Meta

Apr 7, 2024 ∞

Facebook will play videos in full-screen vertical by default. Plus some UI updates. Think TikTok meets YouTube.

via Meta

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Apr 4, 2024 ∞

Good reminder: Ads Optimization is Literal

When you select a performance goal in the ad set, the algorithm’s entire focus is getting you as many of that thing as possible.

It’s not trying to get you a certain type of link click or landing page view or ThruPlay. The only goal is to get you that thing and make you happy.

Because Meta is literal, and when you optimize for those things, the assumption is that you are satisfied with that surface-level action.

This is how algorithms work. They don’t make qualitative judgements. It’s a binary “did the action occur?” switch. Yes = success.

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Apr 4, 2024 ∞

🚨 Meta Is Broken

For the second time in just over a month, Meta’s apps, including WhatsApp, and to some extent, Messenger and Instagram, faced outages and intermittent issues.

Meta’s status page detailed disruptions to key business services, including its Ads Manager, Messenger Platform, WhatsApp Business API and others.

via TechCrunch

&

There has been a lot of talk on Twitter/X about Meta Ads being “broken”. This has happened before, but it’s never lasted longer than a few weeks. This time, many brands have seen soft performance for all of Q1.

there is no obvious cause/effect relationship between poor performance and a specific code push or platform outage on Meta’s side.

only some brands are seeing poor performance.

via No Best Practices (a must read for Meta advertisers)

Something is fundamentally broken at Meta (more than usual). Which means it’s a time to experiment freely, on and off the platform.

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Apr 2, 2024 ∞

Looking forward to playing with this new reporting feature from Meta (because I’m a data nerd).

With the Engaged Customers Audience Segment, you can define your engaged customers using custom audiences, which provides reporting breakdowns specifically for this audience.

Meta now offers a new segment to analyze results in Ads Manager. Just go to the Breakdown menu and choose “Demographics by Audience Segments.” From there, you’ll see separate rows for New Customers, Existing Customers, and Engaged Customers

Cracking open the lid of the black box ever so slightly.

I’m a believer in the AI/algorithm-driven targeting but learning more about what audiences it finds success with can be helpful to fold back into other efforts.

via Search Engine Land

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Mar 29, 2024 ∞

Friday Bits & Bytes | 032924

Why Marketers need to embrace the funny when it comes to podcasting

While there’s no sure-fire formula to being funny, brands that lean into comedic ads find the effort has a good success rate.

A funny ad is a sticky ad

Marketing (and business) doesn’t have to be that serious, have some fun. It may even make your work better.

If only there were a “holiday” coming up that would let you safely try humor for your brand…

How consumers find new brands and products on social media, marketplaces, and brick-and-mortar retail in 5 charts

Here are 2:



Over two-thirds (67%) of US 16-to 24-year-olds say they’ve learned about a product or service through a social media video that organically entered their feed

But

Social media is just one part of the discovery mix. Online marketplaces or search engines are the top places where US consumers start their shopping journey

Outside of impulse purchases, discovery and shopping are two different phases.

Are Lookalikes Still Relevant?

I get that lookalikes are technically a bit more specific, in theory. You could find people similar to your paying customers, for example. I wonder if advertisers simply don’t trust the newer options as much as the tried and true lookalikes.

I’m just not convinced that lookalikes are any better than these other methods. I’ve mostly abandoned them completely as a result.

I am now very interested in this question. Mostly because I’m interested in what’s working on Meta.

And because I just made a bunch of lookalikes earlier today for an upcoming campaign. Wonder if that was time wasted…

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