Weekly Marketing Rundown -Oct. 4th, 2024

Weekly Marketing Rundown - October 10th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown we will discuss Meta's new AI tools, Tiktok's new search ads, Youtube Shorts and more. Meta Introduces AI-Edited Video Ads on Facebook and Instagram: Key Tools for Teams Meta has rolled out new AI-powered tools for video ads on Facebook and Instagram, making content creation more streamlined. These tools include automatic video trimming, scene selection, and format adjustments for different placements. Key features also include a video expansion tool, which resizes videos to fit various formats, an auto music tool that selects background music, and an image animation tool that brings static images to life with simple animations. Truth be told, Kavanah Media team members have seen these tools being quietly rolled out for some time. They have allowed for quicker creation of multiple ad variations, allowing images and videos to be shown in more ad placements. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265065/meta-ai-edited-video-ads-facebook-instagram Google Faces Declining Search Share Amid AI Competition and TikTok's New Ads: Implications for Teams Google's search share is slipping as AI-driven competitors and TikTok's new search ads challenge its dominance. While Google remains the leading search engine, these rising alternatives are attracting users with innovative features that enhance search experiences. For teams, this trend emphasizes the need to diversify digital strategies. As users turn to platforms like TikTok for search, teams should adapt their SEO and content strategies to maintain visibility across various channels.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.yahoo.com/?err=404&err_url YouTube Expands Shorts Length and Adds Templates: What Teams Should Know In order to compete with TikTok, YouTube is increasing the maximum length of Shorts and adding new video templates. This move allows creators to produce longer short-form content while using templates to streamline video creation. For teams, these updates mean greater flexibility in crafting short videos to engage audiences. With longer content and easy-to-use templates, creating videos should be even easier.  For more on this, click the link below:  https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/3/24260170/youtube-shorts-increased-length-templates-tiktok WhatsApp's New Contact-Saving Feature: What Teams Should Know WhatsApp is testing a feature that lets users save contacts directly within the app without storing them on their phone. If adopted this could simplify contact management for teams and offer some privacy benefits. For teams the advantages include: 1. Privacy: Contacts can be stored within the app, reducing the need to save personal numbers on your phone. 2. Efficiency: Easier access and management of contacts within WhatsApp itself. 3. Clutter-Free: Keep work-related contacts separate from personal ones without filling up your phone directory. This update can streamline communication and improve privacy, especially for teams in sensitive environments. For more on this, click the link below: https://x.com/ahmedghanem/status/1842100577255195049 EU Court Backs Activist in Privacy Dispute with Meta: Key Takeaways for Teams The EU's top court has ruled that Meta must limit its use of personal data for targeted advertising. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) stated that platforms like Facebook cannot use all personal data without restrictions on time or type, meaning only a small portion of Meta's data pool will be permitted for advertising, even with user consent. Rulings like this are already affecting audience targeting. As data privacy laws tighten, advertisers will likely have less and less access for audience targeting. Teams may need to change their marketing strategies as a result. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.reuters.com/technology/eu-top-court-sides-with-activist-schrems-privacy-dispute-with-meta-2024-10-04/ Intentional - Kavanah Media's Newsletter Subscribe to Intentional, Kavanah’s monthly newsletter, and stay inspired by stories of lives transformed, ministry milestones, and the latest business updates on how we’re intentionally leveraging digital platforms to make God known across the globe. Join us on this journey of purposeful digital engagement and global impact! For more on this, click the link below: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/sign-up  Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on Instagram @kavanah_media and stay connected through all our social media channels via the link below. https://linktr.ee/kavanah_media Author: Cody Adams Article Published: Oct. 10th, 2024

Weekly Marketing Rundown - June 20, 2025 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! In this issue, we’re diving into Ads on WhatsApp, ManyChat's Privacy Policy Update, Meta.ai's data leak issue and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Meta Advises to Post Links in Comments A new strategy for Facebook posts suggests that adding links in the comments section rather than the post caption can improve engagement and reach. This approach is based on the observation that Facebook's algorithm may prioritize posts with fewer external links in the caption, potentially leading to better visibility and interaction. For Mission Teams: Placing links on organic posts can potentially increase the engagement of their posts, but not if it hurts reach. By posting those same links in the comment section mission teams can help avoid unnecessarily hurting reach and engagement. