Ryan Gurr

Google Ads

George Orwell’s “Big Brother” concept has been around for more than half a century — and since the inception of the Internet and social networks, even the most stoic and “rational” individuals have considered the possibility of its reality. While we cannot confirm that we are not part of the Truman Show, we do know that tech giants — like Google — don’t actually have the entire picture. They’re just really good at making assumptions. And you can see those assumptions right here, right now.

Growth

The year 2020 was historic for countless reasons, especially here in the United States — with 9.5 million acres of land burned by wildfires, $10.4 billion in toilet paper sales nationwide, at least 15 million marchers for the Black Lives Matter movement, and nearly 350,000 COVID-19 deaths, we all lived through ups and downs. The digital marketing industry was no exception to this historic 2020 rollercoaster, and the numbers are here to prove it.

Growth

Not to be confused with “hell week,” this was one of the busiest and most hectic weeks I’ve had since joining team Swello, as it was filled with daily workshops and team activities that helped us to realign as an organization, and to focus on our mission, 2021 vision, and core values.

Social Media

Domain verification on Facebook simply means that a business owner is claiming their brand’s domain for use on Facebook. With upcoming changes to Facebook ads manager functionality due to Apple iOS14 privacy policy updates, anyone who advertises on Facebook needs to verify their domain. So, how do you verify your domain?

Social Media

Apple’s privacy updates do have major implications for Facebook advertisers, but Swello is ready to provide your business with the solutions it needs to avoid being caught in the crossfire. With more users across Facebook’s platforms (4 billion+, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) than there are Apple users, there is still plenty of prospecting and remarketing to be done for your business.

Social Media

So, what does this mean for social media advertisers? A lot, actually. Every user that opts out will no longer be tracked across websites and apps outside of Facebook, rendering Facebook’s Pixel useless. While these individuals can and will still see ads, after clicking on them, Facebook will have no way of tracking those users’ actions (including conversions).

Social Media

These new tracking rules mean that Facebook can only track one event per interaction with your ad — meaning that if a user went to your website, made a search, viewed content, added to cart, and initiated checkout, Facebook would only track and report ONE of those events, based on your prioritization.

Social Media

In order to comply with Apple’s new privacy policies, Facebook (and its ad management software) is changing fundamentally. This includes changes to how conversions are counted, and which ads get credit.

Content

Regardless of the subject matter or what it’s made of, content is a powerful tool for building brand awareness and establishing a positive reputation online. Content creation and marketing attracts new potential consumers, establishes trust with those considering your brand, and fosters loyalty among previous customers and clients.

Social Media

When it comes to your Facebook or Instagram ads, “the more the merrier” might not be the proverb to live by. While experimentation is essential to any successful advertising campaign (and therefore a large variety of creatives and audiences for testing), having too many ads running simultaneously can be a detriment to your ad performance and potential return.

Growth

Business Insider projects that by the end of the night, nearly $11 billion will have been spent on political advertising during this election cycle — shattering all previous records. So, what does this mean for digital advertising? Well, it means a lot, actually!