

• Up to 46% more conversions
• 70% lower cost per acquisition

Early results are sure promising for advertisers.  This new feature is rolling out as an open beta and anyone wishing to participate has to contact their Microsoft Advertising representative or sign up here.

2. Marketing Tech Updates

• Shopify Launches Shopify Markets to help Internationalize Stores

Up until now, if an ecommerce wanted to sell internationally, they’d have to use a third party marketplace or retailer to do so. With the launch of Shopify Markets that won’t be necessary anymore, since it allows merchants to sell directly to a global market all from one place.

Shopify Markets is a centralized hub with all the tools ecommerce sites need to sell directly outside of their home country. On the announcement of the new solution, Shopify stated that “Complexities like currency conversion, language localization, providing local payment methods, and duty and import taxes can all act as barriers to effectively selling internationally”. All of this is solved with Shopify Markets. 

By entering, merchants can: 

• Enter new markets easily
• Increase buyer trust and conversion with tailored experiences for each market
• Optimize cross-border operations with actionable insights and smart settings
• Save time with a central global management platform

Shopify Markets is already available in early access globally. 

• HubSpot Partners with Envato 

The CRM platform and Evanto, the world-leading online community for creative assets have partnered to launch over 250 high-quality templates specifically designed for HubSpot. 

“Designed by Envato’s internationally recognized community of professional theme developers, the new templates offer a wide variety of ways for businesses to customize their online presence, whether they use a multi-purpose theme or something more niche to their industry.” – HubSpot.com

Since both platforms, HubSpot and Envato, are aimed towards building engaging web experiences faster, Envato’s Chief Content Officer, Cameron Gough, said the partnership was a natural connection between both companies. He also added that:

“With these themes, we have an opportunity to provide the global creative community with the assets they need, while HubSpot can bring their CMS Hub product to life with the help of our talented author base”.

The have reported that the initial reactions from the community have been very positive with the creation of a huge variety of template themes. You can see the collection of CMS Hub themes on ThemeForest here: https://themeforest.net/lp/hubspot-cms-hub-themes/.

• Intuit Confirms Deal to Acquire Mailchimp

A few weeks ago, global technology platform Intuit, confirmed rumors about the acquisition of the popular mailing automation platform, Mailchimp for $12 billion.

Intuit is better known for its financial softwares TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mint and Credit Karma, but with this new acquisition they aim to “advance their mission to power prosperity around the world for consumers and small businesses”.

They described the objective saying that they “will work to deliver on the vision of an innovative, end-to-end customer growth platform for small and mid-market businesses, allowing them to get their business online, market their business, manage customer relationships, benefit from insights and analytics, get paid, access capital, pay employees, optimize cash flow, be organized and stay compliant, and have experts at their fingertips.”

3. Social Media Updates

• Twitter Makes Tips Available to Everyone and Adds Bitcoin & GoFundMe As Tipping Options

Back in May Twitter rolled out a feature called tip jar, that allowed users to tip others. This feature was only available for a select group of English-speaking content creators. Now, Twitter is rolling out Tips for everyone and adding new payment alternatives. 

Tips make the payment much easier by providing one spot right in the user’s profile where they can link to their Cash App, Patreon, Venmo and other platforms. Before, users had to manually share links to their payment profiles in their bios and in their tweets.

In addition to that, Twitter is also including new payment services: GoFundMe, an online fundraising platform, and Bitcoin through Strike, a payment application built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network that offers instant and free payments globally.

This is what Twitter had to say:

We want everyone on Twitter to have access to pathways to get paid. Digital currencies that encourage more people to participate in the economy and help people send each other money across borders and with as little friction as possible – help us get there.

• Facebook Launches New Tools for Businesses

In order to help businesses connect with more people and generate more leads, Facebook is launching a set of new free and paid tools:

• Start conversations with ads that click to message: businesses can use ads to invite people to message them through the messaging platform they prefer: Messenger, Instagram Direct or WhatsApp.

