Today in Digital Marketing - Inside Facebook's New (and Actually Useful) AI Tool

Episode Date: June 11, 2021

I can't believe I'm about to say this — but Facebook has created an AI tool that's actually not terrible. Also: Google Analytics adds a new feature to its platform: Guessing. And finally... some clarity on the Google Partner program.• LISTEN MORE: Get each episode completely ad-free (with occasional weekend episodes) — b.link/pod-adfree• READ MORE: Get each episode as a daily email newsletter (with images, videos, and links) — b.link/pod-newsletter ADVERTISING:- Ads: b.link/pod-ads- Classifieds: b.link/pod-classifieds- Brand Takeovers: b.link/pod-takeover JOIN THE COMMUNITY:- Slack: b.link/pod-slack- Discord: b.link/pod-discord- Podcast Perks: b.link/pod-perks ENJOYING THE SHOW?- Rate and review: b.link/pod-rate- Leave a voicemail: b.link/pod-voicemail FOLLOW TOD:- Twitter: b.link/pod-twitter- LinkedIn: b.link/pod-linkedin- TikTok: b.link/pod-tiktok Today in Digital Marketing is hosted by Tod Maffin (b.link/pod-todsite) and produced by engageQ digital (b.link/pod-engageq). Subscribe at https://TodayInDigital.com or wherever you get your podcasts. (Theme music by Mark Blevis. All other music licensed by Source Audio.)Our Sponsors:* Check out Kinsta: https://kinsta.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Starting point is 00:00:18 starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. Today, I can't believe I'm about to say this, Be protected. Be Zen. Google Partner Program. It's Friday, June 11th, 2021. Happy birthday, Prince Henrik of Denmark. I'm Todd Maffin from EngageQ Digital. Here's what you missed today in digital marketing. Kind of a slow news day today, so short episode. But if you've listened to this podcast for, you know, any amount of time, you will know that I like to shit on Facebook every so often. This is for three reasons. One, it's fun. Two, I have the maturity of a 12-year-old.
Starting point is 00:01:11 And three, sometimes they have it coming with their own over-reliance on machine learning and AI. But today, the impossible happened. They announced some new tech that they're working on that may actually be quite helpful to us digital marketers. It's called Text Style Brush, an AI research project that can copy the style of text in a photo using just a single word. This means you should be able to edit and replace text in images. The example they show is a shot of produce in buckets at a grocery store with little signs written on a chalkboard above each bucket with the name of the produce written in French. And then, a version where they're written in English, but in exactly the same style as the French version.
Starting point is 00:01:55 You really can't tell on the second photo that it's simulated. It looks like someone wrote those words with chalk too. Facebook said today, quote, Although this is a research project, it could one day unlock new potential for creative self-expression, like personalized messaging and captions, and lays the groundwork for future innovations like photorealistic translation of languages in augmented reality, unquote. Facebook says they're publishing what they've learned so far
Starting point is 00:02:21 and submitting it to peer review. That transparency, they say, because they want to make sure people don't misuse this type of technology, you know, in ways like deepfake text attacks. And as socialmediatoday.com noted, it's not a stretch. Quote, people could change elements of actual photos to alter their meaning. What if, for example, someone were to use this to change an old college photo of a political candidate holding a sign so that he or she now seemingly promotes an offensive slogan rather than the actual message, unquote. Either way, something very interesting to watch. Google today announced an update to Google Analytics aimed at trying to claw back some of the data that is now being lost to the cookiepocalypse.
Starting point is 00:03:09 After all, when people opt out of all tracking pixels, they're also blocking Google Analytics from tracking that behavior. Google's solution? Modeling. Though you might know it by its actual name, making things up. Okay, that's not fair. Can we settle on educated guesses? Here's their announcement. Quote, later this year, we'll be extending our modeling capabilities to certain reports in Google Analytics 4 properties to enhance your understanding of the customer journey when observed behavioral data is not available. If users don't consent to analytics cookies, you'll still be able to generate important customer insights while respecting your users' privacy policies.
Starting point is 00:03:53 While respecting your users' privacy preferences, unquote. So yes, if the data in your user acquisition report isn't fully fleshed out, this new version will try to fill the gaps, I guess, with a jolly good estimation. Nobody in our business wants estimations, but this is the world we're in now, so I guess it's take the guesses or end up with no data at all. And honestly, the jury's still out on which is worse. They've also added some new UI tweaks. You should be able to find relevant reports in the left-hand sidebar easier now.
Starting point is 00:04:23 And the advertising workspace has been updated with an overview of KPIs, which you can drill down into. Also, quoting Google again, quote, for the first time within the reports workspace, users with admin access will be able to curate the analytics interface and reports to suit the specific needs of their teams. Admins can make simple edits to existing reports or even create entirely new custom reports. They can also customize the left navigation to group reports into collections and create custom overviews to highlight information. That will make it easier for team collaboration
Starting point is 00:04:57 and to ensure that all staff remain focused on key tasks. And finally, two new and important attribution reports. Conversion Paths lets you see the customer journey by channel alongside something they call conversion credit visualization. And a Model Comparison Report should let you assess campaign performance using various been moving the goalposts on partner status for about a year now. Last year, they said everyone can keep the status they have until next February. Now, Google has confirmed some requirements. Specifically, they've outlined the new requirements to be a premier partner. Quote, starting in February 2022, companies need to meet the partner requirements and be in the top 3% of participating companies
Starting point is 00:05:53 in each country to become a premier partner. The top 3% is evaluated based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, annual ads spend across managed accounts, client growth, client retention, and product diversification. Evaluation is done on an annual basis. Status may not be available in all countries, unquote. For the rest of you, February will bring a new program,
Starting point is 00:06:17 which doesn't look terribly different than the old one. Remember, Google partners need to maintain a 90-day ad spend of $10,000 US or more across your managed accounts. And no less than half of the account strategists on your team must be certified in Google Ads with at least one certification in each product area with campaign spend, like search, display, video, apps, shopping, and so on. Quick pause here for a classified ad. Do you want to represent leading brands in the fitness industry, including NordicTrack and ProForm? We're now hiring for a social media advertising strategist to join our team.
Starting point is 00:06:58 The pandemic bolstered the at-home fitness industry, and we are growing like crazy. Looking forward to having a talented marketing leader join us with some very exciting initiatives. You can apply at b.link slash fitness job. That's b.link slash fitness job. You can place your own classified ad on the show for just 20 bucks. Link in this episode's notes. So that's it. Short episode today. Get you off to the weekend sooner.
Starting point is 00:07:26 My apologies, by the way. We were going to have a Twitter space. We planned it for later today. We had a couple of unexpected client things crop up here at the agency, so it was all hands on deck to get those done. I will leave the space eventually, though, probably in a couple of weeks or so. Also, a special weekend edition coming your way tomorrow.
Starting point is 00:07:42 A deep dive into one of the most popular social media tools, Agora Pulse. That'll be in your feed for tomorrow. That's it for this week. Today in Digital Marketing is produced on beautiful Vancouver Island by EngageQ Digital. Production support and fact checking by Sarah Guild. Our theme is by Mark Blevis.
Starting point is 00:07:59 Music licensing by Source Audio. I'm Todd Maffin. Have a restful weekend, friends. I'll talk to you on Monday. Licensing by Source Audio. I'm Todd Maffin. Have a restful weekend, friends. I'll talk to you on Monday. You look so good. You look so good. You look so good.

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