Facebook is launching a new tool, called Creative Compass, aiming to help advertisers predict how well their ads will perform.
Creative Compass will assess your ads by examining key elements and scoring them on a scale from “low impact” to “high impact”.
Specifically, the tool will evaluate:
Noticeability
Brand association
Brand fit
Message comprehension
Believability
Information content
Emotional reward
Call to action
More than anything, Creative Compass is designed to help you understand how your ads will perform and how likely your target action is to take action after seeing one of your ads.
For now, the tool is being tested with just a small number of select partners, but Facebook says it aims to bring the tool to all marketing partners in 2019.
00Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2018-10-12 14:53:122018-10-12 14:53:12Facebook introduces “Creative Compass” to predict how your ads will perform
That may sound contradiction, but the new “Premieres” feature brings the best of Facebook’s live video and pre-recorded video features into one convenient package.
The biggest benefit of the premiering pre-recorded videos is that you can get the same boost to visibility received by “going live”, being placed in the top of feeds. Facebook will also deliver notifications alerting users to your video debut to those who have enabled them.
Additionally, “Premieres” will be included within the Facebook Watch tab, making it easier for them to be found by more users.
While these videos get all the benefits of live streaming, they are also eligible for a number of Facebook’s tools for pre-recorded videos such as monetization, interacting with your audience through chat, and branding.
When created, a premiere will be turned into a post notifying users about your upcoming launch. Then, at the scheduled time, the video will be played “live” until it is completed. Finally, after the Premiere has ended, the post will turn into a typical on-demand video post.
Currently, Facebook Premieres are only able to be uploaded and schedule on desktop computers and must be scheduled at least 10 minutes in advance. The furthest ahead of time they can be scheduled is one week in advance.
It should be noted that Facebook does have some limits on what videos are eligible for the Premieres feature.
The company says content must be entirely original and not available anywhere on Facebook or elsewhere online before the Premiere, though it is not entirely clear how they will ensure this.
Videos must also be at least 30 seconds long and no larger than 10 GB in size.
Google is some small changes to Google My Business Posts that could affect visibility.
Google Posts Go to the Bottom
A number of people have observed that Google Posts have been moved within knowledge panels, getting shifted down reviews and other business information.
Barry Schwartz gave an example of just how significantly the change demotes Posts within the knowledge panel on Search Engine Roundtable. The first picture shows his Google My Business listing in 2017, with a Google Post directly below the address information:
In the second screenshot, the latest Post is all the way at the bottom, only placed ahead of other search suggestions:
New Post Length Limits
Additionally, it appears Google My Business is changing how it limits the length of Google Posts.
In the past, Google required a minimum of 100 words per post with a maximum of 300 words per post.
Now, the company is changing to limit posts to 1,500 characters, rather than limiting the length based on words. There appears to be no minimum length for Posts.
NEW: GMB Posts now can have 1,500 characters in content length.
If anything, the change will make Posts shorter for most businesses, since 1,500 words roughly equate to 250 words. Given, this depends on the length of the specific words a person uses.
00Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2018-10-02 12:56:042018-10-02 12:56:04Google My Business changes Post length limits and placement
Shop the Look Pins aren’t exactly a new type of Pin but instead is a tool that allows businesses to tag products in photos to provide a seamless shopping experience.
The tool was previously exclusive to big brands who purchased advertising through third-party services like Pinterest Marketing Partners Olapic and Curalate. Now, however, all brands can add Shop the Look Pins through a self-serve tool.
Shop the Look Pins appear as simple white dots which can be moved to ensure they are always helping add information without blocking the product itself. When a user clicks one of the dots, it will expand to provide extra information such as pricing, availability, and a link to immediately purchase the product.
While the company didn’t release specific data about the effectiveness of Shop the Look Pins so far, it believes the new tool will help drive engagement and encourage conversions for businesses.
To help reinforce that point, the company said that of its 250 million monthly users, approximately two-thirds have engaged with new products from businesses. More than 90% say they use Pinterest to plan their future purchases, making them a prime audience for brands.