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-advice-suggests-adding-links-in-comments-not-post-caption/750754/   Ads in WhatsApp WhatsApp has launched advertising directly within the app. This new tool helps businesses reach audiences on WhatsApp by showing ads in the new Status Screen- using signals like location, language, followed channels, and ad interactions. For Mission Teams: By utilizing WhatsApp's ad features, mission teams can tap into the app's extensive user base and scale their digital engagement strategies even further. https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/16/whatsapp-is-adding-ads-to-the-status-screen/   Meta.AI Exposes User's Private Chats Meta's new AI app has a feature allowing users to share their creations and prompts with other users within the app. Unfortunately, the entire previous conversations users had with Meta.ai are also shared- exposing users often private information. For Mission Teams: Meta has added a warning that alerts users to the risks before publishing. However, mission teams are still advised to avoid using the feature entirely due to potential security concerns. https://www.rudebaguette.com/en/2025/06/metas-ai-app-exposes-private-chats-shocking-feature-lets-users-discover-strangers-intimate-conversations-with-no-warning/   ManyChat Privacy Policy Update As of April 2025, Manychat has updated their privacy policy to include the following restrictions regarding religious beliefs: "We ask that you not send or disclose to us any sensitive personal data (e.g.,depending on your applicable data protection law the following can be considered sensitive data social security numbers: information related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or other beliefs, health, biometrics or genetic characteristics, data regarding health or sexual life, criminal background, union membership, or adherence in a religious, philosophical, or political organization) on or through the Service or otherwise." For Mission Teams: Many mission teams currently use ManyChat as part of their digital outreach strategies. However, under the new policy, teams risk possible account restrictions if they’re found to be in violation—particularly when sharing religious or personal data. As a result, some may need to shift to alternatives like Echo (https://www.echoglobal.org/), a platform that allows faith-based messaging without the same limitations. https://manychat.com/legal/privacy   Facebook Renames Videos to Reels Facebook is renaming all videos on its platform to "Reels" to align with the popular short-form video format. This change aims to streamline video content and enhance engagement. For Mission Teams: Teams should prioritize Reels format for video content whenever possible to help ensure consistent engagement. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-renames-all-videos-reels/750973/   Threads and the Fediverse Facebook has made it easier to see more Fediverse (a decentralized network of interconnected social media platforms that allows users to communicate across different services) content on Threads. This update allows users to discover and engage with a wider range of posts and discussions outside of the Threads platform. For Mission Teams: By using the Threads platform with its new Fediverse integration, mission teams can expand their reach to new audiences. While Meta had previously cautioned against expecting high conversions, updates like this could make Threads a more useful tool for digital evangelism. It should be noted, however, that Threads is still owned by Meta and will not possess the same inherent resilience to restrictions by actors, government or otherwise, that a more independent Fediverse platform would. Governments such as Turkey and India have successfully pressured Meta to censor groups before, and this risk will exist on Threads- even with it's Fediverse integration. https://about.fb.com/news/2025/06/its-now-easier-see-more-fediverse-content-threads/ Meta's New AI Generate Videos Meta is introducing a new AI-powered image-to-video tool that allows marketers to transform up to 20 product images into multi-scene video ads. The generated videos can include background music and text overlays to enhance visual appeal. For Mission Teams: This tool should streamline the content development process even further, allowing them to potentially develop localized content at scale. As with all Ai tools, however, teams should test the tools before publishing as they are prone to mistakes and errors. https://archive.ph/rYFX2 Stay Equipped for Digital Engagement At Kavanah Media, we’re committed to helping mission teams use digital tools to make God known around the world. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, practical insights, or in-depth strategy, we’ve got resources to help: Intentional Newsletter – Be encouraged each month with stories of transformed lives, ministry milestones, and the latest updates from our team. Subscribe here. Kavanah Media Blog – Learn from our experiences serving hundreds of mission teams worldwide. We share practical lessons, real stories, and best practices to help your team avoid mistakes and grow in digital outreach. Subscribe here. Christian Media Marketing Podcast – Tune in for weekly deep dives with CEO Jon Ralls on everything from digital strategy to cybersecurity. Subscribe here or on your favorite podcast app. Digital Strategies got you stumped? Reach out anytime—we’re ready to help. Contact Us Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on Instagram @kavanah_media and stay connected through all our social media channels via the link below. https://linktr.ee/kavanah_media Authors: Cody A. and Cherry Messimer Article Published: June 20, 2025