Tag Archive for: social media advertising

X is Joining The Google Ads Display Network

, ,

X (previously known as Twitter) is partnering with Google Ads in an attempt to make up for the declining ad revenue seen by the company since its takeover by Elon Musk. 

In the near future, X will be included as part of the Google Display Network, making it possible for many of the ads run by Google Ads to appear on the social network.

Why Is X Partnering With Google?

Since the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk last year, the company has seen an estimated 59% drop in ad revenue from the US. While numbers are not available globally, most analysts agree that this has dramatically hurt the social network’s profits 

Much of this reduction in ad revenue was sparked by Musk’s decisions to reduce moderation on the platform and to unban controversial accounts. Since then, advertisers have seen their ads appearing alongside increasingly objectionable content including hate speech, slurs, and nazi imagery. As you might expect, this has led many advertisers to completely stop advertising on the platform.

Can You Opt Out?

For brands concerned about potentially having ads shown alongside hateful or controversial media, it is important to know that you can choose to not have your ads shown on X or any other website. As a Google spokesperson told Ad Age:

“This is an opportunity for our advertisers to reach a broader audience, but as always they can choose what sites and apps their ads run on. Any publisher who participates in this type of partnership must abide by our publisher policies.”

/0 Comments

New Instagram Test Asks “Are Four Ads At Once Better Than a Single Ad?”

,

Instagram is testing a new ad format that combines four ads from competing businesses into a single ad unit. 

In other words, users will be seeing four ads from different sources on a single screen to encourage users to consider a wider number of businesses and to encourage brands to deliver the best ad messages to entice customers. 

The latest multi-ad format is a new take on Instagram’s Multi-Advertiser ads, which grouped related sponsored posts together and showsed them to people who have recently expressed interest in related products or services. 

If you want to see the new ad format for yourself before you consider trying it out, you’re most likely to see them between Instagram Reels, the company’s take on short, TikTok-esque videos. 

Why Multiple Ads At Once?

Obviously, many brands and advertisers have expressed skepticism and outright cynicism about this ad format, suggesting it is an attempt to boost ad impressions without delivering increased value to advertisers. 

Of particular concern is the idea that the first ad in any of these multi-ad sets is likely to receive the majority of clicks, while ads in other positions are costing brands the same amount without leading to clicks. The fact that the ads appear following another piece of content, when users are likely to be unengaged with the app is another concern. 

Despite this, Instagram is already promoting the new ad format test in an announcement in the platform’s Help Center. In the announcement, the company said:

“Multi-advertiser ads help people discover and compare products from multiple businesses. This ad unit, available for selected placements on Facebook and Instagram, gives advertisers the opportunity to be discovered by people who have recently shown and interest in related products or businesses.”

As a test, this ad format is rolling out gradually and may not be available to all advertisers. If you want to ensure your ads do not appear in this type of format, you can opt out in the Settings menu.

/0 Comments

Twitter’s US Ad Revenue Plummets 59% From Last Year

,

A recent internal presentation obtained by The New York Times suggests that advertisers continue to flee Twitter despite controversial owner Elon Musk passing the CEO position to Linda Yaccarino. 

Although Musk has publicly claimed that “almost all advertisers have returned,” The Times’ data indicates that advertising revenue has declined 59% year on year.

The report also notes that the company has repeatedly failed to meet weekly sales goals by up to 30%, suggesting that efforts to slow the loss of advertisers and bring brands back to the platform have been ineffective. 

Why Are Advertisers Leaving Twitter?

Since taking over the platform, Elon Musk has reduced content moderation and removed restrictions protecting vulnerable communities such as LGBTQ+ individuals from hate speech. 

This has led to a surge of hate speech, extremist content, and explicit content across the platform which has in turn made advertisers wary. Many are uncomfortable with the potential for their ads to be shown alongside objectionable content.

Additionally, the advertisers which have been brought in during Musk’s time have overwhelmingly included adult-oriented advertisers such as online gambling and marijuana brands. 

The fallout has led many major brands, including General Motors and Volkswagen, to fully suspend advertising on Twitter. 

