In the latest WDA Marketing Pit Stop, we take a look at the most important digital marketing news and updates from the past two weeks, including Google Ads limiting search term reporting, Facebook’s Audience Network warning, TikTok facing possible restrictions in the UK, updates to Facebook Shops and more.

Let’s take a pit stop and get into it.

Facebook Audience Network Warning

Facebook has warned advertisers that new updates coming with iOS14, likely to be rolled out next month, will have a huge impact on Audience Network ad performance. If you’re currently using the Audience Network in Facebook ads then be prepared for a significant dip in performance from it. You may have to rethink your strategy altogether if this forms a large part of it and has been performing well.

TikTok Likely to be Restricted in the UK

With very much uncertainty still looming over the social Giant and discussions continuing in the US, the government here in the UK is leaning away from imposing a ban and more towards putting in place restrictions. TikTok however remains confident that they’re here to stay, launching merch stating “not going anywhere”.

We’ll continue to provide insights into how this develops over the coming weeks and months but if you want to explore short form video content away from TikTok and haven’t looked into Instagram Reels yet then give it a go! Again, as expressed previously, short form video content on TikTok, Reels and similar apps is the perfect place to show the fun side to your automotive brand.

Twitter Continues to Experiment

Twitter is continuing its recent updates and experiments by testing a ‘Quotes’ count on tweets. First discovered by reverse-engineering expert Jane Wong before several Twitter users reported seeing the new feature which has some mixed reviews so far. It displays alongside the retweets and likes count as another engagement metric, making it easier for users to see where discussions from retweets are happening. No news yet on whether they’ll launch this feature but stay tuned. As of publishing, this has now been rolled out.

Facebook Makes More Updates to Messenger Rooms

In an attempt to gain popularity further, Facebook has made more updates to its Zoom competitor Messenger Rooms. The new updates are designed to make Rooms easier to discover and create by giving it more prominence in Messenger.

They’re also increasing the personalisation options by allowing users to customise their Rooms background with photos as well as the previous options available. Is Rooms something you’ve used internally for your automotive business instead of Zoom or to create a social get together/event for your audience? Let us know!

New Facebook Shop Section

Facebook is making it easier to discover businesses and shop for products with Facebook Shop. It works similar to Instagram Shop, providing a place for shoppers to find and buy products from businesses.

It’s first being tested for users in the US before being rolled out. This is certainly something we’ll continue to provide updates on as to when it will be rolled out in the UK as it will provide another fantastic opportunity for automotive e-commerce businesses to drive more sales.

Updates to Facebook Shops

Inline with the new Shop section that’s on the way, Facebook is also updating Facebook Shops. The updates coming will include new shop layouts, real-time previews of your product collections, creating shops automatically for new sellers, additional data being made available in Commerce Manager and finally, a messaging option that will allow customers to send questions etc. through Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.

Again, if your automotive business operates within the e-commerce sector, whether selling aftermarket parts, vehicle accessories, motorsport helmets or something else, Facebook Shops provides another option for increasing product awareness, reach and hopefully boosting sales.

Google Tests a New Reporting System in Search Console Starting With Security Issues

With the new reporting system, webmasters will be able to rectify issues with sites being removed mistakenly due to security issues sooner.

The announcement was made on Twitter and said the following:

“Google provides many support mechanisms, but we recognize there can be situations where site owners may wish to report urgent bugs or other issues in a timely manner. To help, we’re piloting a new reporting system beginning with security issues.”

Google Launches New AdSense Reports Page

The new AdSense reporting page will roll out in phases and might take a couple of weeks to reach all accounts. With the new page comes data constraints – with reporting data limited to the last three years, aside from billing and payment information, in an attempt to increase reporting accuracy. Historic data can still be downloaded until the end of this year.

Microsoft Advertising Expands Audience Targeting

Three of Microsoft’s audience targeting options – LinkedIn profile targeting, Dynamic remarketing for Shopping and In-Market audience have been expanded.

Firstly, LinkedIn profile targeting is now available for Search and Audience campaigns in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France and Germany. It’s a great capability that’s completely unique to the Microsoft Advertising platform. Dynamic remarketing is officially out of beta and In-market audiences can now also be used when targeting ads in France and Germany.

Google Ads to Limit Search Term Reporting

Google Ads will soon be limiting the search query data that’s available inside of AdWords. They’ve already started warning advertisers that the change is coming, stating queries where there is not “significant” data will no longer show in your account. This update is going to of course affect performance as advertisers will have less control over what their ads are triggered for.

What they mean by “significant” is hard to say at this time but if Google Search Ads are currently a part of your automotive marketing strategy then be sure to keep an eye on your search term reports and for further updates on this coming in the near future.

LinkedIn Page Updates

LinkedIn has now granted page owners more insight into their follower list – providing information on the people who follow the page, the company, industry, location and how they found your page. Previously, page owners only had access to the total follower count and demographic overview.

In addition, they’ve introduced a new Events tab that is aimed at making it easier for companies to feature virtual events such as SEMA 360. Virtual events will only continue to gain traction and we wouldn’t be surprised if in-person trade events within our industry were completely phased out in a few years time.

Apple Ratings

Apple Ratings is coming to iOS14, allowing users to rate a business within Apple Maps (which currently uses third-parties such as Yelp). This is something to pay particular interest in if your automotive business operates locally as it provides yet another review platform to consider and potentially optimise for.

Google Passes On Tax To Advertisers

Google has sent out notifications to advertisers stating that from November the 1st, advertisers will be charged additional tax in the UK, Austria and Turkey. The additional tax that they’re passing onto UK advertisers is 2%. The most important thing to note here is to make sure you factor the added tax into your advertising budget and to review your location targeting and performance.

That wraps up the latest Marketing Pit Stop. Subscribe to our blog and follow us on social media so you don’t miss the next one!

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