Weekly Marketing Rundown - April 3 , 2026

Weekly Marketing Rundown - November 6, 2026 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! 🚀 We're diving into the latest updates you need to know including Meta's AI bots overloading small websites, a new WhatsApp photo suggestion feature, Reddit's first search ads, and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Meta's AI Crawlers Are Overloading Small Websites Some small website owners say Meta's AI crawlers, bots that copy web pages to train AI, are using so much bandwidth that their sites slow down or crash. One designer found that 97.6% of her site's data traffic over four weeks went to Meta's bots. For Mission Teams Teams should be cautious when seeing traffic boosts as it may be bot traffic. Ministry websites on small hosting plans could face slowdowns, outages, or extra fees if these bots hit them hard. Teams could consider checking their site traffic for "Meta-ExternalAgent" and "Meta-WebIndexer" and asking their web host about blocking them, since some owners found robots.txt rules alone did not stop them. https://www.fastcompany.com/91633357/meta-web-crawlers-crash-small-business-websites-ai-bots-surge WhatsApp Now Suggests Your Latest Photo in Chats WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that shows your newest photo, video, or screenshot as a suggestion when you open a chat. Nothing sends automatically, and tapping the suggestion opens an editor so you can review it first. For Mission Teams While this feature could make sharing relevant screenshots even easier a suggested screenshot could show private details, like a seeker's message, a contact list, or a location, and it is easy to share it in the wrong chat by mistake. Those with concerns should turn this off under Settings > Chats > Recent media suggestions. https://wabetainfo.com/whatsapp-is-rolling-out-media-suggestions-on-android-and-ios/ Reddit Tests Ads in Search Results Reddit is testing ads on its search results pages for the first time, with ads matched to users' search queries. For now, only a small group of selected advertisers have access to the feature. For Mission Teams People often search Reddit with honest questions about life and faith, so search ads could someday help teams reach seekers at the moment they are looking for answers. Most teams can't join this early test yet, but if the testing is successful Reddit could become a even more viable platform for digital engagement. Those already running Reddit ads should watch for wider access. https://redditinc.com/news/we-are-testing-ad-placements-in-reddit-search-pages Turn On MFA, Passkeys, and Security Keys Now Several Kavanah Media partners recently had work accounts and their personal email accounts taken over by attackers, which put many connected accounts and contacts at risk. Personal email is often used to reset work passwords, so one weak account can open the door to a much bigger breach. For Mission Teams Everyone should turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA, a second step after your password) for all work email, personal email, social media, and ad accounts, etc.. Use passkeys or a hardware security key such as a YubiKey wherever you can, because unlike text-message codes, they will not work on fake login pages. Teams should also exercise caution when opening emails or clicking links from untrusted or unfamiliar sources. When in doubt, they should contact the senders through a separate communication channel to verify the legitimacy of any suspicious emails. Google Tests A/B Experiments for Asset Groups in Performance Max Campaigns Google/YouTube Google is testing a new tool that lets advertisers compare two sets of ad assets within a single Performance Max asset group. Advertisers can choose how to split traffic and which metrics to measure, such as conversions, value, or clicks. For Mission Teams Teams running Google Performance Max campaigns can test two sets of images, videos, or text to see which drives more visitors to a response page. However, this is a beta feature and may not be available in every account or region. Plan to run the test for at least 4 to 6 weeks, as Google recommends, and choose one clear success metric, such as conversions, to determine which message leads to more meaningful interactions. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-44-adriaan-dekker-vxzve/ Google Says AI Chatbots Are Cutting Into Its Search Ad Revenue Google said more people are using AI chatbots and its own AI search tools, and this is hurting its search ad business. Search volume grew 12% in Q3, slower than earlier quarters, and search revenue was flat. For Mission Teams Google says it is expanding ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode to more users and search queries, including in international markets. Teams running search ads should monitor these new placements and consider testing them with small budgets. As more people turn to AI chatbots for answers, teams should ensure their content is clear and accurate. The article also reports that up to 10% of AI Overviews were found to contain incorrect information, so teams should check how their ministries are described in AI-generated responses. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/google-says-ai-chatbots-are-hurting-its-bottom-line/873401/ Meta Now Suggests Lookalike Audiences for Leads Campaigns Meta is showing a new message in Leads campaigns suggesting that using a lookalike audience could lower the cost per quality lead by 11%. The author has seen this message only in Leads campaigns, so it does not appear to be a change affecting all campaign types. For Mission Teams If your team receives many low-quality sign-ups or leads, consider building a custom audience from people who have completed your follow-up process. You can then turn it into a lookalike audience and add it as an audience suggestion in a single ad set. Avoid creating multiple ad sets for different audience suggestions, as they may compete against each other. However, keep in mind that, according to the author, it is difficult to prove whether these suggestions actually help, and Meta often ignores them. Test carefully, and when handling contact lists, protect the privacy of seekers, especially in countries with restricted access. Additionally, if you use a CRM system and sign-up forms hosted on your own website rather than Meta's platforms, this strategy may not work due to Meta's Religious Data Restrictions. