Weekly Training

Weekly Marketing Rundown - January 5th, 2024 Hi everyone, We hope you had a happy new year! In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about Google Consent Mode v2, TikTok's new AI text-to-image feature, and more. Let's dive in.  Google's Consent Mode v2 is Coming. How Do You Need to Prepare? The new Digital Markets Act (DMA) goes into effect in March. This new European regulation puts the burden of collecting consent for analytics purposes on large digital firms such as Google. In response to this, Google is making some updates to consent mode.  For those of you who don't know, consent mode lets you communicate a user's cookie consent status to Google. This way, tracking tags adjust their behavior in line with user cookie preferences. Consent mode has been around since 2020.  Third-party cookies are going away this year and without the proper consent settings enabled, measuring user behavior and website performance through Google advertisement products will not work. If you already have consent mode v1 enabled, the only significant change you'll likely need to make is the addition of two consent states: ad_user_data and ad_personalization.  For more on this, click the read the articles below: https://cookie-script.com/blog/google-consent-mode-v2 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/schreibererwin_consentmode-googleads-gdpr-activity-7148631693854179328-AYqb/ https://searchengineland.com/google-chrome-started-phasing-out-third-party-cookies-436244?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hootsuite&utm_content=editorial TikTok Adds New AI Text-to-Image Feature TikTok is rolling out a new AI image generator. The new feature can be found in the video creation section of the app on the right-side settings dropdown. Creators can input words or topics that will then be turned into a portrait-sized AI-generated picture.  For more on this, click the link below: https://twitter.com/jonah_manzano/status/1742493038117843155?s=46 Advantage+ Audience Tips Meta launched Advantage+ audiences to their ads platform this last fall. In many cases since, testing has looked good and in some cases has performed better than previous audiences. But while there have been positives, there are some things you need to watch out for.  Under audience suggestions, you can set hard controls on location, minimum age, language, etc. This is essentially the same as it was before. Under audience suggestions, however, the inputs you select (detailed targeting, custom audiences, etc.) are simply suggestions that Meta can and most likely will go beyond. For some, this doesn't matter. But for others, this lack of control is a big deal.  There are a few ways you can approach this. One way is to return to the original targeting options. This would take things back to "normal" but in some cases may limit your performance (you should test it). Another is, when possible, to optimize towards custom events. Meta's algorithm will serve the ad to placements and people most likely to accomplish that custom event which, with enough data, can be extremely accurate over time.  For more on this, click the link below https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7148681595074330625-u3-6/ SEO Ranking Factors for 2024 (Semrush) Semrush has released new SEO research detailing what ranking factors matter most heading into 2024. Their study was based on analyzing the top 20 organic results for 16,000+ keywords and includes a lot of helpful, easy-to-digest findings. Some of the most notable findings are: - Content relevance was found to be the most important ranking factor in their study - There was a strong correlation between the number of star ratings in a domain’s pages’ organic listings and rankings. - There was a correlation between domain & page authority scores with better SERP rankings For more on this, click the links below: Full report: https://go.semrush.com/Ranking-Factors/ https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7148681694416367616/ 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 our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: January 5th, 2024

In this episode, Jon will be sharing several key areas of focus and goals that he believes will be key in this coming year. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/ZzZa4LYPeH0

In this episode, Jon will be sharing several areas of analysis and thinking that can help you see what was working well in your digital engagement efforts of 2023. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/4m32EPBL-O0

Weekly Marketing Rundown - December 22nd, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about short-form video traffic through reels and TikTok, a prompt engineering guide from OpenAI, and more. Let's dive in.  Report Finds IG Reels Outperform TikTok Clips in Driving Views A new report from Emplifi has found that Reels, on average, outperform TikTok in terms of social media performance. The report examined view numbers for short, medium, and long-form content on social media platforms and found that in most categories, IG Reels were the best-performing video content.  For more on this, click the link below: https://emplifi.io/press/emplifi-reports-instagram-reels-outperformed-other-video-content-instagram-facebook-tiktok OpenAI Releases New Prompt Engineering Guide OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, have released a new guide to help users of their product use better prompts. The guide includes 6 strategies for better results, including specific examples you can try in your daily usage.  For more on this, click the link below: https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/prompt-engineering/six-strategies-for-getting-better-results Fun: Microsoft Teams is Now Allowing You to Design Your Own Virtual Backgrounds I know Microsoft Teams backgrounds aren't exactly a marketing update. But for many of us (including myself), Microsoft Teams calls are a part of daily life working in the marketing world. Microsoft didn't go super deep when announcing the update but implied that users will be able to customize existing Teams backgrounds to their liking. There's one major hurdle - this feature is only available to Microsoft Teams Premium users. Microsoft is currently offering Teams Premium for $7 per user per month, a 30% discount off the $10 per user standard price. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.techradar.com/pro/good-news-microsoft-teams-is-now-allowing-you-to-design-your-own-virtual-backgrounds FYI: No Rundown Next Week As a heads-up to all of our readers, we will not be releasing a new edition of the weekly marketing rundown this coming week, as much of our staff will be taking some time off from Christmas to the New Year. We'll be back with a new edition on January 5th, 2024. We hope you and your families have a merry Christmas and a happy new year!  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 our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: December 22nd, 2023

