June 11, 2017 – By Aaron Hockel
As celebrities and publishers continue to monetize their Instagram followers with paid promotions, an issue has develop with how their posts conform with FTC guidelines for labeling ads. Last week, Instagram took a step to address the issue by launching an ad label. Now, paid posts can be labeled with “Paid partnership with Brand Name”. It will fall on the person creating the post to apply the label and follow FTC guidelines. An example of the label can be seen below and more coverage on this topic can be found on Marketing Land.
SMB’s that do not have websites might be in luck if Google’s new website builder tool takes off. While the tool launched in January, it is now being widely rolled out through Google My Business. The tool is designed to be incredibly easy to use and was created for emerging markets outside the U.S. The tool is capable of building simple webpages that are mobile friendly. Mike Blumenthal broke the news of the worldwide release in a blog post last week that can be read by clicking here.
Gary Ilyes confirme at SMX Advanced in Seattle that Google’s mobile first index will not rollout until at least 2018. Previous reports on Google’s mobile first index had hinted at its debut this year, but that timeline has now changed to 2018. A major reason is that Google hopes to execute the rollout in a way that does not hurt non-mobile friendly sites initially. Click here to read more on this announcement on Search Engine Land.
Announced last month, Snapchat’s self serve ad platform (pictured below) officially opened on Monday. Advertisers can purchase vertical video ads designed to generate website traffic, play a longer video, or initiate app downloads. While sponsored lenses and geo-filters are not yet available through the platform, advertisers do have access to multiple ad targeting options. For more on Snapchat’s new self serve ad platform, checkout this awesome guide by Marketing Land’s Tim Peterson.
Aaron Hockel is a Partner and the VP of Digital Marketing at AltaVista Strategic Partners. A University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) alumnus, Aaron expertly crafts digital marketing strategies that drive success for clients, leveraging his deep industry knowledge and innovative approach.