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Friday, June 11, 2021

Digital Marketing Industry Updates – June

Instagram Updates: Hide or Show Likes, plus New Reels & Live Video Metrics!

Instagram has recently announced the introduction of several new native data metrics being added to their Reels and Live Video analytics. Reels will now provide data on plays, accounts reached, likes, comments, saves, and shares. On the other hand, Live Video will start reporting on accounts reached, peak concurrent viewers, comments, and shares. These new metrics are available only to Business and Creator accounts. To view them, simply visit your account’s “Insights” on the Instagram app and there you’ll be able to view up to 30 days of analytics. The addition of these new metrics, however, is sure to provide creators with more insights and knowledge regarding the performance of their content, helping them make more informed marketing decisions.

Additionally, Instagram has also started giving its users a choice between hiding or showing the number of likes on their feeds. Since removing the like counts back in 2019 in order to create a safer space for its users, creators and influencers have had struggles and challenges measuring and tracking both emerging trends and engagements rates. With the new opt-in feature, every user is now free to make their own decision. To opt in to hide your likes, simply visit your account’s privacy settings. You can still view your like counts through your analytics account.

 

New Local Campaign Google Ad Formats Launched

Late last May, Google launched a number of new ad formats to specifically help local businesses target nearby customers. The first of these new ad formats is the Auto-Suggest Ad, which appears when a user is located close to a product or service related to their search, based on Google Maps. The second new ad format is the Navigational Ad. These ads are displayed as a user is using Google Maps driving directions and they come across nearby businesses during their trip. The third is the Similar Place ads, which appear when a user searches for a specific business that is currently closed, serving the advertiser’s related ad instead. What this means for local businesses, is that Google is now giving you more opportunities to target local consumers, all while still providing a top-notch user experience.

 

Broad Match Keywords Phased Out

Are you currently running Search campaigns? If so, make sure to check with your Account Manager whether this major change in the keyword match type space will affect your current campaigns, as this 2021 the Broad Match modifier keyword match type is being phased out. The move saw Phrase Match expand to include the additional Broach Match traffic in a bid to increase effectiveness quoting that “…You reach more of the right customers through a combination of the two”.

 

Auto-Applied AI-Driven Recommendations

Automated optimisations have been a growing trend in recent years, and even this 2021 as Google Ad’s recommend optimisations feature moved from ‘suggested’ to auto-applied. The 35 editable options are still opt-out, however, and feedback on the change has been mixed, particularly for certain industries where the recommendations don’t always account for the nuances to their campaigns. This is also the case with higher budget recommendations. If you’re interested in learning more about his this change can impact your campaigns, schedule a time to chat with your Account Manager.