Consumers don't trust influencers, Facebook launches 3 new ad tools for small businesses, Amazon storing UK biometric data, Facebook relaxes cryptocurrency ad rules, Google's new consumer privacy plans, Facebook removes "dangerous users", digital ad revenues top $1bn, Facebook political ad warning and Singapore passes 'fake news' law.

This week has seen a number of big digital and marketing stories in the headlines. We've taken a look at some of the biggest, including new findings that show only 4% trust information shared by celebrity influencers, bloggers and vloggers. On top of this, Facebook has announced three new advertising tools that are aimed at helping small businesses make the most of the platform. There are also concerns being raised about a new Home Office contract that could see Amazon storing biometric information belonging to millions of people in the UK. Other Facebook news reveals that the platform is loosening its rules on advertising related to cryptocurrencies…

Instagram trailling new video trackbar, Facebook banning white nationalism on its platforms, LinkedIn's new partnership with Adobe, Twitter highlighting politician's tweets that break community standards, Facebook's clamp down on political advertisers and online video subscriptions outstripping cable customers

This week has seen most of the big social media platforms release new features or make policy changes. Facebook has banned content, searches and groups related to white nationalism and is also launching new requirements for political advertisers in a bid to make political ads more transparent. Twitter is looking into ways of flagging tweets from politicians and public figures - including President Trump - that break community standards but shouldn't be deleted as they are in the public interest. LinkedIn announced its new partnership with Adobe, which is aimed at offering better ad targeting on the platform. In simpler news, Instagram seems to be trialling a new trackbar so users can skip through videos. Other news this…

YouTube stops ads on anti-vaxxer videos, Facebook to launch new premium ad service, consumer confidence still negative in face of uncertain Brexit, Oreo announces partnership with Game of Thrones, ACCC asks advertisers in Australia for feedback and TikTok fined for collecting children's data

Take a look at some of the news affecting marketers this week including YouTube's decision to stop adverts running on anti-vaccination videos and to update its 'Up Next' algorithm so these videos are not promoted. On top of this, Facebook has announced a new premium ad service, that allows advertisers to book in slots up to a year in advance. This week has also seen the latest Consumer Confidence Index from GfK get released, revealing that the uncertainty of Brexit is still taking its toll. In lighter news, it seems that Oreo is ready to play the Game of Thrones with its latest partnership, which could be the biggest partnership for…

Most valuable brands across the globe showcased in a new infographic, Facebook has been blocked from using data from other sources in Germany, China stops beauty products making medical claims in advertising and Amazon posts positive fourth-quarter ad revenue results

A new infographic has showcased the most valuable brands in many of the countries across the world, showcasing some stark differences in overall value between different countries. This week, Germany has also made a landmark ruling that will limit the types of data that Facebook can collect and assign to indvidual users, which has got the platform up in arms. China is bringing its beauty advertising more in-line with the rest of the world by banning brands from making medical claims when it comes to their cosmetic products. Amazon has reported some seriously strong growth in terms of ad revenue, taking some of the market away from Google. Find out more on each of these…
One of the most underrated aspects of digital advertising is ad placements. Advertisers tend to think that choosing an advertising channel is where their campaigns begin and end. Unknown to them, knowing where to place ads can help determine how strong or how weak of an impact a certain ad will have on audiences. Before we delve into the power of Facebook as an advertising platform, here are some fast facts and figures from the 2018 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. 72% of marketers use Facebook ads. 34% of survey respondents say Facebook ads allow them to measure their return on investment (ROI). Marketing teams’ top reasons for advertising on Facebook vary from brand exposure to website traffic and lead generation. Since Facebook ads are helping many businesses in various aspects of marketing, it might be wise for you to turn to Facebook as a channel…

Chart of the day: Benchmarks for Facebook news feed placement ads Q1 2018

Even though Facebook may have recently been on the receiving end of continuous flack and scrutiny, data shows that Facebook ads continue to do well in the world of paid media. Business are still witnessing the fruits of Facebook as a marketing and advertising channel. So, it’s only obvious that understanding how you can leverage Facebook Advertising in the right way has become vital for brands and marketers. Facebook is making it harder and harder for posts to reach audiences organically. If you want to get your posts seen on Facebook, especially at a larger scale, chances are, you’ll need to pay for the reach with Facebook Ads. Recent benchmarking report on paid search and paid social, by AdStage, provides valuable insight into paid media metrics, to enable marketers like you and…

It’s well reported that 2017 was Facebook’s hardest year to date so far

Concerns about inappropriate content, fake news, and privacy scandals with third parties have marred the Facebook name. So much so in fact, that it has lost almost $100 billion in market value recently. So is that a signal that our advertising love affair with Facebook could be over? As one of the biggest worldwide advertising platforms, it’s unlikely, but advertisers are calling for greater transparency.

Privacy update

In response, Facebook has announced that it is updating its terms on privacy and data sharing. This move will give users a clearer picture of how the social network will handle personal information, in the hope that it doesn’t encounter more Cambride Analytica cases. The updated terms of service aims to focus on how Facebook gathers and uses data, and why users see the ads that they do. According to chief privacy officer Erin Egan and deputy general…

The social media giant is finally listening. Facebook has recently been switching things up to “better” suit its users - or has it really?

A while ago, Facebook announced changes to its algorithm, showing users less public content, like posts from businesses, brands etc., and more personal content shared by friends and family. And now, they’ve come up with yet another change, this time, specifically aimed for marketers.

To give businesses more of an insight into how the impact of their advertisements is calculated, Facebook has introduced new labels on some of its metrics. “We’ve heard that businesses want more insight into our measurement tools and metrics. So today, we’re introducing new labels on some of our metrics to clearly show how they are calculated”, the social channel stated in its latest blog post on Thursday.

Facebook has been on the receiving…

Facebook video ads really could be the silver bullet that creates a huge bottom-line impact

For as long as I can remember, marketing professionals have been proclaiming that Facebook is dead. A little extreme, right? Well, continually declining reach, boosted posts and ads that deliver untargeted fans and traffic, and the need to throw big money to generate any meaningful ROI have all contributed to this frustration.

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To be fair, as social networks go, Facebook is harder to crack than some of the others. There are some Facebook marketing hacks you can test that will certainly help, including: Tagging contributors, fans, and experts in posts to extend reach Commenting and liking as your page, not your personal account The use of visual…

How to use strategic targeting to boost your results from Facebook video ads

In March, I wrote about some of the most effective ways to ensure you create strong, brand-building creative for your Facebook video campaigns. With competition for attention at an all-time high, it’s never been more important to create content that is interesting, relevant and clearly branded to make consumers stop and take notice. The quality of the creative is absolutely essential and an area in which we should continually strive to optimise and improve. However for Facebook the importance of developing brand-building creative is closely followed by the level of rigour you dedicate to how and whom you target: In the second of our short series on how to make an effective Facebook video campaign, I’m going to take a look at some of the best practices for developing…