Weekly Marketing Rundown - November 15th, 2024

Weekly Marketing Rundown - October 17, 2025 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! In this issue, we explore the podcasts on Netflix, Meta data on Google ads, Buffer's advice for TikTok, and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Meta Import in Google Ads Google has launched a new beta feature that lets marketers import Meta ad data directly into Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This means you can now see how your Facebook and Instagram ads are performing inside GA4, alongside your other marketing channels.  For Missions Teams: This could make tracking ad performance across platforms much simpler. Instead of switching between Meta and Google tools, you can now analyze everything in one place. Further testing is recommended. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-41-adriaan-dekker-vqpve/  (further down in the newsletter) California Proposes Health Warning Labels for Social Media California lawmakers are pushing a new bill that would require health warning labels on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. The labels would warn users—especially teens—about the mental health risks linked to heavy social media use. If passed, the law would be the first of its kind in the U.S., and platforms could face fines for not complying. For Mission Teams: This has the potential to impact campaign strategies and engagement rates, especially if governmental bodies around the world begin adopting similar policies. As social media companies respond to these regulations, teams should monitor how these changes may affect their efforts and be prepared to pivot as necessary. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/13/california-health-warning-labels-social-media-00606066 Reveal Details Over Time in Meta Ads Jon Loomer explains how to use Meta's new Reveal Features Over Time Advantage+ Enhancement to slowly reveal information to your audience over time. Instead of showing everything in one ad, you can set up a series of ads that unlock new details based on how people interact with them. This keeps users curious and encourages them to stay engaged longer. For Mission Teams: Currently this feature is only live for products under sales and app campaigns, but teams offering Bible sales or apps can use this strategy to build interest. There is a possibility Meta may roll out this feature to other ad campaign objectives. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/reveal-details-over-time/ How Often Should You Post on TikTok? Data From 11 Million+ Posts Buffer analyzed 11.4 million TikTok posts and found that creators who post 2–5 times per week get 17% more views. Posting 11+ times weekly increases the chance of going viral by 31x, but the extra effort doesn’t guarantee every post will perform better—just that one might break through, especially for the top 10% of creators. Whether you have 500 or 50,000 followers, posting more often improves your odds of success. For Mission Teams: For teams utilizing TikTok in their digital strategies this means consistency and volume matter when planning TikTok content. https://buffer.com/resources/how-often-should-you-post-on-tiktok/ Instagram Now Lets You Edit Your Reels Algorithm—But Will You Bother? Instagram has launched a new tool called “Your Algorithm,” that lets users control what shows up in their Reels feed. You can now add or remove interest categories, tap on topics to see sample videos, and adjust your preferences. It’s a way for Meta to say users have more control—even though most people probably won’t use it. For Mission Teams: Users might start shaping their own content experience more directly. That could affect how often your content appears, especially if it doesn’t match selected interests. It is not known if and how this will affect paid ads. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-rolls-out-reels-topic-algorithm-control-option/802426/ Signal’s Post-Quantum Makeover Is a Big Deal Signal has upgraded its messaging app to protect against future quantum computers that could break current encryption. The team has detailed how they made their protocol "quantum-resistant," ensuring security even as quantum technology advances. For Mission Teams: This matters because secure communication is key—especially when handling sensitive data or working in regions with privacy concerns. Leveraging Signal for internal and secure chats is now more secure than ever. https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/10/why-signals-post-quantum-makeover-is-an-amazing-engineering-achievement/ Facebook Adds Local Job Listings to Marketplace Facebook has launched a new feature in the U.S. that helps people find entry-level, trade, and service jobs in their local communities. Job listings now appear in a dedicated tab on Facebook Marketplace, and employers can post openings through their Page, a Group, or directly in Marketplace. This makes it easier for small businesses and job seekers to connect without leaving the app. For Mission Teams: The saying "Only older people use Facebook," is no longer true. Facebooks' user base has consistently grown globally and features such as Dating and Job Listings are seeing adoption even among younger generations. Facebook should not be overlooked by teams considering which platforms to utilize in their digital engagement strategies. https://about.fb.com/news/2025/10/introducing-local-jobs-facebook/ Netflix Adds Video Podcasts to Its Platform Netflix is starting to offer video podcasts, which means you’ll be able to watch interviews, discussions, and behind-the-scenes content from creators and celebrities right on the app. These shows will appear alongside regular movies and series, giving users more ways to stay entertained without switching platforms. For Mission Teams: Podcasts are increasingly popular, and this trend is expected to persist worldwide. Integrating podcasts into digital engagement strategies could be a valuable consideration. https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/14/netflix-is-adding-video-podcasts-marking-a-new-chapter-for-podcasting/ ​​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: 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. YouVersion Reading Plan– Jon Ralls, CEO of Kavanah Media, just launched a powerful 8-day devotional on YouVersion called "Living in Tension." Subscribe here 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: October 17, 2025