How do we have joy, and share that joy, in a world filled with sorrow and pain? Jon will share the answer to this challenge as we labor towards the Lord's return. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/TXRXTjBNbBA

Weekly Marketing Rundown - December 15th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about multiple Meta ads updates, GA4 enhanced conversions, and more. Let's dive in.  Multiple New Meta Ads Updates Over the last week, Meta has released multiple updates to its ad platform. Some of the most notable are  - Meta is starting to roll out the ability to connect multiple WhatsApp numbers to a page - Custom Audiences that use URL or custom parameters in the audience definition may be restricted by the Meta Business Tools, meaning it will likely take longer for the audience to populate.  - Ads Manager now suggests a minimum audience size that is needed for your ad set to exit the learning phase when optimizing for specific events For more on this, click the links below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7140640218918854656-xoQX/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7138838656416374784-m5t5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios Enhanced Conversions Coming to Google Analytics 4 Google Analytics 4 is getting a massive upgrade to its attribution abilities, with enhanced conversions on the way. Enhanced conversions, which were already possible to set up in Google Ads, help better track and attribute conversion credit across multiple steps of a user journey. For example: a user (while signed in to Google) sees an ad on Facebook and goes to the website but doesn't buy anything. The next day, the same person clicks on a Google search ad and makes a purchase. With enhanced conversions, credit will be shared across both platforms. Under previous GA4 settings, it would have registered the above activity as two separate users and would've given full conversion credit to Google.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7140597070473732096/ Instagram Adds New Options to Simplify Live Streaming via Third-Party Tools Using a professional account, Instagram users can now go live via third-party tools using a stream key. The stream key can be found in the Create menu on the desktop app. A preview will be available on your computer so you know exactly how it will look once you go live.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-new-options-to-simplify-live-streaming-via-third-party-tools/702450/ Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023 (Pew Research Center) The Pew Research Center has released an annual report on youth social media and technology use. Here are some of the larger findings from the report: - Roughly nine in ten teens say they use YouTube - Majorities of teens ages 13 to 17 say they use TikTok (63%), Snapchat (60%) and Instagram (59%) - Facebook usage is higher among teens in lower-income households - Nearly half of teens say they use the internet “almost constantly". - Most teens have or have access to a smartphone (95%), a desktop or laptop computer (90%), or a gaming console (83%) For more on this, click the link below: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/12/11/teens-social-media-and-technology-2023/ 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 our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: December 15th, 2023

Are you content? Are you satisfied? Are you at peace? In this holiday season, Jon will challenge you as to what really matters, and how to get that which goes beyond what we can even comprehend...through the Prince of Peace. To watch this training, go to: https://youtu.be/P16GAXTcl-0

In this episode, Jon will share of the one thing that the weary world needs to hear...hope. To watch this training, go here: https://youtu.be/di77jTD2j0s

Weekly Marketing Rundown - December 8th, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about campaign-level headlines and descriptions in Google Ads, new exclusion options for performance max, and more. Let's dive in.  Google is Testing Campaign-Level Headlines and Descriptions Google has recently started testing the ability to add campaign-level headlines and descriptions to campaigns. While this is a welcome addition on its own, there is another key update involved. Using advanced options, those with access to this feature can also schedule the pinned assets to only show during a specific date range. Google hasn't said when they plan on rolling this out to the public.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danelle-azzopardi-b06a38100_ppc-googleads-activity-7137852573994143745-Erah/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios Average Engagement Rates by Industry (November 2023) Hootsuite recently released engagement rate metrics for social platforms across multiple verticals, including (but not limited to) agencies, entertainment, and more. While we see the value in having industry-standard benchmarks, we also understand that many factors can affect what success looks like for you in your context. Industry standards are great starting points, but it's important to set your own objective benchmarks over time.  To access the statistics, click the link below: https://blog.hootsuite.com/average-engagement-rate/ Google Lets Advertisers Opt Out of Search Partner Network on All Campaigns Following Recent Adalytics Report Following a recent report by Adalytics showing large brands' ads appearing next to "unsavory content" via the search partner network (SPN), Google is now allowing advertisers to temporarily opt out of the SPN in their performance max and app campaigns, a feature that before the report was not available.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.adweek.com/media/exclusive-google-lets-advertisers-opt-out-of-search-partner-network-on-all-campaigns-following-adalytics-report/ Google Analytics 4 audiences are rolled out on Google Ads Google recently announced via X that advertisers can now directly apply GA4 audiences directly within Google Ads. This means that advertisers can now build Analytics audiences, including predictive audiences, using the Audience Manager feature and during the campaign creation process. Google also announced it is adding a few new dimensions to GA4 to provide explanations to data found within the platform.  For more on this, click on the links below: https://twitter.com/googleanalytics/status/1732155128990368085 https://searchengineland.com/google-analytics-4-audiences-google-ads-435464?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=hootsuite Instagram Tests New ‘Hype’ Option To Encourage Engagement With Stories Instagram has added a new feature to stories called Hype. This new feature allows people to post a comment to a Story that other users can then also see in-stream. This update follows multiple collaboration-based updates Instagram has released in recent months, such as collaborative posts and close friends sharing.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-new-hype-option-encourage-engagement-stories/701623/ 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 our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: December 8th, 2023

