PPC News in March 2020: Top Headlines

The top articles and videos about paid advertising in March 2020.

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 March 2020

How Coronavirus could slow down Amazon deliveries

As Amazon orders surge, coronavirus delays deliveries and threatens to put sellers out of business.

What Coronavirus means for the future of work from home

Social distancing regulations to combat the coronavirus outbreak are forcing millions of Americans to work remotely.

The economic impact of coronavirus event cancellations

Major tech conferences around the world are scrapping their events due to coronavirus.

Amazon Ads News

We need Amazon during the coronavirus. And that’s a problem

(31 Mar 2020) — With competitors closing, online retail giants are poised to be the only ones standing after the pandemic.

Brands selling on Amazon must rethink advertising to navigate out-of-stocks, delayed shipping

(31 Mar 2020) — Hard-hit eCommerce players, including Amazon, saw a dip in sales on non-essential goods this month, but marketing experts believe in the coming weeks a resurgence in demand is coming and brands will have to be ready.

Amazon cuts spending on Google advertising this month

(17 Mar 2020) — Data shows big declines in Amazon bidding on Shopping and text ads. The company could be discouraging people from using the platform in response to a huge surge in online shopping on Covid-19 fears.

Meet the 19 execs turning Amazon into Google, Facebook’s new advertising rival

(16 Mar 2020) — There are 19 executives whose goal is to turn Amazon into an advertising rival on par with Google and Facebook. Business Insider breaks down their profiles and roles in the company.

Facebook Ads News

COVID-19 to hit Facebook harder than you think

(31 Mar 2020) — More people are using Facebook as they are forced to self-isolate, with traffic up as much as 50%. But that’s not how Facebook makes money. Up to 98% of the company’s revenue comes from ads. And with small businesses cutting ad spend on the platform, some believe Facebook will be hit harder than most during the COVID-19 crisis.

Facebook adds new ‘experiments’ element to ad manager to help optimize ad performance

(31 Mar 2020) — The new ‘experiments’ section to Ads Manager will provide a central home for all our Facebook ad tests and results. It should make it easier to track and measure variables.

Here’s why Facebook is investing another $100 mln in local journalism

(31 Mar 2020) — The company announced a $100 million package of grants and marketing spend to support local news during the crisis. Local news is an important content source and a key growth area for the company as it seeks to develop its Groups feature.

Facebook releases new tools for Facebook Live amid rising demand and usage

(28 Mar 2020) — The features are designed to help creators build audiences for their video content and promote return viewership.

Facebook bans more ad types in response to Covid-19

(20 Mar 2020) — Facebook is banning more types of ads for products people need to stay safe and prevent the spread of Covid-19. These include ads for hand sanitizer, surface disinfecting wipes and Covid-19 testing kits.

Google Ads News

Google Ads ends monthly campaign budget test

(31 Mar 2020) — Google gave access to monthly budgeting options to select accounts. It is now pulling the plug on the experiment and switching back to daily budgeting as of April 2020.

Dedicated support for Premier Partners ending April 1st

(31 Mar 2020) — The majority of Google Premier agencies will no longer have dedicated contacts for their accounts beginning April 1st. A Google spokesperson said this is not related to the coronavirus and part of a regular review to evaluate Google’s relationship with its agencies.

Google pledges $340 mln in Google Ads credits to SMBs

(27 Mar 2020) — The credits will be available for eligible active advertisers in the coming months. It is also expanding ad grants for COVID-19 public service announcements.

Report Editor now supports up to 200 accounts

(27 Mar 2020) — Google this month announced that the Report Editor can manage up to 200 accounts.

Google Ads advice during COVID-19

(26 Mar 2020) — Google posted some tips on how to navigate your Google Ads search campaigns during the COVID-19 crisis. This includes being more careful with your tone and reviewing old asset for sensitivity.

Instagram Ads News

Instagram launches new co-watching feature to help users connect during COVID-19

(25 Mar 2020) — With everybody locked inside, Instagram is adding a new feature which aims to help users connect via video chat, with the option of also scrolling through your Instagram feed while still connected via video link.

Instagram to take on YouTube with IGTV Ads

(22 Mar 2020) — Instagram will share sales with app’s creators the way YouTube does. YouTube generated $15 billion in advertising sales last year.

LinkedIn Ads News

LinkedIn suggests 4 types of posts to share amid COVID-19 lockdown

(26 Mar 2020) — LinkedIn is seeing traffic go up, and the company has published a guide on what kind of posts companies should share with everybody inside. These include posts about remote working, social distancing, online learning, crisis management among others.

LinkedIn launches Conversation Ads, a new message-based ad format

(18 Mar 2020) — LinkedIn is launching a new type of message-based ad that uses conversation to deliver a customized experience for each user.

Microsoft Ads News

Microsoft Advertising expands UI redesign to more pages

(30 Mar 2020) — The redesign includes a new overview dashboard for Manager accounts. Users can apply fore preview access.

Standard Text Ads to migrate to Expanded Text Ads on March 31st

(16 Mar 2020) — If your Microsoft Advertising Ads are set as standard text ads, they will be migrated to expanded text ads on March 31st.

Pinterest Ads News

Pinterest provides tips on how to connect with inspired shoppers and boost sales

(31 Mar 2020) — Pinterest, like other social media apps, are seeing record traffic in recent weeks. In response to this, Pinterest released a report on the latest trends among Pinterest shoppers.

Reddit Ads News

Reddit launches Polls, providing new way for Redditors to engage with content

(24 Mar 2020) — The hope is to increase engagement, and activate the many ‘lurkers’ who scroll through the various posts but don’t post, share or comment themselves within the app.

Snapchat Ads News

Snapchat now enables developers to integrate Stories into their apps via Snap Kit

(31 Mar 2020) — Snapchat officially announced this month that developers can now integrate Snapchat Stories into their apps, facilitating more immersive, engaging content experiences, and boosting exposure for Snap content.

New Snapchat tool lets you create AR Ads for your business

(17 Mar 2020) — Snapchat has announced the launch of a web-based Augmented Reality (AR) production tool to allow businesses to create AR lens.

Snapchat tests audience network to place ads outside app

(5 Mar 2020) — Snapchat began testing an audience network that lets brands place ads on other apps this year. The Snap Audience Network extends the image-messaging app’s Snap Ads full-screen format to third-party apps.

Twitter Ads News

Twitter provides a month of daily tweet prompts for brands

(31 Mar 2020) — Not sure what to tweet about? One of the keys to success is to post consistently, so Twitter published a guide of 20 tweet prompts to help brands dealing with ‘twitter block’.

Twitter publishes new list of key dates this month that looks pretty empty

(31 Mar 2020) — Twitter publishes reports each month on upcoming key events worth tweeting and marketing around. This month’s, however, is unsurprisingly thin, with most sporting and cultural events canceled.

YouTube Ads News

YouTube ad revenue, creative output could grow during coronavirus

(30 Mar 2020) — CPMs, which stand for cost per 1,000 impressions, have gone down on YouTube, leading many to think that advertisers are pulling back spending. But others speculate more content is being produced, along with user consumption, and thus providing more ad revenue than there typically is.

YouTube reverses policy of banning ads on coronavirus videos

(11 Mar 2020) — For weeks creators complained that YouTube’s policy of demonetizing videos related to coronavirus was a form of censorship, as content producers were forced to focus on topics that would bring them revenue. The company reversed that policy earlier this month, saying it realized that the topic had become an ‘important part of everyday conversation’.

YouTube updates mid-roll ads editor and notification analytics

(3 Mar 2020) — YouTube launched several new features this month that give creators access to more data, as well as more control over ads.

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