Making matters worse for the company, those who are continuing to advertise on the platform are cutting spending and avoiding the more expensive advertising options. Insiders at the company have stated that high-value placements like banner ads on Twitter’s trends page are often going unsold while major advertisers, including Apple and Disney, have significantly reduced their advertising compared to past years.

Is Twitter Doomed?

Twitter is losing up to 56% of its ad revenue each week compared to the previous year. The biggest question is whether new CEO Linda Yaccarino can turn this trend around. 

While Yaccarino is less controversial than Musk, advertisers may still be concerned that Musk owns and is still involved with the inner workings of Twitter. Additionally, it is unclear whether Yaccarino intends to increase moderation or will continue Musk’s laissez-faire trend which has contributed to the toxi

/0 Comments

Microsoft Advertising Cuts Twitter Access To Major Ad Tools

, ,

Microsoft Advertising has begun alerting users that it is cutting support for Twitter across its platform starting April 25, 2023.

This means you will no longer be able to include Multiplatform Smart Campaigns or manage your Twitter account through the Digital Marketing Center (DMC). That includes being unable to schedule, create, or manage tweets and tweet drafts will be removed from the platform on that day.

Additionally, advertisers will be unable to view or track past tweets’ performance and engagement on the platform.

Why This Matters

This is notable for a few reasons. 

DMC is one of the leading tools used to manage multiple social media accounts from one location, including the crucial ability to respond to DMs from all major social networks without signing into multiple accounts and pages. 

This is because the tool is offered for free to all advertisers on Microsoft Ads and is integrated with Microsoft’s other social and paid ad tools for businesses. Once removed, this will create a significant hurdle for many advertisers wanting to manage social ads and engagement efficiently. 

This is also a major loss for Twitter, which has struggled to bring back advertisers since the takeover by Elon Musk. Estimates indicate that up to half of Twitter’s biggest advertisers have left since his purchase of the company.

Just this week, Musk has been making appearances at major marketing and advertising conferences in a bid to attract brands back to Twitter, but the loss of access through major social ad tools will only make Twitter a harder sell to the brands which have already left.

Meanwhile, Microsoft generated over $12 billion dollars in revenue for digital ads last year and is poised to make even bigger gains this year.

/0 Comments

New LinkedIn Ads Study Finds What Makes The Most Effective Ads

,

If you’ve ever wanted to know the secret to get the best response on LinkedIn Ads, Vidmob’s recently released report on global advertising trends on the platform may be exactly what you’re looking for. 

The report breaks down every element of LinkedIn ads to show which visual elements, text, and creative strategies performed the best on the platform for driving B2B engagement. 

The findings come from over 800 million ad impressions tracked by brands paying for video ad campaigns on LinkedIn within North America and the EMEA region (Africa, Europe, and the Middle East). 

What Elements are Most Effective?

The report says video ads containing the following elements performed better than those that did not:

  • Videos that display messaging in the first quarter of the video saw a 149% boost in views through the first 25% of the ad.
  • Ads that are 7-15 seconds long received a 54% lift in engagement rates.
  • Videos with high text contrast saw a 102% lift in views through the first 25%.
  • Videos featuring a person within the first quarter received a 175% increase to views through the opening 25%
  • Ads that include the phrase “Get a Quote” received 33% higher click-through rates.
  • When ads show a brand logo within the first 2 seconds, they see a 17% increase to click-through rates.

Key Takeaways

From all the data and findings, Vidmob has made 5 key points advertisers should be aware of:

Video: “While short and sweet is the usual go-to for video length, for awareness plays in the tech industry, audiences are engaged with mid-length content too.”

Color: “Don’t shy away from bright hues in upper funnel assets.”

Terminology: “Make use of Tech industry jargon and relevant imagery in creative assets, such as ‘Data,’ ‘Leader,’ ‘Expert,’ and ‘Demand.’”

Functional Benefits: “Focus on functional benefits and how the products or solutions can add efficiencies for the audience.”

Branding: “Make sure some reference to the brand appears upfront in the first 3 sec of the creative.”

For more interesting findings about the best elements to use at each stage of the customer awareness journey, download the full report from Vidmob here.

/0 Comments

TikTok Adds 500,000 Licensed Songs Brands Can Use In Ads and Content

, ,

TikTok is making it easier for brands of any size to use licensed music on the platform with its new Sounds for Businesses service. 

