July was a very exciting month both for the digital marketing industry and for us here at SocialB. Below you can read about the various updates from our favourite industry leaders like Google, LinkedIn, Instagram and more, as well as our new creative services.
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3 New Creation Tools Launched for Google Ads
Google has announced the introduction of new features to Google Ads which enable advertisers to create and collaborate within the ads platform itself. The new tools are aimed at facilitating better collaboration with team members.
Asset Storage and Organisation
Google has added a new Asset Library to make access to assets easier for team members. The visual database allows colleagues to upload, download and share assets from current and past ad campaigns. The Asset Library is currently available for Performance Max, Discovery, App, Local and Display campaigns along with some extensions.
Video Ads for YouTube
The recently launched Ads Creative Studio allows advertisers to customise Video and Display ads. The latest feature to this platform provides creators with templates that are specifically designed for YouTube to help drive results, enabling advertisers to create video ads for YouTube more quickly.
Voice-over Audio
Google has determined that videos with voice-over audio result in better performance. In light of this, Google has released a new voice-over audio feature within the video creation tool. Accessible through the Asset Library, the feature uses Google’s speech-to-text technology with seven different voices and multiple languages.
SocialB Launches New Creative Services
Complementing the broad range of digital marketing and training services already on offer, SocialB have recently launched a range of new creative services aimed at businesses from small one-person operations to multi-site companies.
If your business is looking for a branding refresh, one of our new creative services could be perfect for you. Creative services available now include logo design, branding guidelines creation and two all-in-one design packages (which include logos, brand kits, printed asset design and a social media setup/refresh).
In the coming months, look out for additional business branding services, such as business card and flyer design, illustrations, digital portraits and video/podcast editing services.
To find out more about these exciting new services, visit our creative services page.
LinkedIn Business Manager Enters Public Beta
First announced in June, the beta of LinkedIn’s Business Manager launched to the public on 20th June. LinkedIn Business Manager provides a single place for organisations to manage all their pages, ad accounts and audiences for a simplified marketing experience.
Organisations that need to manage a number of people and businesses now have a single place where they can securely give and remove access with a click.
LinkedIn recommends that any businesses that manage multiple accounts and pages, have large marketing teams or who work with other businesses on LinkedIn will benefit from their new Business Manager.
To find out more about LinkedIn Business Manager, visit LinkedIn’s best practices page or to sign up, visit LinkedIn’s Business Manager page.
Facebook Splitting Ad Revenue Between Content Creators and Music Rights Holders
Using copyrighted music in Facebook video has traditionally meant that content creators ran the risk of having their posts taken down. However, now creators who use songs from Facebook’s library of licenced tracks will be able to earn 20% of any in-stream ad revenue generated by those videos. The remaining 80% is split between the music rights holder and Meta.
Meta have said that the aim of this is to give “both creators and music rights holders a new way to earn money from videos on Facebook.”
It is worth noting that this doesn’t apply to every song, so creators looking to earn revenue from their content’s soundtrack should first make sure that the track is currently in Facebook’s Licenced Music Library.
YouTube Announces Shopify Integration
YouTube have announced a new partnership with Shopify which will allow Shopify merchants to connect their store to their YouTube channel and benefit from real-time inventory syncing between the two channels.
Merchants can browse Shopify’s add-on tools for the Google Channel app which allows users to activate YouTube Shopping and connect their YouTube account. There are three ways that merchants will then be able to display their products on YouTube:
- Livestreams – Store owners will be able to tag and pin products at key points in a livestream and picture-in-picture will mean that shoppers can continue to watch the stream while they check out.
- Videos – Merchants will be able to display a curated list of products on a shelf below their on-demand videos
- Store Tab – A new tab will be added to the Store’s YouTube channel which displays their entire product range
To qualify for these options, a merchant will need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and there are also appropriate content requirements, but for Shopify merchants who meet YouTube’s requirements this could be an excellent way of increasing exposure for their products.
Google Analytics 4 Now Reports On Performance Max & Smart Shopping
Reports for GA4 properties have a new section of data for Performance Max and Smart Shopping campaigns. Data from both campaign types will be categorised under a new channel group called “cross-network”, making it easy to determine how much traffic you’re getting from Google Ads’ newest campaign types.
This means advertisers using GA4 properties to monitor your website can now see exactly how much traffic is attributed to Performance Max and Smart Shopping Campaigns separately.
Instagram Adds New ‘Boost’ Promotion Option for Reels Clips
Reels is the fastest-growing video content format on Instagram. Given to its growing popularity, users will now be able to boost their reels to turn them into ads. This update will help advertisers grow the reach of their video content and engage with a wider set of audiences. You can boost your Reels by finding the Reel in your grid in your profile and clicking ‘Boost Post’.
LinkedIn Is Testing Carousel Posting Option
The much-awaited update is going to be a reality soon! LinkedIn has announced to launch a ‘Carousel’ post option soon. As of now, LinkedIn users have been posting makeshift carousel posts, using its PDF attachment option to create individual frames.
LinkedIn has confirmed that it’s currently testing the new functionality, which it hopes will ‘empower creators to share knowledge’ in a more visual way.
New Advertising Platform on Deliveroo
Deliveroo is introducing advertising space across its platforms which “will enable restaurant and grocery partners to tell their story emotionally and effectively whilst ensuring Deliveroo customers continue to receive a food-first experience,” as described by their COO, Eric French. Businesses will be able to advertise across the Deliveroo app, website, social media, and push notifications. This comes after multiple supermarkets have launched independent media platforms and Goldman Sachs has predicted that the UK food and drink industry will reach £2bn in media market value by 2024.
Twitter Introduces Hashtag UX on Community Pages
Twitter has begun listing the most discussed and relevant topics at the top of its community pages to help users find the conversations that they are most interested in. Twitter hopes that this will drive engagement and user experience by directing people to the specific discussion threads that they are most keen to interact with.