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/lookalike-audience-suggestions-leads-campaigns/ Meta Expands Creator Assistant Into a Content Planning Tool Meta has updated its Creator Assistant chatbot to help people plan and improve content on Facebook and Instagram. It can point out trends, build storyboards and shot lists, review drafts, and write comment replies for you to check. For Mission Teams Teams can use it to identify trending topics, plan short-form videos, and draft replies to comments. However, every reply should be reviewed by a person to ensure the tone and message are appropriate for seekers. Additionally, since it is unclear how Meta handles the data users enter, avoid sharing sensitive ministry details, contact names, or security-related information. Note that the tool is designed for creators and is now available on the web through the Creator Dashboard, as well as on mobile. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-updates-creator-assistant-chatbot/873524/ Stay Equipped for Digital Engagement  Looking for ways to use digital tools to grow evangelism and disciple-making? Check out our other resources: Jon Ralls' new book–  Check out The Reluctant Whisper on Amazon, where he talks of evangelism from a sales pitch into an authentic act of presence—sharing faith through story, not scripts! Check it out here. Ad Resource Store- Stumped on what ads to run next? Check out Kavanah Media's Ad Resource Store for ideas, templates and more! Digital Strategies got you confused?- Reach out anytime—we’re ready to help. Contact Us Church GAP Analysis Tool- Uncover hidden risks before they become problems. Use our Free GAP Analysis Tool to evaluate your church or non-profit’s cybersecurity, compliance, and governance today.  Kavanah Analytics- How is your digital content truly impacting lives? We created Kavanah Analytics to help churches and mission teams answer that question. Learn More 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: Jon Ralls, Cody A. and Cherry Messimer Article Published: November 6, 2026

Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 7, 2026 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! We’re diving into the latest updates you need to know including several Signal updates, Instagram user demographics, changes to ChatGPT ads, concerns over new fake WIFI network attacks, and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM New ChatGPT Ad Features For Custom Audiences And AI Generation OpenAI is testing new features for ChatGPT Ads that let advertisers target specific people using email lists and also an artificial intelligence tool that can automatically write ad content based on a website. For Mission Teams As ChatGPT continues to develop it's advertising platform and it's capabilities, marketing on the platform is becoming even easier. Teams are encouraged to experiment with the platform, but more long term data on its effectiveness in digital engagement is still forthcoming. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-july-recap-adriaan-dekker-qwf1e/ Signal Adds Automatic Security Warnings for External Links Signal is rolling out automatic safety checks when users click web links inside private chats. The app displays a warning screen if a link leads to a known dangerous or fraudulent site. For Mission Teams This feature adds an extra layer of protection for all Signal users by requiring one additional step before potentially malicious links can be opened. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/signal-adds-security-warnings-for-social-engineering-phishing-attacks/ YouTube Shorts Launches Interactive Poll Stickers for Ads YouTube now allows content creators and advertisers to add clickable polling stickers directly to Shorts videos. Viewers can vote on options without leaving the video player or stopping their viewing session. For Mission Teams Interactive polls could provide a simple way to engage ad viewers by asking spiritual questions or offering encouragement. Teams are encouraged to test the feature before a full rollout. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-adds-poll-stickers-shorts-ad-category-blocking-channels/730826/ New WhatsApp Group Chat Features WhatsApp is adding new tools to make talking in groups much easier. Users can now tag everyone at once, change poll settings, and quickly create side chats from a big group. For Mission Teams These updates allow teams using WhatsApp Groups more capability when managing group chats. https://about.fb.com/news/2026/08/were-upgrading-your-whatsapp-group-chats/ Starting Campaigns With Fewer Ads According to Jon Loomer, launching a new campaign with a large number of ads often reduces quality and wastes time. It is generally better to start with a small number of high-quality ads, identify what performs best, and then scale from there. For Mission Teams In both marketing and digital engagement, simplicity is often the best strategy. It is generally better to start small and grow than to build an overly complex campaign from the outset. More often than not, launching a simple ad and allowing the data to guide future strategy adjustments is more effective than adding unnecessary complexity. