Weekly Marketing Rundown - March 6, 2026

Weekly Marketing Rundown - October 24, 2025 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! In this issue, we explore the Meta's new Andromeda system, the AWS outage, predictions for social media's future and more.  Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Meta AI Conversations Will Be Used for Ads Meta announced that starting December 16th, it will use your chats with Meta AI to help decide what content and ads you see. These AI conversations won’t directly create new ad targeting categories, but they will add to the data Meta already uses to personalize your experience. This move has sparked debate about whether AI chats should be treated like private messages or more like search history. For Mission Teams: Meta will have even more data to help match ads with the right people. It could improve ad performance, but teams should also be aware of privacy concerns and how users might react. Marketers may need to adjust strategies to stay transparent and build trust as AI becomes part of the ad targeting process. http://jonloomer.com/qvt/meta-ai-conversations-target-ads/ Big AWS Outage Shuts Down Websites and Apps Amazon Web Services (AWS) had a major outage that caused many websites and apps to stop working for several hours. The problem came from a network glitch, and it affected things like banking apps, streaming services, and company tools. AWS fixed the issue, but it showed how much the internet depends on their cloud system. For Mission Teams: If those tools go down, campaigns can pause, data can be lost, and users might have a bad experience. Teams should think about backup systems, check service status often, and plan for what to do if something like this happens again. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-aws-outage-2025/ Meta Andromeda: Why Mixing Up Your Ads Matters Meta’s new Andromeda system (the new ad delivery system) doesn’t just pick one “best” ad—it spreads out delivery across different versions to learn what works. Jon Loomer explains that advertisers should use a mix of creative types like different images, videos, headlines, primary text, calls-to-action, and formats (like single image vs. carousel). This helps Meta gather better data and avoid showing the same ad too often, which can make people stop paying attention. For Mission Teams: Teams should leverage different creative types and formats, enable Creative+ Enhancements and leveraging Adv.+ optimizations whenever possible as this approach can improve long-term ad performance and reach more people effectively. https://www.jonloomer.com/meta-andromeda-creative-diversification/ Meta Lead Ads: What’s Changing in October 2025 Meta is updating its Lead Ads system to give users more control over how their data is collected and used. Starting October 2025, advertisers must clearly explain why they’re asking for personal info and how it will be used. Meta will also require more transparency in lead forms and may limit how much data advertisers can collect without a clear reason. For Mission Teams: This matters for marketing teams because it changes how lead generation campaigns are built and approved. Teams will need to update their forms, rethink what data they really need, and make sure everything is easy for users to understand. It could also affect how quickly leads are collected and how much targeting data is available. https://giovanniperilli.com/en/blog/meta-lead-ads-october-2025-the-new-rules-and-what-really-changes/ No Consent, No Ads: Google’s New Privacy Rule Google now requires websites to follow the EU Consent Policy if you have end users in the EU—even for non-personalized ads. If your site doesn’t send proper consent signals, Google can suspend your entire ad account. To stay compliant, you should use a certified Consent Management Platform (CMP), check your consent setup in Google Tag Manager, and test it using GA4 DebugView and Ads consent mode reports. For Mission Teams: This is important for marketing teams because ignoring consent rules could shut down all ad activity. Teams should check their emails or Google Ads accounts to see if they have new Action Required notifications and also make sure their websites collect and send the right privacy signals, or risk losing access to Google Ads. Please reach out to us here at Kavanah Media if you need assistance with GDPR compliance. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-42-adriaan-dekker-rn3qe/ Facebook’s “Group Highlights” Make Private Posts More Public Facebook’s new “Group Highlights” feature lets private groups share selected member posts outside the group. Members must give permission before their content is shown, and highlights can appear on the group’s front page, in Facebook search, or even on Google. AI may help pick which posts to show, but names and profile pictures are hidden for now. For Mission Teams: Missionaries utilizing Facebook groups in their digital engagement strategies can experiment with this feature to broaden their reach. However, they must proceed with caution, ensuring user consent and addressing security concerns. Furthermore, missionaries operating in secure areas should reassess the groups they follow to confirm that their sensitive information is not being shared publicly on the platform. https://www.facebook.com/help/970710061848673?cms_platform=iphone-app&helpref=platform_switcher What Social Media Might Look Like in 2026 This article from Social Media Today shares 36 predictions about how social media could change by 2026. Experts think platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook will focus more on AI, short videos, and private messaging. There’s also talk about more rules for content, better tools for creators, and new ways for people to shop directly through social apps. For Mission Teams: Some examples from the list include: AI-generated content becoming normal, private messaging replacing public posts, creators getting paid directly through platforms, and social apps becoming shopping hubs. These changes could affect how brands and mission teams handle digital security, ad targeting, and customer engagement. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/36-predictions-social-media-marketing-2026/802195/ Instagram Reels Tries Skippable Ads Like YouTube Meta is testing skippable ads on Instagram Reels, similar to how YouTube does it. Users will see a countdown before the ad starts and then get a “skip” button. Right now, creators won’t earn money from these ads, and Meta says the goal is to help businesses get noticed without annoying viewers. For Mission Teams: This test could change how ads are made and placed on Reels. It may push brands to create more engaging content quickly, since users can skip. https://www.adweek.com/media/meta-is-testing-skippable-ads-on-instagram-reels-borrowing-from-youtubes-playbook/ Marketers Still Trust Real People Over AI User-generated content (UGC)—like videos, reviews, and posts made by everyday people—is still the top choice for marketers. A recent report shows that 36% of marketers say UGC is extremely important, while only 2% feel that way about AI-generated content. Gen Z spends a lot of time watching UGC, showing that people want real, relatable content—not computer-made stuff. For