Google phasing out third-party cookie support, Facebook under fire for political ad refusals, Instagram testing web DMs, Grindr reported for GDPR breach, YouTube "should demonetize climate denier videos"

We're a bit late with our usual Friday news roundup, but the stories we've covered are no less important. First up is the news that Google will be phasing out support for third-party cookies over the next two years - a huge move that will drastically affect the digital marketing industry. Facebook is continuing to come under fire for its refusal to stop allowing micro-targeting when it comes to political ads, with IPA saying that digital advertising has been "weaponized" for political reasons. [si_blog_banner_cta] In some good news, Instagram is testing DMs for its web-based app, meaning its messenger service could be a lot more accessible in the future. Grindr and Twitter have had some issues due to potential GDPR breaches, which were uncovered in an official report. Finally,…

It’s not always easy to tell at a glance which social media platform will offer the most opportunities for your brand

The past decade’s explosion in social media marketing has made it more important than ever to know how to effectively deploy a limited paid social budget. With so many social media platforms around, many small- and medium-sized businesses are focusing on cultivating a strong presence on one platform. It’s a good way for a business to avoid spreading its social budget too thin - but it does require choosing the right platform. The truth is that it’s not always easy to tell at a glance which social media platform will offer the most opportunities for your brand. It takes some research, vision, data-crunching and possibly a little soul searching about what your business is here to accomplish. If that sounds like a tall order, don’t worry. We’ll help you break it…

Messenger now requires Facebook account, US military bans TikTok, YouTube adds new copyright feature, Facebook and Twitter announce latest account removals

Welcome to our first news roundup of 2020! Unsurprisingly, things were fairly quiet over the festive and New Year period, but there are still a few interesting updates we believe its worth knowing about. To start with, Facebook has now removed the ability to sign up for a Messenger account without an associated Facebook account. [si_blog_banner_cta] The end of December saw the US military follow in the US navy's footsteps and ban personnel from adding TikTok to government-issued devices due to data security concerns. YouTube is making it easier for creators to deal with any content that becomes subject to copyright claims with the launch of a new feature. Finally, Facebook and Twitter have announced the latest work undertaken to remove accounts that have been found to be involved in political manipulation on the platforms. Get…

Storytelling helps form connections and captivate your audience, making them an effective part of your social media strategy

Who doesn’t love a good story? Whether it’s as toddlers, captivated by Maurice Sendak’s Wild Things book, or as adults watching our favorite movie, we love to get to know the characters, see how the story plays out and maybe experience an unexpected 'plot twist.' If you love stories so much in your personal life, why not craft and share some in your digital marketing work? Doing so will not only turn more of your passive visitors into engaged followers - and eventually paying customers - but your team will have some fun in the process. [si_blog_banner_cta] This post shares how best to do this via your social media channels. But first I’ll explain what a story is, which types of stories to tell at each stage in your buyer’s journey and how to measure the…

87% of UK public wants stricter political ad regulations, Facebook bug removes political ads ahead of UK election, media prices are on the rise, Twitter announces new team to explore decentralized social media networks and YouTube updates its harassment policy

New research has revealed that the majority of the British public wants stricter rules around political advertising. Facebook's political ad transparency tools saw a failure a few days before the UK general election, removing a large number of political ads. Falling audiences are seeing media prices increases as more brands go digital. Twitter has announced that it is exploring a decentralized social media network model with the creation of a new independent team. YouTube has updated its harassment policy, introducing stricter rules and harsher punishments in a bid to make the platform a safer place. We've looked at all the details in our news roundup.

UK public wants stricter rules on political advertising

Following weeks of political…

Instagram introduces age check, creative professionals more productive 'on-the-go', Facebook suing over malicious ads, YouTube updates on borderline content efforts, Facebook announces new anti-discrimination ad measures

This week has seen Instagram change its policy to bring it in-line with Facebook. The platform will now request the date of birth of those signing up, in a bid to limit younger users from accessing inappropriate content. New research from Vodafone has revealed that the office is not the place for creative individuals, with many saying they are more productive when working flexibly. Facebook is making sure that those who break its rules face real-world consequences, starting with a company and two individuals who are accused of creating malicious adverts on the platform. [si_blog_banner_cta] YouTube has provided an update on its efforts to reduce the spread of misinformation and borderline content, just in time for the 2020 US election campaigns to heat up. Finally, Facebook has introduced two new…

Twitter VP reveals new features for 2020, Pinterest posts positive Q3 results, Facebook reveals Groups data breach, YouTube launches new desktop look

This week's marketing news mostly revolves around social media platform updates. To start with, Twitter's VP of Design and Research has revealed five new features that could be added to the platform in the new year. Pinterest has posted its Q3 results, which show massive growth in active users and revenue, showing that the platform is going from strength to strength. Facebook reveals an issue with data from its Groups, which is likely to lower trust in the platform even more. Finally, YouTube is launching a new look for its homepage for desktop and tablet users, which should improve usability. We've explored all of these stories in detail with this week's roundup.

Twitter VP announces new features for 2020

Usually, we don’t get a…

Google highlights competition over digital ad monopoly claims, YouTube removes paid ad views from Music Chart counts, Client-side marketing and media professionals have declining trust in agencies, Facebook launching oversite board, Instagram cosmetic surgery post restrictions

Google has sought to fight off claims that it is dominating the digital advertising industry by pointing to other companies in a bid to prove competition, but is this entirely accurate? YouTube is removing paid ad views from Music Chart videos to focus on organic views only and provide a more honest reflection of artists' popularity. New research has found that trust in agencies is declining among client-side media and marketing professionals with the increasingly complex media landscape likely being a contributing factor. Facebook is set to launch an oversight board in 2020, which will review and potentially overrule the platform's decisions on content. Finally, Instagram is continuing its work toward reducing the negative impacts that social media can…

UK desktop ad viewability improvements, Google's first-price auction rollout, Facebook's political ad policies changes, YouTube's inappropriate content removal update

This week has brought with it the news that the UK is seeing great rates of desktop ad viewability, with viewability reaching a record high in the second quarter of the year - great news for digital advertisers! In other advertising news, after months of testing, Google is set to start rolling out its new first-price auction rollout, which has reportedly had good results so far. Facebook is also making changes to ad policies, this time relating to political ads and those that tackle social issues. These changes are aimed to provide greater visibility over political advertising ahead of the 2020 US elections. Our final big news story is the week is that YouTube has provided an update on its efforts to remove inappropriate content from the platform, with thousands of hate speech videos being…

Video content is quickly becoming king in the world of content marketing.

These days, it is pretty much impossible to get through a day without seeing a video. They are taking over the world. From billboards to Facebook to YouTube and even brand websites, videos are fast becoming the most important method of communication. You know those boring emails we get all the time from brands? Well now sending videos to introduce your brand or tell a story is considered email marketing best practice. Believe it or not, your audience is much more likely to watch a short video clip than read through a long body of text these days. Video content is quickly becoming king in the world of content marketing. In fact, YouTube is the second most visited website in the world with more than one billion unique monthly visitors every month. Not only that, but Youtube is also…