The Funnel

Our roundup of the most important PPC news stories this month.

Each month we do the hard work for you and gather news related to Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other ad platforms that could affect your advertising strategies.

We cover the following ad platforms:

Amazon Ads
Facebook Ads
Google Ads
Instagram Ads
LinkedIn Ads
Microsoft Ads
Pinterest Ads
Reddit Ads
Snapchat Ads
Twitter Ads
YouTube Ads

We hope this will help keep you up to date with the latest trends in the wider PPC world.

Here is everything you may have missed in March.

Enjoy!

Using any of these platforms for your advertising? Check out our smart advertising solutions to see how they can help.

Top PPC Videos in April 2020

What Google's earnings reveal about the advertising industry during coronavirus

Alphabet shares rose as much as 7% in extended trading on Tuesday after the company reported earnings for the first quarter and sounded a cautiously optimistic note that a steep drop-off in ad revenues in March was starting to moderate.

Amazon drops on earnings - Here's how the traders reacted

Amazon reported its first-quarter earnings after the bell on Thursday, revealing the pandemic’s impact on the business that has been a rare bright spot on the stock market. The stock fell about 5% after hours after missing estimates on earnings while beating revenue expectations.

Facebook CFO: 'We had a steep decline in ad revenue in March'

Facebook CFO David Wehner joins "Closing Bell" to talk about the company's earnings and advertising revenue.

Amazon Ads News

Amazon ad business a win in wider Q1 earnings miss
(30 Apr 20) - Sales hit $75.5 billion but income dropped $1 billion from a year ago in Amazon's Q1 earnings.

Product targeting available for US sellers on Sponsored Display
(1 Apr 20) - Now available in Seller Central, marketers can promote product discovery with ads that reach shoppers actively browsing similar products on Amazon.

Facebook Ads News

Facebook stock jumps after Q1 earnings despite drop in ad demand
(29 Apr 20) - Ad revenue jumped 17% year-on-year in Q1, but the company said its ad business will take a major hit in Q2 in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Facebook launches Rooms, challenging Zoom
(24 Apr 20) - Rooms will be included in Facebook Messenger with the ability to add 50 people to a video conference. Rooms is expected to integrate with Whatsapp and Instagram eventually.

Facebook still plans to put ads in Whatsapp
(23 Apr 20) - Facebook hasn't abandoned its plans to put ads in Whatsapp. The company will push ahead with ads once it has unified its messaging apps Instagram and Messenger.

Facebook removes 'pseudoscience' ad-targeting category
(23 Apr 20) - Facebook has scrapped 'pseudoscience' as an option for advertisers to target audiences, most likely to avoid spreading misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Facebook launches a dedicated gaming app to take on Twitch and YouTube
(20 Apr 20) - Facebook has launched a dedicated app for people to create and watch live game play. The move pits Facebook against the likes of Amazon’s Twitch and Google’s YouTube. It’s hoping to gain traction as Covid-19 forces people around the world to shelter in place.

Facebook giving $100 mln in grants to SMBs impacted by coronavirus
(2 Apr 20) - The $100 million earmarked for Facebook’s SMB Grants Program includes cash grants and ad credits for small businesses around the world.

Instagram Ads News

Instagram, FB to show where popular pages are posting from
(23 Apr 20) - Instagram is piloting a new feature which will reveal the location of popular pages when they publish posts. With this change, users will be able to see the country where page managers are posting content from to see whether their owners are actually in the places they say they are.

Google Ads News

Alphabet warns of difficult quarter as Google ad growth slows
(29 Apr 20) - With Google's sales down, the company is suspending hiring, internships, marketing, office expansions and other spending.

Google Ads to Require Identity Verification
(23 Apr 20) - Google announced they will begin requiring documentation of user identity and geographic location for advertisers.

Google will now let any business list products on Google Shopping for free
(21 Apr 20) - Usually, an e-commerce operation would need to pay for ad placement on Google Shopping. But now anyone who operates a website or manages a store on a marketplace platform can list without paying. Google still plans to charge companies for top placement as promoted listings. The move is seen as an admission that Google Shopping has failed to catch on as most users continue to use Amazon or Ebay to shop online.

Google waives ad serving fees for news publishers
(17 Apr 20) - For the next 5 months, Google Ads will waive the ad serving fees associated with their Google Ad Manager product for news publishers.