Weekly Marketing Rundown - September 26, 2025 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! In this issue, we explore the usefulness of Meta's new Ads Manager metric, the US governments recommendations for encrypted apps, Italy's new AI laws and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Instagram Follows from Ads, but Does it Mean Much? Facebook now lets marketers see how many Instagram followers come directly from ads, but this is usually just a vanity metric. Frequently, followers don’t actually engage with content—no likes, comments, or story views. Some even seem like fake accounts, which makes the follower count less useful than it looks. For Mission Teams: Tracking Instagram follows from ads has become easier, but this may not be the most effective measure of success. A more strategic approach is to concentrate on genuine engagement and your overarching objectives. If your goal is to foster meaningful conversations that lead to offline meetings, then that is what you should prioritize in your tracking. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/instagram-follows/ Remarketing on Meta Facebook’s ad system automatically prioritizes remarketing, and has for awhile. That means it shows ads to people who’ve already interacted with your brand in some way—like visiting your site or engaging with your content. It is no longer necessary to run seperate dedicated ads for retargeting. For Mission Teams: Due to Religious data source restrictions, and other factors, remarketing on Meta's platforms has been difficult in the context digital engagement projects for some time. However, even with these challenges, Meta's algorithm's prioritization change means remarketing is even easier as it happens automatically. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/general-remarketing/ U.S. Officials Recommend Encrypted Messaging Apps Government officials in the U.S. are urging people to use encrypted apps like Signal and others to keep their messages private. These apps make it harder for hackers or outsiders to read what you send. For Mission Teams: For marketing teams, this is good reminder to utilize good cybersecurity hygiene and prioritize the usage of encrypted platforms for communications. https://www.esecurityplanet.com/video/us-officials-recommend-using-encrypted-apps-for-messaging/ Italy Passes First National AI Law in the EU Italy is now the first country in the European Union to create a national law for artificial intelligence. The law sets age restrictions and other rules for how AI should be used safely and fairly. For Mission Teams: For marketing teams, it is essential to understand that digital engagement tools are constantly evolving and can change unexpectedly. To maintain effectiveness, we must diversify our systems, implement robust cybersecurity practices, and stay updated on the latest developments. Additionally, teams should be aware of local laws regarding AI, data, and other aspects related to digital engagement strategies, as these can significantly impact their projects. https://www.eweek.com/artificial-intelligence/italy-leads-eu-with-first-national-ai-law/ Meta Adds New WhatsApp Ad Features Meta just introduced two new ad tools for WhatsApp: “Click-to-Message” and “Status Ads.” The Click-to-Message feature lets users start a WhatsApp chat directly from an ad, while Status Ads allow businesses to place promotions in the WhatsApp Status feed—similar to Instagram Stories. These updates make it easier for brands to connect with users inside the app. For Mission Teams: This could mean a more direct ways to reach customers and start conversations. It could lead to faster responses, better engagement, and more personalized service. This new systems are being rolled out globally in stages. Teams should verify if they have access to the new ad platform in their region and test them in their context before full adoption. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-adds-whatsapp-click-to-message-whatsapp-status-ads/760186/ Facebook Ads Cost More in 2025, But Still Cheaper Than Google Facebook’s average cost per lead jumped to $27.66 in 2025, up 21% from last year. Even with the increase, it’s still much lower than Google’s $70.11. Traffic ads on Facebook are doing better, with cheaper clicks and more people clicking, but lead ads are getting less effective. For Mission Teams: Marketing teams should watch ad performance closely and focus on better creative and targeting. Rising costs and lower conversion rates mean teams may need to shift strategies and protect ad budgets. It’s also a good time to review how data is used in campaigns. https://searchengineland.com/facebook-ad-costs-jump-beat-google-461690 Signal Adds Free and Paid Chat Backup Plans Signal is launching encrypted chat backups with two options: a free plan and a paid one. The free version gives users 100MB of message storage and 45 days of media backup. For $1.99/month, the paid plan offers 100GB and full media backup. All backups use zero-knowledge encryption, meaning only the user can access them using a 64-character recovery key generated on their device. For Mission Teams: These new options could be an excellent encrypted storage option for teams that leverage Signal heavily.  https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/08/signal-introduces-free-and-paid-backup-plans-for-your-chats/ ​​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: 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. YouVersion Reading Plan– Jon Ralls, CEO of Kavanah Media, just launched a powerful 8-day devotional on YouVersion called "Living in Tension." Subscribe here 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: September 26, 2025