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/start-with-fewer-ads/ Fake Updates on Hotel Wi-Fi Install Spyware Hackers are breaking into hotel Wi-Fi networks to trick guests into downloading fake software updates. If users click on the fake updates, the hackers install a program that can steal passwords and take pictures from their webcams. For Mission Teams Missionaries traveling and using hotel Wi-Fi should avoid connecting to untrusted Wi-Fi networks, avoid public Wi-Fi whenever possible, and consider using a VPN. Workers should also be cautious about clicking pop-ups or software update prompts while connected to public networks to help protect their digital security and communications. https://thehackernews.com/2026/08/hijacked-hotel-wi-fi-pushes-fake.html Signal Expands Multi-Device Support to Secondary iPhones Signal now allows iPhone users to link a second iPhone to their existing account using end-to-end encryption. Users can choose to sync their full chat history and 45 days of saved media across both mobile devices. For Mission Teams This update makes it easier for mission teams to separate personal phone numbers from secure ministry accounts across multiple devices. Field workers can manage sensitive seeker messages on a backup test phone without losing access to encrypted conversation histories. https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/04/signals-latest-ios-update-expands-multi-device-feature-for-iphone-users/ Platforms Crack Down on Low-Quality AI Content Major social media platforms are tightening their rules to limit low-effort, AI-generated content across their services. Companies such as YouTube, TikTok, Snap, and Meta are introducing mandatory labels, watermarks, and reduced distribution to help curb spammy content. For Mission Teams Relying on fully automated AI tools to quickly produce large volumes of gospel content could eventually reduce your account's overall reach. Teams should prioritize authentic, human-led messaging and content to help ensure their digital outreach efforts are not penalized or flagged as low-quality spam. https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-slop-substack-youtube-tiktok-pinterest-facebook-instagram-threads-2026-7 Meta Ads Introduces Stablecoin Payment Options Meta now allows businesses to pay for ad campaigns using stablecoins, digital currencies designed to maintain a consistent value, such as USDC. A third-party payment provider converts the digital funds into local currency before crediting the advertising account. For Mission Teams This payment option provides field teams in financially restricted countries a flexible way to fund gospel ad campaigns without relying on local banks. However, teams must use secure digital wallets to protect financial assets and maintain operational privacy. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-ads-introduces-stablecoin-payment-options/827034/ X Blocks Account Access in Saudi Arabia Following Government Demands X has started blocking dozens of user accounts inside Saudi Arabia after receiving official legal demands from the local government. The platform stated these restrictions were necessary to comply with local laws regarding public order and religion. For Mission Teams This censorship highlights how quickly governments can force tech platforms to restrict accounts operating in sensitive regions. Mission teams must establish secondary communication channels so connections with local seekers are not lost if primary social media pages are suddenly blocked. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/04/x-twitter-blocks-dissident-accounts-saudi-arabia Myspace Owners Plan Relaunch of Social Platform The owners of Myspace announced plans to bring back the once-popular social media network. While no official launch date was given, they hope to revive the classic platform for old and new users. For Mission Teams While a Myspace comeback is driven by nostalgia, mission teams should monitor if it creates new digital communities for online outreach. However, teams should keep primary digital evangelism resources focused on established platforms where seekers currently gather. https://mashable.com/life/myspace-comeback-owners-relaunch-plans Google AI Max Will be Standard In September Google is updating its Dynamic Search Ads to an artificial intelligence system called AI Max. This tool automatically creates ad headlines and connects people’s search questions directly to the best page on a website. For Mission Teams This upgrade helps match seekers with gospel resources. However, teams must carefully monitor these automated systems for relevancy and performance. https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/dsa-upgrade-to-ai-max-2026/ Stay Equipped for Digital Engagement  Looking for ways to use digital tools to grow evangelism and disciple-making? Check out our other resources: 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. Jon Ralls' new book–  Check out Jon Ralls' new book The Reluctant Whisper on Amazon, where he talks of evangelism from a sales pitch into an authentic act of presence—sharing faith through story, not scripts! Check it out here. Ad Resource Store- Stumped on what ads to run next? Check out Kavanah Media's Ad Resource Store for ideas, templates and more! Digital Strategies got you stumped? Reach out anytime—we’re ready to help. Contact Us Church GAP Analysis Tool- Uncover hidden risks before they become problems. Use our Free GAP Analysis Tool to evaluate your church or non-profit’s cybersecurity, compliance, and governance today.  Kavanah Analytics- How is your digital content truly impacting lives? We created Kavanah Analytics to help churches and mission teams answer that question. Learn More 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: Jon Ralls, Cody A. and Cherry Messimer Article Published: August 7, 2026