With this, small businesses will be much more able to afford popular songs in their ads, videos, and other organic content through the TikTok Audio Library. 

Why Licensed Music Is Important For Marketing

For brands trying to rise above the noise on social media, using licensed songs is a crucial part of getting users’ attention.

Even more, TikTok says its research shows 68% of users find remembering a brand’s message easier when it is paired with a popular song they like. Of those, 62% said they would take time to learn more about a brand if they enjoy the song. This is because users feel like a brand may have similar tastes to theirs if they choose music they like as well. 

Unfortunately, licensing music is not easy – especially for smaller brands. It is not always clear who to contact to license a piece of music and costs can quickly stack up. 

Trying to slip a popular song into your marketing materials without paying isn’t likely to work either. TikTok (and all other social networks) use automated tools to identify music that may be infringing on a copyright claim. When this happens, the app removes your audio entirely – potentially ruining your message in the process. 

With this new library of licensed music, brands can now avoid this entire complicated and expensive process by choosing from over 500,000 licensed tunes and sounds. 

How To Use TikTok Sounds for Businesses 

TikTok’s Sounds for Businesses library is available to brands creating content and ads on both desktop and mobile.

On desktop, the Audio Library is within the Creative Center. Here, you can filter audio by theme, genre, mood, and length to find the perfect match. 

For mobile users, licensed songs can be added when creating a new post by tapping “Add Sounds” and filtering the results to licensed music. 

Sounds for Businesses is rolling out now. For more, read TikTok’s announcement here.

/0 Comments

TikTok Adds New Targeting and Boosting Options For Promoted Content

,

TikTok is expanding the ways brands can turn their TikTok content into ads with new targeting and boosting features for promoting posts.

Promoting content is a way for those unable to use TikTok’s more complex advertising options to improve their reach, boost awareness of their profiles, and drive new leads – similar to the limited “Promote” features on YouTube and Facebook.

Below, we’ll get into the details of the new targeting and boosting options available on TikTok and how they may help your business:

New Options For Promoted TikTok Posts

More Profile Views

As the name suggests, this option helps drive traffic directly to TikTok profiles through a unique call to action on your brand’s story or highlighted product post.

Promote For Others

The idea of buying ads to promote someone else may seem weird but can be very useful for those who share content collaborations, those who partner with influencers, or partner brands. Additionally, this option allows the promotion of a specific creator’s videos or LIVE content.

Location Targeting

If you’re a local business that only services a particular area, location targeting can allow you to restrict your ad reach to exclusively target those in that service area. 

More Messages

The new “more messages” advertising option is a powerful tool for those who typically rely on their sales team to drive sales from leads. With this option, you’ll drive users directly to messaging your TikTok account where your experienced sales team can take over and close the deal.

Brands are likely feeling conflicted about TikTok ever since it was revealed that the company regularly uses internal tools to bypass its ranking algorithm and promote content or profiles across the platform. With these new options for promoting posts, you can take the power back into your hands to ensure your posts are being seen by the users who matter most to you.

/0 Comments

Since Elon Musk’s Takeover, Twitter Has Lost 40% of Its Daily Revenue

,

Since the much-publicized takeover by Elon Musk, Twitter has seen its daily revenue plummet by up to 40%. While Musk has been widely criticized for his behavior as CEO and management of the company in recent months, this info, reported by The Information, indicates things are also falling apart behind the scenes. 

Much of the lost revenue is attributed to recent news that more than 500 of Twitter’s top advertisers cut or entirely stopped advertising on the platform since Elon Musk’s takeover. 

Why Are Advertisers Pulling Away From Twitter?

The main issue raised by most major advertisers is Musk’s approach to content moderation. Musk has claimed to be a proponent of free speech online, indicating that content moderation should be handled with a light hand – if at all. 

As such, Musk has reinstated many previously banned accounts – including those of avowed white supremacists – and dismissed most of the staff responsible for content moderation on the platform. 

Understandably, this has made many large advertisers wary of how safe the platform is for their advertising. 

At the same time, Musk has also terminated much of Twitter’s sales teams, including those in charge of accounts with the company’s biggest advertisers. Similarly, engineers and data scientists who were working to improve the advertising service on Twitter have been dismissed. 