LinkedIn Ads News

Finance, tech firms on hiring spree amid coronavirus turmoil: LinkedIn
(30 Apr 20) - The coronavirus is roiling global job markets, but the picture is not all gloomy. Finance, technology and consumer goods firms are hiring tens of thousands in the United States and other countries, according to LinkedIn data.

How to use LinkedIn Ads’ new company targeting options to boost B2B leads
(21 Apr 20) - The new target types, Company Category and Company Growth Rate, use data from Forbes and Fortune as well as LinkedIn's own observable, behavioral data to target B2B leads.

Microsoft Ads News

Microsoft shares rise after posting 15% revenue growth
(29 Apr 20) - The tech giant posted $35 in revenue on the back of its cloud-computing software. COVID-19 had little impact.

Microsoft Advertising adds support for multi-account Google imports
(23 Apr 20) - Advertisers can now elect to import an entire Google Ads account or specific campaigns.

Microsoft Ads Expands Conversion Inclusion Options for Advertisers
(9 Apr 20) - Two new settings related to conversion reporting for users of its ad platform have been released - include in conversions and view-through conversion - which allow advertisers to better assess how channels contribute to sales and leads.

Microsoft thinks coronavirus will forever change the way we work and learn
(9 Apr 20) - Microsoft is pushing hard to develop Teams and predicts that the coronavirus pandemic will be a turning point forever changing work and lifestyle habits.

Pinterest Ads News

Pinterest surges after user numbers top analyst estimates
(8 Apr 20) - The digital scrapbook withdrew 2020 forecasts after the coronavirus pandemic hurt its advertising business, but investors focused on the growth of Pinterest's online audience.

Pinterest adds new 'Shop' tabs for in-stock inventory
(7 Apr 20) - The new Shop tab on Search will help users find in-stock items from retailers when they perform a search query, like “spring outfits,” “home office décor” or “kitchen remodel,” among other things. Before, users would have to scroll through a variety of search results, only some of which may have been shoppable.

Reddit Ads News

Reddit is launching built-in subreddit chat rooms
(29 Apr 20) - The feature, called “Start Chatting,” will randomly sort users of popular subreddits into small, private group chats. Reddit says the feature is rolling out to around 50 percent of SFW subreddits this week.

Reddit will now publicly track political ad spending on its platform
(13 Apr 20) - Reddit is launching a new subreddit that will list all political ad campaigns that have run on the site since January 1st, 2019. The new subreddit can be found at r/RedditPoliticalAds.

Snapchat Ads News

Snapchat pilots 'first commercial' video takeover ads
(28 Apr 20) - Snap has started testing an ad format that shows a non-skippable commercial before the first show that people watch each day on Snapchat.

Snap reports usage boost from Covid-19 with increased ad engagement
(2 Apr 20) - With more folk staying in-doors, Snap is getting a well-needed boost in usage from Covid-19, resulting in increased engagement on its ads.

Snapchat brings Stories to other apps
(1 Apr 20) - Snap has introduced a way for developers to show Snapchat Stories in their own apps. By integrating with app stories, developers can let their users post vanishing messages from Snapchat and drive engagement on their respective platforms.

Twitter Ads News

Twitter discloses how it shares data with FB, Google for ads
(8 Apr 20) - The new policy covers how it targets ads on other platforms and measures ads on its own. 

Twitter lifts coronavirus ad ban, allowing brands to mention efforts in pandemic
(3 Apr 20) - Twitter has removed its blanket ban on ads that mention coronavirus and is now allowing marketers to include their pandemic responses in paid tweets, a move that comes in the face of a global pandemic where many brands’ messages are being shaped by their products and services during the crisis.

YouTube Ads News

YouTube launches free, DIY tool for businesses to create short video ads
(14 Apr 20) - YouTube has launched a new tool aimed at small businesses that need a simple, low-cost way to create videos, but may not have the creative experience or technical know-how required to do so, known as the YouTube Video Builder.

YouTube reportedly working on TikTok competitor called Shorts
(1 Apr 20) - YouTube is looking to compete directly with the short-form, user-generated content app by reportedly launching its own version called “Shorts.”

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Using any of these platforms for your advertising? Check out our smart advertising solutions to see how they can help.