• Start a WhatsApp chat from an Instagram Profile: for many small businesses Instagram is the main platform through which people discover them, and Whatsapp the platform to engage in conversations. With that in mind, Facebook is making it possible to add a click-to-chat button to their Instagram profiles and a button that takes users to Whatsapp directly from Instagram ads.

• Quote Request on Messenger: with this feature businesses can elect 4-5 questions to ask consumers prior to starting a conversation. Then, consumers are able to request a quote from a business by completing a questionnaire on Messenger. This feature is only currently available for select advertisers for testing. 
• Lead Generation on Instagram: Facebook will start testing paid and organic tools to help businesses find qualified leads on the social media platform in a more personal way and reducing costs.

Regarding all updated and new features, Facebook stated that “Today is just a step towards the future we’re building for and with businesses in this next era of personalization and we’ll share more on this as it progresses.

• YouTube Adds 5 Features for Creators

YouTube content creators will have access to more insights and more control over ads and chapters thanks to these five new features:

• Evergreen video insights: evergreen videos are those that have been popular for a long period of time. YouTube is giving content creators access to insights for these types of videos as a way of helping them improve their monthly channel performance analysis. 

• Trending hashtags: YouTube launched the trending hashtag feature in the explore section to help viewers find popular content, and creators to identify topics for their future videos. This feature is only available for U.S mobile users. 

• AdSense Blocking Controls: YouTube is making available the Adsense Blocking Controls to multi-channel affiliate networks (MCNs). Previously this feature that allows content creators to control what type of ads run on their channels, was only available to channels in the YouTube Partner Program.

• Bulk Edit Video Chapters: YouTube launched automatic chapters for newly uploaded videos and creators are automatically opted into it. And for those who don’t want the feature enabled on their channel, YouTube is making it easier to edit the chapters in bulk. 

• Appeal Yellow Icons on YouTube Studio Mobile: a yellow icon means a video is receiving little to no monetization. From now on, content creators will be able to appeal them via the Studio Mobile app, instead of solely via desktop.

Digital Marketing News from September 2021

There was a lot to choose from to sum up the most important digital marketing news and updates from September 2021. We gathered the news we believe you’ll find more interesting and useful to strategize next month. 

If you want to keep reading…

• Remarketing: Everything You Need to Know
• Web Push Notifications Performance: Key Metrics to Track!
• How can Marketing Automation Help you Sell More

Summer is coming to an end and it has gone by so incredibly fast that it feels almost as if just yesterday we were discussing and sharing digital marketing trends from July. Without almost realizing it a whole month has passed and it is time to sum up again what has happened during these past 30 days.

Here are the most important:

Digital Marketing News, Updates and Trends from August 2021:

1. Search Marketing Updates

• Google Shares Insights on how they Generate Page Titles

The first thing people pay attention to decide if a website is worthy of their clic and relevant to their search is the title. Google puts extra effort into providing the best titles in Search results to connect people with the right content produced and offered by websites. 

In the past few weeks, Google has introduced a new system to generate titles for sites. With this new system titles are not going to change based on the query issued by the user, like they did before. Google states that “This is because we think our new system is producing titles that work better for documents overall, to describe what they are about, regardless of the particular query.”

The new system is going even more beyond the HTML to use text that people can see when they land on a web page. They are using the main visual title tagged with H1, other header tags and content that is prominent with the use of different styles. 

The reason behind this is that Google considers that HTML tags don’t always describe the content of the page so well for different reasons like being too long, having way too many keywords or an entirely lack of tags. 

This update is aimed to produce more accessible titles for pages, by even adding site names if considered relevant. In other cases, Google might select the most relevant part of a title when encountering extremely long ones, instead of showing it from the beginning and cutting what might be the most useful part. 