What This Means For Twitter’s Future

Unless Musk finds a way to reverse course and satisfy previous advertisers’ concerns, this could bode poorly for the company’s future. Users have already expressed frustration with having new features locked behind a paywall as part of Twitter Blue, indicating the premium service will not be able to make up for lost ad revenue. Meanwhile, Musk’s slashing of staff will make it difficult for the company to engineer new tools or services that generate revenue. 

With all this in mind, advertisers have every right to approach the platform with caution.

/0 Comments

Ecommerce Brands Increased Ad Spend On TikTok 60% In Q2

, , ,

TikTok continues to gain more interest from brands – especially ecommerce brands – as it proves that the social app is here to stay. New data collected from over 5,000 stores shows that ecommerce brands spent 60% more to advertise on TikTok in Q2 of 2022. Even more, analysts believe the trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

This information comes from Triple Whale ecommerce analytics, which gathered the data from all the stores using their tools to estimate the overall growth of ecommerce ad spend on the increasingly popular social video app.

“It’s time to get on TikTok while the needle’s still moving in the upward direction, or before users are completely inundated with ads from new brands,” advises Triple Whale. TikTok “is no longer a channel serious paid media buyers can avoid without cutting into revenue and profit.”

Other Findings About Ecommerce Q2 TikTok Ad Spend

Notably, the most significant increases don’t come from major brands. Smaller retailers with annual sales between $1 million and-$5 million are instead leading the charge.

Along with these findings, the report also included a few other interesting facts:

  • Overall ad spend across the 5,000 online retailers rose by 11% in Q2 to a total of $529.7 million
  • Retailers with revenues between $1 million and $5 million are contributing to the biggest increases in ad spend
  • In the first two quarters of this year, retailers spent a total of $48.4 million on TikTok ads – which was a 231% increase over the previous 6 months
  • CPMs vary by industry. Baby, books and collectibles niches have a CPM below $10, while health & beauty & digital products are over $14 CPM
  • Stores with over $25 million in sales have the highest average order values and ROI

How TikTok Compares To The Competition

While TikTok is showing impressive growth in popularity among online retailers, it still trails Facebook and Google by a significant amount. Specifically:

  • Despite only growing 5.6% from Q1, Facebook remains the leading ecommerce choice for advertisers by a wide margin
  • Google grew 20.5% in Q2
  • Snap declined 10.8% in Q2

If you’ve been writing off TikTok as just another social network that will be here today and gone tomorrow, it is likely time to reconsider. The platform seems to be cementing its place among users and winning over brands through increased ad revenue.

/1 Comment

TikTok is Testing Video Ads In Search Results

, , ,

Video ads are coming to TikTok’s search results if a recently spotted test is to be believed.

David Herrmann, president of Hermann Digital, pointed out the ads earlier this week in a tweet that shows a clip with a small “Sponsored” label at the top of TikTok search results.

Based on the location in the ad – above the “Others searched for” section, it seems safe to assume the ads will typically appear within the first few search results shown. 

Unfortunately, information about this ad test is extremely limited. According to Herrmann, the ads currently can’t be targeted by keyword, though he implies the ability to do so is coming soon. 

Instead, the best way to ensure your videos get shown as relevant ads in the current iteration is to create video “how-to’s” aimed at solving specific problems. 

“Make your ads solve problems, don’t just sell. Drive them to advertorial pages,” Hermann tweeted. “This is Pinterest 2.0, but better cause people buy.”

Another detail that is unclear is how brands might get access to this ad experiment. With no official word about the ads from TikTok, the assumption is that you must be a brand with an established presence on the app and have a managed advertising account.

Once running these ads, brands will receive a list of search terms driving clicks on their video ads, helping them generate more focused and better-targeted content and ads in the future.

The ads are obviously in an early form and will likely be expanded before they are widely accessible to brands on the platform. At the same time, they show how TikTok is working to provide new ways to monetize your presence on the app and reach new audiences with high purchasing intent. 

Given that TikTok’s users already seem uniquely primed to buy products they discover through the app, this looks to potentially be a major upcoming advertising opportunity for many brands.

/0 Comments