Mission Teams: This suggests teams should consider pulling back on using AI to make content and leaning into user generated content. Localized authentic content is best, but teams working in secure fields should be cautious. As always, these findings are primarily based in Western markets. Teams should experiment in their own locations. https://content-naf.emarketer.com/social-media-strategists-value-ugc-over-ai Social Media Stops Sending Traffic to News Sites Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram are sending way fewer clicks to news websites—down 30% since 2022. That’s a drop from 1.75 billion to 1.22 billion referrals. While platforms test new ways to boost link engagement, short videos and algorithm changes are making it harder for traditional news posts to get seen. Link-in-bio tools are growing, but they mostly help online shopping. For Mission Teams: Because social media platforms may limit the visibility of posts containing external links, marketing teams should think about alternative ways to share links — like putting them in bios or comments — to maintain reach and avoid algorithmic penalties. https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-media-trends-a6e42ba0-ae85-11f0-87d6-3dbac628b68f.html 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 24, 2025

Weekly Marketing Rundown - October 31, 2025 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! In this issue we explore the collapse of keywords, major updates to Threads, Google changes, and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM WP Engine - The Keyword Collapse: Summary Search engines are evolving. Rather than prioritizing keyword-heavy content, they now favor posts and pages that answer real user questions and link to trusted sources. This means AI-driven visitors are often more open and engaged—a major opportunity for digital evangelism. In this new environment, producing substantial, well-cited content is far more effective than simply publishing large volumes of surface-level material. For Missions Teams: For teams using websites to reach their audiences: depth matters more than volume. Replace broad, shallow posts with focused content that meets seekers’ actual questions and spiritual needs. Optimize for clarity, authenticity, and relevance, not just reach. Because this landscape is changing quickly, missions teams may still find Meta Message ads to be the most straightforward and reliable way to connect with those already searching for hope and truth online. https://wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/The-Keyword-Collapse-Building-a-Future-Proof-Organic-Strategy.pdf Google Ads Accounts Now Auto-Delete After 6 Months Google has changed how it handles canceled Google Ads accounts. If an advertiser cancels their account, it can now be permanently deleted after six months. Google will send a warning email 30 days before deletion. Before this update, accounts remained available indefinitely and could be reactivated at any time. For Mission Teams: This matters for marketing teams who rely on past campaign data to plan future strategies. If you want to keep your old ads or account history, you’ll need to reactivate the account within six months. Going forward, manage account status and data backups carefully to prevent the loss of valuable marketing information. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-43-adriaan-dekker-dbxne/ How Facebook Pages Are Performing in 2025: What’s a Good Engagement Rate? Buffer’s 2025 Facebook benchmarks show that the median engagement rate across all accounts is 3.8%, but this varies a lot depending on how many followers a page has. Smaller pages (under 1K followers) see the highest engagement at 8.8%, while mega accounts (over 1M followers) average around 3.8%. Posting frequency also increases with size, from about 19 posts/month for small pages to over 400/month for the largest ones. Video and photo posts tend to get more interaction than text or links, and early morning posts—especially Mondays at 5 a.m.—perform best. Buffer calculated this metric with the following formula: Engagement Rate = (Total Engagements / Total Impressions) × 100 For Mission Teams: Many evangelism pages fall below average engagement rates, and metrics can vary depending on how they’re calculated. Not all interactions hold equal value—shares, for example, may matter more than likes. Since engagement benchmarks shift, teams should define a clear primary goal and measure success against it. If the goal is messages but organic posts aren’t generating them, adjust the strategy. If the goal is views but reach is low, test new content formats. https://buffer.com/resources/facebook-benchmarks/ Facebook Splits Pages to Better Support Creators and Businesses Facebook now asks users to choose between a "Company" or "Creator" profile when setting up a Page. This change helps ensure users get the right tools from the start. Meta appears to be prioritizing creators by giving them more features and visibility, while businesses are being nudged toward using paid ads rather than relying on organic reach. For Mission Teams: Choosing the correct Page type matters, as it may affect how Meta treats your account. Social Media Today suggests that creators may receive more support and visibility, while businesses could be encouraged to spend more on ads—though this remains debated. Many marketers and creators believe that overall reach on Facebook has been declining for years due to factors such as content saturation and algorithm updates. For now, this change may simply be an effort to simplify Page setup. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-updates-page-categorization-process/803821/ YouTube Adds AI Upscaling and Shopping Features YouTube is rolling out new AI tools that automatically improve video quality, even if the original upload is low resolution. These updates are part of YouTube’s push to make videos look better and help creators earn more. For Mission Teams: Higher-quality videos can help attract and retain more viewers. Teams should consider experimenting with these new tools to see how they might enhance their video strategy and storytelling. https://www.theverge.com/news/808717/youtube-automatic-ai-upscaling-shopping-updates Threads in 2025: Big Growth and Big Engagement Threads now has 400 million monthly users and a strong median engagement rate of 6.25%. Posts with images get over 60% more interaction than plain text, and the best time to post is Wednesday at 7 a.m. New ad formats are also rolling out, including vertical image and video ads, carousels, and other video formats. For Mission Teams: This update is especially relevant for mission teams developing social media strategies. Threads is showing strong engagement, particularly with visual content, so teams should prioritize image-based posts and schedule them mid-week in the morning. The data also suggests that Threads may now offer more consistent audience growth and engagement than X. Additionally, it’s already integrated into Ads Manager, making campaign management easier. https://buffer.com/resources/threads-stats/ https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-updates-marketing-api-threads-ad-placements/804026/ 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 31, 2025