• Google Simplifies Page Experience Report in Search Console

Early 2021 Google launched the Page Experience report in Search Console to give site owners a way to understand how their websites do against the page experience signals. This August, Google rolled out a new version that simplifies the report by removing some elements and fixing others. 

a) Removal of Safe Browsing widget: Google recognized that Safe Browsing issues, like third-party hijacking of sites, are not always under the control of site owners. That’s why they are clarifying that Safe Browsing is not used as a ranking signal and won’t show anymore in the Page Experience report. These warnings will still be shown in Search Console, but outside of the Page Experience report. 

b) Removal of Ad Experience widget: the Ad Experience widget is algo removed with the purpose of avoiding the display of the same information on two different parts of Search Console. From now on the Ad Experience report will be available as a standalone tool to review the status of your site. The same as for Safe Browsing, Ad Experience was never used as a signal so the change will not affect the site’s status. 

c) Report improvements: Google is rolling out a few improvements to how the reports handle missing data:

1. Added a “no recent data” banner to the Core Web Vitals report and Page Experience report.
2. Fixed a bug that showed “Failing HTTPS” when Core Web Vitals data was missing.
3. Rephrased the empty state text in the Page Experience Report and Core Web Vitals Report

• New Google Safeguards for Minors

Google is making changes to ads, content and more with the intention of creating a safer space for children and teens on the internet. 

a) Advertising Changes: in order to prevent age-sensitive ads from being shown to minors, Google is expanding safeguards. From now on ads will be blocked based on age, gender and interests of people under 18 years old. 

b) Digital Footprint control for Minors: Google plans to introduce a policy that allows anyone under the age of 18 or their legal guardians to request their images to be removed from Google image results. 

c) YouTube Settings: one of the changes will make the most private option set by default in upload settings for teens on Youtube. Another change is that YouTube will begin to remove overly commercial content that encourages kids to spend money from YouTube Kids. 

d) Location History Updates: location history is off by default and supervised accounts (for children) don’t have the option to turn it on. This feature will be applied to all users under 18 years old. 

e) Google Play Updates: a new safety section that will let parents or guardians know which apps follow family policies will be launched soon. This means that apps will be required to inform about how they use the data they collect from users.

f) Google Workspace for Education Changes: since more and more children are using the internet for school, concerns have risen about safeguarding the experience. That is why Google is working to give administrators abilities to tailor their students experience suchs as restrincting activity on YouTube and activating Safe Search by default for all users. ¡

g) Safe Search: SafeSearch is a feature that leaves out explicit results when active and it is enabled by default for users under 13 who use accounts managed by Family Link. Google plans to extend it for users under 18 as well. 

h) Google Assistant Updates: Google is going to introduce new protection features to prevent mature content from surfacing for minors. 

2. Marketing Tech Updates

• Salesforce Announces Integrations with Slack

At the end of last year, Salesforce acquired Slack for the big sum of almost 28 billion dollars. Recently, after all this time, they finally announced the first integrations to be made. 

“What we’re announcing are these new capabilities to support that Slack vision for sales, service, marketing and analytics. And for each of those areas what we’re doing is a combination of articulating, both in best practices and codifying, how you can and should model your sales, service and marketing organizations in this new world,” said Rob Seaman, SVP for Slack at Salesforce. 

The main objective with the integrations is to provide a faster and easier way to work and automate Salesforce tasks. For example, it would be possible to join all the parties involved in a sale in a dedicated deal room where they can come together through the entire process and have a seamless workflow. 

Service teams can get daily updates, personalized daily task lists, meetings and get together to help each other out with any problem they might have and solve doubts in rooms called a swarm. 

Rob Seaman stated that these are just a few of the first integrations and that much more will come in the future. The company also acquired Tableau in 2019 and Datorama in 2018 and there are more integrations planned for the future. 

• Google Ads Editor Rolls Out New Features

Google Ads Editor is a tool that allows you to make offline changes in bulk, saving time, making it easier to optimize campaigns. Google Ads Editor 1.7 is here and it includes several new interesting features:

a) Easier Downloads: from now on, advertisers can select the specific part of the campaign they want to work on and just download that. This translates into download speed improvements. 

b) Lead Form Extensions: Lead Form Extensions allow users to include a form in their ads so prospects can fill in the form without needing to leave the SERP. These forms were only accessible to create or edit through the IU. Now users can download, edit and create lead form extensions within Google Ads Editor. 

c) YouTube Audio Ads: YouTube Audio Ads were released in 2020 and could only be set up within the UI. Similarly to Lead Form Extensions, Audio Ads can now be set up through Google Ads Editor. 

d) Hotel Ads: until now, Hotel Ads were only accessible through the Google Ads IU. users can now use Google Ads Editor to manage them. 

