[Ep50/29Mar21] - Facebook Analytics Discontinuation and other updates from Instagram, YouTube, Microsoft, Google, SnapChat, Pinterest, & LinkedIn during the week of Mar 29, 21

#TWIMshow - This Week in Marketing

1. Instagram Expands IGTV Ads To The UK and Australia - After first testing ads in IGTV with some US-based creators, Instagram has decided to expand this service to the UK and Australia. The video ads will be suitable for mobiles and will last no longer than 15 seconds. Bloomberg has predicted that creators will be earning 55% of ad revenue, while Instagram will receive the remaining 45% - the same ration that YouTube offers.

2. YouTube is Allowing More Content To Become Eligible For Full Monetization - Previously certain videos were restricted from monetization but now YouTube is bringing in more creators to run their ads. The platform has announced that first they will expand monetization on “educational, documentary or news content that may include violent interactions with law enforcement, recreational drugs and drug-related content, or sensitive events” as well as “for controversial issues where non-graphic, objective discussions of controversial issues are in the video”. Additionally, they will allow monetization for adult themes delivered through humor; harmful or dangerous acts and Firearms-related sections in the Advertiser-friendly content guidelines.

3. Microsoft Advertising Announced an Open Beta For Automotive Ads in The US and UK - Similarly to shopping ads, automotive ads are product ads based on the feed. On the other hand, these ads won’t require a merchant center, as the feed will be uploaded directly into the advertiser’s advertising account.

4. No Limits on Title Tag Length, According to Google - The myth of having 50 to 70 character length for a title was only invented from by SEO community as a standard. Gary Illyes, an analyst at Google, advices people to keep the title precise but to not think too much about how long it is, whether it’s too long or too short.

5. Google Maps and Google My Business Welcome a Number of AI-powered Updates - These updates include pickup and delivery attributes, a curbside pickup pilot program, indoor Live View, an updated directions interface and several eco-friendly tweaks to Maps. The features aim to improve customer experience since users will have all the information they need before deciding on a purchase.

6. Back to School on Snapchat: A New Resource Center For Marketers - With 85% of Snapchat users being on the app while shopping for back to school, Snapchat wants to provide as much support as possible for marketers. This resource center includes a range of insights into platform usage and rising trends, along with case studies to help brands shape their approach.

7. Updated Ad Campaign and Account Management Tools for Pinterest - This is Pinterest’s first ever B2B ad campaign, which aims to better frame its expanding use case and highlight opportunities for marketers. While 97% of the searches are unbranded, 8 in 10 users say they’ve purchased samething based on a brand they found on the platform.

8. New Profile Features for LinkedIn - You can now introduce yourself through a video cover story option and express your identity through an optional gender pronouns field at the top of your profile. Additionally. LinkedIn is also introducing a new “Creators Mode” for profiles, enabling them to showcase their activity and engagement on the platform, in a whole new way.

9. Facebook Analytics Will Be Discontinued from June 30, 2021 - Facebook was forced to retire FB Analytics because of iOS14. And instead they are moving to “Aggregated Event Measurement” While this is far from perfect solution this is the best solution Facebook has for the time being. Albeit many users will find this change (including the setup) bring them unnecessary challenge when trying to gain useful data about their ads.