The company also noted that Pins have a significantly longer lifespan than most social media content which loses inertia after several days, if not hours. Pinterest claims that Pins can drive significant engagement for up to 120 days.
00Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2018-09-21 13:46:272018-09-21 13:46:27Pinterest opens ‘Shop the Look’ Pins to all businesses
Twitter is trying to bring back the good old days when you could explore your feed chronologically.
The social platform announced it has changed how the option to “Show the best Tweets first” function, removing the “In case you missed it” and recommended Tweets from people users aren’t following.
By stripping all this away, it leaves users with a pure, reverse-chronological feed from people they are following.
1/ We’re working on new ways to give you more control over your timeline. But first, some context: Twitter helps you see what’s happening by showing the best Tweets for you based on your interactions.https://t.co/H5nuhQy3r2
“We’ve learned that when showing the best Tweets first, people find Twitter more relevant and useful. However, we’ve heard feedback from people who at times prefer to see the most recent Tweets,” reads the company’s statement. “Our goal with the timeline is to balance showing you the most recent Tweets with the best Tweets you’re likely to care about, but we don’t always get this balance right.”
Since the release of the default algorithmic feed in early 2016, many users have been relying on workarounds to access their feed in a chronological way. Unfortunately for those users, Twitter has recently been limiting the amount of access available to third-party developers, restricting the possibility for plug-ins or automated tools for accessing a chronological timeline.
That led to the past few days when things reached something of a boiling point. A trick to get the algorithmic feed from user Emma Kinema went viral with more than 15,000 retweets and almost 40,000 likes.
Uh. Muting suggest_recycled_tweet_inline and suggest_activity_tweet actually has fixed my timeline. It's all chronological and there are barely any "x and y liked" tweets. pic.twitter.com/Dva6LPQyLF
While Twitter says it has been working on this update for some time, the tweet helped underscore the demand for a simple way to access a chronological feed without all the “curated” content that Twitter had been including.
The change to how the “Show best Tweets first” option works is a temporary solution according to the company, which maintains that many users still prefer the algorithmic feed. In the meantime, it is working on a more accessible way to easily switch back and forth between “Tweets that are most relevant for you and a timeline of the latest Tweets.”
The company says it will launch within a few weeks.
Twitter is following Facebook and Instagram’s lead by prioritizing live streams in users’ feeds. The social network announced it would begin bumping live streams to the top of users’ timelines while the streams are active.
This means anytime someone you are following begins streaming, you will be able to see it automatically at the top of your feed.
As Twitter said in the announcement:
“We’re making it easier to find and watch live broadcasts. Now, when accounts you follow go live, the stream will appear right at the top of your timeline.
Catch breaking news, your favorite personalities, and can’t-miss sports moments. Rolling out now on iOS and Android.”
The decision to prioritize live streams in people’s feeds isn’t exactly shocking. While streams can be rewatched after the original event is over, being able to interact with streamers during the video is a big driver of engagement for streams. Once the initial stream is over, engagement with the post typically dwindles significantly.
This is why Facebook and Instagram have similarly prioritized live streams on their platforms by sending notifications to users and highlighting active streams in the primary feed.
Although Twitter has yet to clarify, it seems likely the boost applies to both video live streams and the new audio-only streams rolled out for users last week.
00Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2018-09-17 12:26:242018-09-17 12:26:24Twitter gives a big boost to live streams
Not long ago, it seemed like every business website had a “Testimonials” page filled with reviews and references from either past-customers or fellow members of their industry. If you have a keen eye, though, you might have noticed these pages are slowly falling out of use in favor of posting your Google, Yelp, and other online reviews on your site.
The practice has led to some confusion, as many experts claimed putting your own online reviews from across the web on your site could be potentially dangerous for search engine optimization. There have even been suggestions it could lead to Google penalties.
Now, you can breathe easy and share your online reviews with pride, as Google webmaster trends analyst John Mueller has confirmed that it is totally fine to highlight your reviews on your company website – with one exception.
While posting your reviews on your website is acceptable, Mueller warns that you can not use review structured data on these reviews.