Weekly Marketing Rundown - December 1st, 2023 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about new Meta ads updates, Threads' launch in the EU, and more. Let's dive in.  5 New Facebook Ads updates Facebook has released a few new updates over the last few weeks. Here are 5 of the most notable: 1: Auto-generate Instant forms from your website 2: A new 'Flexible' ad format is rolled out to more ad accounts. This is only available with the traffic objective 3: Daily range for Budget Scheduling 4: Daily budget changes. Meta may now spend up to 75% over your daily budget when there are opportunities for scaling. 5: Background generation for Advantage+ catalog ads. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bramvanderhallen_facebookads-digitalmarketing-digitaladvertising-activity-7134937978803507200-PGxe/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios Meta's "Threads" App Coming to Europe in December Months after it's official launch in other parts of the world, Meta's Threads is finally coming to Europe. The expected release date is in December.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.wsj.com/tech/meta-threads-europe-launch-98448df5 YouTube Adds New Analytics Cards YouTube has recently added two new analytics cards for creators. The first is "Total Members", which includes subscriber data. The other is “Where Members Joined From”, which should help creators better understand what is helping their channel grow. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-adds-new-analytics-cards-simplifies-its-product-drops-feature/701089/ UK Launches New Online Fraud Charter The UK is launching a new online fraud charter, to combat scams and other fraudulent online activity. 11 major tech companies are set to sign, a few of which are TikTok and YouTube. The charter will ask the companies who sign to introduce several systems to better protect users, including new advertiser verification and quick removal of fraudulent content. For more on this, click the link below: https://news.sky.com/story/uk-to-launch-an-online-fraud-charter-with-11-major-tech-companies-including-tiktok-snapchat-and-youtube-13019307 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 our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: December 1st, 2023

In this episode, Jon will share a powerful tool that he and those he serves use in digital engagement all the time...questions. Learning how to use questions in your ministry can open doors, give insights, and lead to more fruitful connections. To watch this training, go to: https://youtu.be/Nt7SCAmEY1I

Weekly Marketing Rundown - November 24th, 2023 Hi everyone, We hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving! In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown, we'll talk about premier reach Google ads placements, Google Search Generative Engine, and more. Let's dive in.  Google Ads Releases Premier Reach Google Ads has released a new placement called "Premier Reach". Available when reservation buying, Premier Reach allows advertisers to show their ads on top content with bumper, skippable in-stream, and non-skippable in-stream ads.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ciureamihai_ppc-ppc-googleads-activity-7132378851308879873-GEBa/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Google's Search Generative Engine is Coming in 2024 - How Will it Affect Digital Marketing? Google is rolling out its new Search Generative Engine (SGE) to the public in 2024. This will be one of the largest updates Google has released for its search engine in quite some time, and it's bound to affect multiple aspects of digital marketing. While it may end up affecting the ads space, it's expected to have the largest impact on SEO. The below blog from SEO software company Authoritas goes into great detail on what we know so far about SGE and includes predictions from a number of professionals in the industry, including Sean from our team here at Kavanah Media.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.authoritas.com/blog/predicted-seo-impacts-of-googles-sge-roll-out YouTube Is Quietly Piloting An Ad Buying Program For YouTube Shorts YouTube is somewhat secretly testing new ad-buying options that will allow advertisers to target specifically YouTube shorts, something that is not currently an option. Sources involved in the testing told AdExchanger that those involved in the testing can target ads on Shorts using age, gender, geolocation, and content category. The option to target specific channels is not yet available.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.adexchanger.com/tv/youtube-is-quietly-piloting-an-ad-buying-program-for-youtube-shorts/ 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 our social media channels using the link below.  https://linktr.ee/kavanahmedia Author: Sean Ralls Article Published: November 24th, 2023