• Microsoft Ads Updates Several Features

Microsoft announced several product updates and releases for the month of August and here is what you need to know:

a) Target Impression Share: Target Impression Share Strategy will automatically set the bids of your campaigns based upon where you want them to appear and your target impression share. 

b) New Automated Extensions: Microsoft is launching new automated extensions: Dynamic Location, Dynamic Multimedia, Syndication Decorations.

c) Account Labeling: Account Labeling allows advertisers to manage campaigns by tagging accounts, ads and keywords with labels. 

d) Conversion Goals: a new feature available for advertisers using Shopping Campaigns that allows them to create product conversion goals. 

e) Integral Ad Science now globally available: last September Microsoft announced a partnership with Integral Ad Science to offer more protection options in the Microsoft Audience Network and it is now available globally in the same markets. 

f) Unified Campaigns Changes: a few updates to unified campaigns were algo announced: 

1. Users can now post to Instagram from the social media section
2. Users can invite other Microsoft Advertising users to access and manage their accounts
3. Users can now use the same billing pages as Expert mode users
4. Improvements to the campaign management experience
5. Users can now manage multiple sub-accounts with a single parent account

3. Social Media Updates

• TikTok Introduces Shopify Shop Tab for Approved Merchant Profiles

The social media platform has announced a partnership with Shopify to test TikTok shopping with a small group of Shopify merchants in the US, UK and Canada. This new feature will provide Shopify store owners with tools to create content that engages with consumers and sends them directly to their e-commerce site for checkout.

TikTok Shopping aims to make it easier for people to explore, discover and buy products they find on the platform. Blake Chandlee, president of global business at TikTok said: 

“TikTok is uniquely placed at the center of content and commerce, and these new solutions make it even easier for businesses of all sizes to create engaging content that drives consumers directly to the digital point of purchase. We’re thrilled to be expanding our partnership with Shopify and making TikTok more accessible than ever for their merchants.”

• Facebook Messenger Adds 4 New Features

For its 10th anniversary, Facebook Messenger is rolling out 4 new interesting features to enhance user experience. 

a) Send and Receive Cash Gifts: for Facebook users in the US it is now possible to send and receive cash as gifts through the platform. The receiving user will be notified with a colorful message including virtual balloons and will be asked to confirm his Facebook Pay details and the money will be instantly deposited into his bank account. 

b) Group Chat Poll Games: Facebook is introducing poll games to Messenger as a way to keep people entertained in group chats. 

c) Birthday Expression Tools: Facebook Messenger will now offer users a variety of birthday-theme tools for the chat like birthday backgrounds, AR effects, songs and confetti message effects. 

d) New Way to Share Contacts: users can now share contacts directly to their friends. 

• YouTube Rolls Out 3 Updates for Creators 

With creators in mind, YouTube is launching three new features to help them access useful data in YouTube Studio:

a) Improved Realtime Cards: Realtime Cards display important information and channel metrics such as a subscriber count and views in real time. The improvement consists of adding reach and engagement data with dedicated tabs. 

b) Mentions Inbox: YouTube creators will now have access to a mentions inbox that will show all the places their channel has been mentioned on YouTube. 

c) Hashtag autocomplete Suggestions: in January 2021 YouTube launched searchable hashtags and people still have doubts about how to use them. That is why Youtube is now launching a hashtag autocomplete feature to recommend relevant ones based on popularity. 

August had many digital marketing updates…

So, there you have it! We have covered the most important and relevant news and updates in digital marketing for the month of August. Which one caught your attention more? Let us know in the comments! 

Make sure you also read: 

• How to Use Web Push Notifications for B2B
• Web Push Notifications Performance: Key Metrics to Track!
• 6 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your E-commerce Website