October 2018

LAST UPDATE:

October 10, 2017

TOPIC:

Industry Insights

ROLE:

Marketing Professionals

Where PPC Stands

It’s that time of year again with PPC Hero launching their findings of the current state of PPC. One stat, for example, is that 79% of brands say that PPC is a huge driver for their business. You can download all the findings here and it makes for interesting reading.

5 AdWords Scripts for Smarter Bidding

Google has built-in tools to help with bid management, but to really excel, it’s helpful to use some additional tools to enhance your flexibility. Check this list of tools from WordStream, that you can download and start using now.


Google’s Algorithm Update

The tech giant has confirmed that a minor algorithm update took place last week. Google’s Danny Sullivan says it was regarded as small but not in the category of major updates which he says will continue to be shared on @searchliaison. However, it’s reported that it was still big enough to be noticed by SEO and site owners who noticed changes in their website traffic.

Top SEO Reporting Tools

From integration, automation and scalability to features and reports, there is a myriad of contributing factors which help assess the quality of an SEO reporting tool. This comparison carried out by Brock Murray for Search Engine Journal shows those which are leading the way over others.

and left to the gather digital dust

Google Images and Image Rights Metadata

Being unable to access rights-related image metadata in Google Images is now a thing of the past. According to the company, where it exists, they have added Creator and Credit metadata. You can view the details under image credits and they intend to bring in Copyright Notice metadata soon. They also say they “hope to create better usage guidance for photographers, photo agencies and publishers to include copyright and attribution information in image metadata.” You can check out what the changes look like here.


Facebook’s Big Security Threat

Last week saw the accounts of up to 50 million Facebook users under threat after what the social networking giant described as attackers exploiting a vulnerability in Facebook’s code. It appears this was in the ‘View As’ section and led to the attackers being able to take over people’s accounts. You can read the full story as well as the ofical statement from Facebook’s VP of Product Management Gary Rosen here.

Head Honchos Leave Instagram

It was big news in the house of Instagram last week with the co-founders announcing their departure. The statement from Chief Executive Kevin Systrom on behalf of himself and Instagram’s Technical Officer Mike Krieger cite the reasons for leaving after spending eight years with the company and six with Facebook as it’s time to “to explore our curiosity and creativity again.” You can read the full short statement here.

Shopping Through Snapchat with Amazon

Snapchat recently announced they have a new feature in the pipeline that will make it easier to shop. All users will have to do is point the camera on the multimedia messaging app at the barcode of the product or the physical product they wish to buy and once recognised, up pops an Amazon card and a link to the product or similar to it to purchase.

Key Dates in October for Social Media Marketers

From World Mental Health Day to World Animation Day, Twitter has once again compiled some important dates to mark in the social media marketing calendar to help you up your strategy game and ensure you don’t miss out on a trending opportunity this month.



Selecting the Best Image for Social Media

We all know we are living in an age where it’s all about the visual but that doesn’t mean that just anything will do. That being said, we aren’t all visual artists either. That’s where the research comes in. Have a look at this handy guide on how to pick the right image for your post.

The Importance of a Lead Magnet

Creating a customer email list is one thing, having an effective one is another. That’s the sentiment of Marcus Ho who writes for SEJ about the importance of a lead magnet and how to use it when it comes to marketing. This looks at how to take the information you already have and make it into something more profitable.

Advanced Content Promotion

They say content is king but what good is excellent content if its promotion is poor and left to gather digital dust in the online world. Not only that, the usual way of doing things can become old news overnight when it comes to the rate of change with online trends. Sujan Patel from Content Marketing Institute looked at advanced methods that can be used when it comes to promoting your content.


Social Video Ad Spending Set to Soar

eMarketer has carried out research with a new methodology to include forecasting in spending for US social video ads. According to the company, its expected that “US social network video ad revenues will reach $11.69 billion in 2020, more than doubling the 2017 total of $5.68 billion.” You can access the entire report here.

The Rise of the Visual Search

It’s all about being ahead of the game. Visual search is not comparable volume-wise against text search, however, it’s value should not be ignored. This eMarketer report looks at its current state in the digital world but also what actions marketers can take to stay on top of the trend as it advances.