As Mueller explained on Twitter:
From a Google SEO point of view, I don't see a problem with that. I imagine the original is more likely to rank for that text, but if you use that to provide context, that's fine (it shouldn't be marked up with structured data though). Maybe an iframe/embed would work too?
“From a Google SEO point of view, I don’t see a problem with that. I imagine the original is more likely to rank for that text, but if you use that to provide context, that’s fine (it shouldn’t be marked up with structured data though).”
Mueller then went on to explain that review structured data is intended for reviews “directly produced by your site” and using them on third-party reviews on your own site would go against Google’s guidelines.
00Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2018-09-10 14:18:402018-09-10 14:18:40Google’s John Mueller says sharing online reviews on your site is O.K.
For responsive search ads: Provide as many headlines and descriptions as makes sense for your business. At least five headlines are recommended.
For responsive display ads: Provide up to 15 images and five logos, headlines, and descriptions per ad.
The tool will roll out in stages and will likely take until early next year to be fully available.
First, the ad strength indicator will begin appearing when constructing responsive search ads within the next few weeks. Then, in early September the tool will be given its own column in the Google Ads interface. Finally, the ad strength indicator will be brought to responsive display ads in “several months.”
Along with the announcement of the ad strength indicator, Google also rolled out a number of several updates to responsive search ads.
The biggest change is that advertisers can now preview ad combinations as you are building them, letting you see several possible combinations while you work. This can help shape your ads to ensure ads will always be relevant and readable.
Google is also providing more information about responsive search ads in search reports, including data for headlines, descriptions, and top combinations.
These changes to responsive search ads are already rolled out and available to all advertisers.
00Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2018-08-31 12:22:472018-08-31 12:22:47Google releases new ad strength indicator to predict how your ads will perform
Google is releasing a new label for Google My Business listings highlighting when a business is owned or led by a veteran.
Sean O’Keefe, data scientist at Google and a former Staff Sergeant in the US Army announced the new attribute this week while also highlighting the millions of American businesses that are owned by veterans.
“More than 2.5 million businesses in the U.S. are majority-owned by veterans, and one way that I stay connected to the veteran community is by supporting those veteran-owned businesses. It’s something I can do all throughout my day, whether I’m grabbing a coffee or recommending a local restaurant to a friend.”
The tag is easily enabled and will highlight veteran-owned businesses in both Google Search listings and map results.
The label is similar in appearance and function to other attributes like “Has Wifi” or “Outdoor Seating.”
Currently, there is no verification process. All a veteran business owner has to do is follow a couple steps to enable the “Veteran-led” attribute for their own listing:
Sign into your Google My Business account
Select the location you are managing
Select “Info” from the menu
Find the “Attributes” section and select the Pencil icon
Search or select the “Veteran-led” attribute
Select “Apply”.
The new attribute is just one of many steps Google is taking to provide support for veterans, including curating search results for veterans looking for jobs and encouraging IT training. You can find out more about the initiative here.
00Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2018-08-28 12:28:552018-08-28 12:28:55Google Introduces New “Veteran-Led” Label For Google My Business Listings
Google is testing making Posts from Google My Business listings more prominent in search engines, with a unique tab that can appear directly within local search results.
The tab will appear when you either search for a specific business or keyword that includes businesses that have created Google Posts.
As many smaller businesses with Google My Business have yet to take advantage of Google Posts, the new tab gives those who are sharing Posts a spotlight to shine with engaging content and high-quality images.
Likewise, I expect Google is hoping for the inclusion of Posts within the search results will boost the number of listings who are creating and sharing posts through GMB.
The feature is obviously in early testing as some have noticed changes to how the Posts can appear within the tab.
While Matt Southern from Search Engine Journal was able to view two separate carousels (one horizontal and one vertical) of images when viewing the Post tab, others (including myself) are only being shown a single vertical feed of Posts.
The tab is also currently limited to mobile searches and does not show up on desktop versions of Google.
00Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2018-08-21 14:01:182018-08-21 14:01:18Google tests new tab in search results for Google Posts
