Lane Ellis

Google+ for G Suite lives on and gets new features
Despite Google shutting down Google+ after an API glitch allowed access to user data, its business version lives on and has even bene given new features. TechCrunch

Marketers struggle to keep up with content creation demand for their personalization efforts
New Adobe survey data shows the content scaling challenges digital marketers are increasingly facing as demand for content creation and personalization has risen. Marketing Land

Should You Entrust Chatbots With B2B Customer Communication?
With some predicting that by 2020 85 percent of customer interactions will be with chatbots, Forbes takes a look at their expanding role in B2B communications. Forbes

Social and Search Forecast to Contribute Two-Thirds of Global Ad Growth Through 2020
By 2020 search and social are expected to account for 66 percent of global ad spend growth, according to new research data by Zenith. Video ad spend growth has also surpassed that of static images. Spending for online video ads is forecast to grow annually by 18 percent, while that of social media looks to grow by 16% annually. MarketingCharts

Reaction: Facebook advertisers on alert as network breach exposes 50m user accounts
In the wake of Facebook’s recent revelation of a security breach that exposed some 50 million user accounts, advertisers have reexamined their advertising with the social media giant, and some have pulled the plug entirely, at least temporarily, including Mozilla and Sonos. The Drum

Adobe’s $4.75 Billion Purchase of Marketo Will Boost Its Ability to Compete With Salesforce
In its biggest purchase ever, Adobe has acquired Marketo, shoring up its B2B footprint and giving a vote of confidence to the marketing technology industry. AdWeek

Google Begins Using Neural Matching to Understand Synonyms, Impacting 30% of Queries
For its twentieth anniversary, Google has rolled out an array of new features, including neural matching artificial intelligence, mobile updates, and search changes including Activity Cards, announced at the company’s two-decade celebratory event. Search Engine Journal

Facebook Will Now Allow Pages to Join Facebook Groups
Facebook has allowed certain Pages to join, comment on, and otherwise interact with Groups, a new test that could lead to filling a need expressed by some digital marketers. Social Media Today

The Power of Micro-Influencers [Infographic]
A look at the benefits of working with highly-targeted audiences, and how micro-influencers can work to build brand awareness and drive sales. MarketingProfs

Twitter will soon let you switch between chronological and ranked feeds
Twitter announced that it will change how its feed works, with a forthcoming update allowing users to switch between ranked and chronological settings, offering a new layer of control. The Verge

Despite buzz, only one-third of B2B businesses are committed to ABM, report says
A newly-rleased Dun & Bradstreet B2B marketing data report shows limited account-based marketing implementation, and a few other surprises. Marketing Land

Four Effective Techniques for Working With B2B Influencers
Finding the right influencers and getting their attention can be a challenge. MarketingProfs Tom Whatley examines the situation and how to overcome many obstacles. MarketingProfs

LinkedIn brings Dynamic Ads into Campaign Manager platform
LinkedIn has added Dynamic Ads into its Campaign Manager platform. Templates, auto-translation, and data-mapping are among the new additions to an expanded LinkedIn (client) ad management tool. MarketingLand

Americans are changing their relationship with Facebook
A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows that 42 percent of Facebook users having taken a break from the site during the past year, one of several findings of interest to digital marketers. Pew Research Center

Google Wants to Kill the URL
Google and other tech firms are grappling with oftentimes unwieldy and increasingly dangerous URLs. Google’s Chrome browers is looking to at least alter how URLs are displayed, a move that could change how digital marketers incorporate them. Wired

Many Facebook users don’t understand how the site’s news feed works
Results from a new Pew Research Center survey examine how well people know Facebook’s news feed, with U.S. users under 18 having a better grasp than all older demographic groups. Pew Research Center

 

Twitter’s Testing a New Layout for Replies, Focused on Improving Engagement
Twitter has begun testing an improved layout design with better threading and activity indicators, among several other new features that could see eventual public release. Social Media Today

Digital Marketing Spend Roars Despite Weak Privacy Concerns And Capability Performance
A new Forbes CMO study takes a look at a strong digital spending trend, in spite of recent industry concerns. Forbes

Facebook moves to rate users on trustworthiness: report
Facebook has started assigning users a reputation score. Will the new user trustworthiness rating system, which has been refined over the past year, see eventual digital marketing uses? Reuters

Machine learning reveals crazy advertising ideas that actually work
Artificial intelligence aims to not only create but monitor in real-time which ads are creating the most impact, including some rather unorthodox ideas. VentureBeat

Facebook tests ‘things in common’ label to try to connect non-friends
Facebook has been testing new methods to help bring non-friends who share common interests together, with highlights to appear among user comments. CNET

YouTube ads are about to get a little less skippable
YouTube Partners has announced a potentially risky change that will allow costlier unskippable ads on all the video giant’s channels, expanding on earlier limited-audience tests. Mashable