Our team of curious minds loves to keep up with the latest developments in social media and digital marketing, and we want to help you stay up to date, too. Here’s what’s new in digital this week:
Tracking the trends
Sometimes, shifts in advertising performance can be explained by shifts in market trends. Google Trends is one tool marketers can use to understand how online behavior and trends may be impacting campaign performance. Google Trends is particularly helpful when comparing keywords to optimize and identifying any spikes in keyword search volume driven by current events.
For example, take a look at how searches for “GameStop” skyrocketed (and then fell) last month after a small group of investors took on Wall Street and made GameStop’s stock price soar:
At The Ohlmann Group, Google Trends is integrated into our data reporting platform, which allows us to organize campaign data, gather insights, and identify any changes in campaign performance due to national or global trends.
Instagram is testing changes to Stories
Instagram is continuing to experiment with small changes in hopes for a more positive user experience. The platform recently stated that users want to see fewer feed posts in Instagram Stories. The “share to Stories” option allows users to share other creators’ photos and videos to their own Stories. This feature is how many small businesses, artists, and organizations expand their reach to users who don’t follow them. However, some users are reporting that seeing the same content is too repetitive. According to Instagram’s research, more people want to see original photos and videos in Stories.
In response, Instagram is temporarily disabling the option to share feed posts within Stories, at least for some users. At this time, Instagram says the change is still just a test and there’s no plan to roll it out more broadly.
YouTube audio ads are here
While many people watch videos on YouTube, many more listen to audio entertainment and rarely look at the screen. To help advertisers reach this audience, the platform is introducing YouTube Audio ads. The 15-second audio ads are now available for set up through Google Ads.
During the limited testing phase, Google found that “more than 75 percent of measured audio ad campaigns on YouTube drove a significant lift in brand awareness.” Audio ads on YouTube allow Google to cash in on an ad format currently available to advertisers through many other platforms, such as Pandora, Spotify, or traditional radio.
Because YouTube’s audio ads are still in the early stages, advertisers are only able to set objectives for reach and brand awareness, not conversions. The ads are also not currently available for YouTube Music. It’s important to note that audio ads for sensitive verticals, such as healthcare, are not available during the beta phase.
While YouTube’s new audio ads have a few limitations, they are expected to help advertisers expand reach and increase brand awareness. With Google’s targeting and reporting capabilities, audio ads will likely be a valuable add-on for YouTube campaigns.
Are you interested in learning more about any of these updates and how they could impact your marketing? Send us a message or reach out on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.
