B2B Sellers: Marketplaces Are Here — Are You Ready?
B2B buying and selling has changed alongside similar shifts that are being seen in consumer areas, and research firm Forrester takes a look at the new center of commerce that B2B marketplaces represent. Forrester

Facebook quietly acquired a startup to build a live-shopping feature
Facebook recently confirmed that it has acquired live-shopping startup Packagd, which will augment the social media giant’s Marketplace selling feature, and eventually offer new options for digital marketers. AdAge

Pinterest CMO on Marrying Aggressive Growth with the Company’s Brand Image
eMarketer takes a look at how Pinterest’s first chief marketing officer is tackling the unique challenges faced by the image-centric social platform, as it attempts to woo greater numbers of digital marketers as well as users. eMarketer

Marketers Tout SEO’s Effectiveness As They Look to Drive Leads, Customer Acquisition
SEO has continued to be an effective tactic when it comes to driving leads and customer acquisitions, with the majority of digital marketers finding the practice more effective than traditional media, one of several statistics from newly-released survey data. MarketingCharts

New Report Looks at Which Tools and Creation Apps are Most Popular Among Instagram Influencers
The software, tools, and online image creation apps most-used by Instagram influencers have been outlined in a new survey of more than 1,200 influencers on the platform, with results showing that just 10 percent use Photoshop, nearly 30 percent use Lightroom, and some 4.8 percent work with Canva, according to the study. Social Media Today

B2B CX Trailblazers Listen to and Act on Customer Feedback
91 percent of B2B customer experience (CX) leaders utilize the input of employees to improve CX efforts, and 89 percent gather partner and distributor feedback for boosting CX, two of the traits highlighted in newly-released survey data of interest to digital marketers . MarketingCharts

Instagram influencer marketing activity jumps 48%, study finds
Instagram has seen rising influencer marketing efforts on the platform in 2019, climbing by 48 percent, and by 2022 influencer marketing spending is expected to grow to as much as $15 billion, according to recently released report data. Mobile Marketer

1 in 3 Marketers and Agencies to Increase Spending on TikTok in 2020
In 2020 marketers expect to increase spending the most on Instagram, YouTube, Google, and LinkedIn, with some 33 percent also predicting more ad spending on rising upstart TikTok, according to newly-released survey data. Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat were the platforms expected to see the most marketers decreasing ad spend on during 2020, according to the study. MarketingCharts

Twitter Will Set Up a New Team to Explore a Decentralized Social Media Network Model
Twitter has announced the creation of a team dedicated to making a new decentralized social media platform with its Bluesky initiative, which could be built using blockchain and include algorithms favoring best-answer and healthy content, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey recently revealed. Social Media Today

New Study: 2019 Promo.com Online Video Statistics and Trends [Infographic]
A newly-released study of online video viewing trends offers a slew of statistics of interest to digital marketers, including that 49 percent of people watch more than five videos daily, 67 percent watch the most video using YouTube, followed by Facebook at 26 percent and Instagram with 6 percent. 36 percent watch between two to five videos a day, and 10 percent of respondents said that they watch too many to count, according to the Promo.com study. Promo

Brand loyalty remains high at 89%, driven by product and price rather than service
Loyal customers are the most likely to refer brands to others and to join loyalty programs, while being less likely to engage on social — two of many findings of interest to digital marketers in recently-released survey data, which also showed that product and price drove loyalty more than service. Marketing Land

Gmail app adds AMP for Email support for Android and iOS
Google has added AMP email support for iOS and Android devices using its popular Gmail app, giving brands new dynamic content options. Marketing Land

Twitter’s Testing Tweet Scheduling Built Into the Tweet Composer
Twitter has begun testing the ability to schedule tweets without the use of third-party tools. As Twitter confirms test, will third-party scheduling tools take a hit? Social Media Today

Facebook to pull location from ad set when creating new Lookalike audiences
Facebook has made several changes to how it allows advertisers to create lookalike target audiences, the firm recently announced. Advertisers should see quicker audience building and setup. Marketing Land

Instagram Removing Likes Could Boost Social Commerce and Retail Measurement
Instagram’s hiding of like counts could lead some businesses to increase their use of so-called shoppable links that focus more on direct social sales journeys, and eMarketer takes a look at recent survey data trends in the area. eMarketer

Ad buyers hopeful Twitter Topics will improve the platform’s ad targeting
After a period of testing, Twitter has launched the ability to follow up to 300 new curated topic lists, the social media firm announced, and some marketers see the change bringing with it new ad targeting possibilities. DigiDay

Wikipedia co-founder wants to give you an alternative to Facebook and Twitter
Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has rolled out WT:Social, a new advertising-free social platform aimed at reporters, citizen journalists, and users seeking an alternative to mainstream sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Engadget

Instagram Will Begin Hiding Total Like Counts for US Users from Next Week
Instagram is slated to start hiding the number of likes that posts have acquired in a forthcoming test. In areas where it’s already been tested, total Instagram like counts have dropped, study data has shown. Social Media Today

Female marketer leadership at ‘all time high,’ says ANA study
The number of women holding leadership marketing jobs may be at an all-time high, according to recently-released study data from the Association of National Advertisers. Women accounted for 52 percent of senior-level marketers and 47 percent of CMOs among ANA member firms, the study showed. Campaign US

B2B Marketers Are Prioritizing Measurement and Analytics Technologies
83 percent of B2B marketers expect to increase their focus on data analytics in 2020, and 69 percent plan to also make measurement technologies their top investment priority next year, according to newly-released survey data from Dun & Bradstreet and Adweek. MarketingCharts

Twitter Launches New Option to Follow Specific Topics, in Addition to User Accounts
Twitter has begun rolling out the ability to follow some 300 new curated topic lists, in the form of timeline and search prompts, with a full launch slated for November 13, the social media firm recently announced. Social Media Today

30% of B2B marketers own up to delivering a ‘poor’ digital experience
Legacy system and lack of funding have led 30 percent of B2B marketers to delivering poor digital customer experiences, according to newly-released survey data, with 54 percent also noting that disjointed technology has held back their efforts. The Drum

Global B2B Firms Say It’s Tough Producing Content
71 percent of B2B marketers said they face more competition than five years ago, and 51 percent of B2B decision makers also said that poor product information and content has been their leading challenge — two of several findings in recently-released study data of interest to digital marketers. MediaPost

Report: Facebook usage drops a stunning 26% since 2017
Facebook usage has dropped 26 percent since 2017, according to newly-released report data, also showing that the social media giant’s monthly usage average fell from 14 hours to 9 among U.S. users. Fast Company

IAB: First-half 2019 online ad spending reaches $58 billion, but growth is slowing
During the first half of 2019 digital advertising spending climbed to $58 billion according to new data from IAB, also showing 16.9% year-over-year growth, down from last year’s 23.1%, while mobile ad revenue led the way with the strongest growth. Marketing Land

B2B Online Shoppers Want Loyalty and Simplicity: Report
B2B online shoppers are increasingly seeking more loyalty and ease-of-use in the buying process, new survey data reveals. Some 56% use loyalty programs, as B2B buyers look for greater B2C-like streamlining. Chief Marketer

Social media ad spend to surpass print for first time
Ad spending in 2019 will for the first time see social media topping print, with global spending growth up 20 percent increasing to $84 billion, according to recently-released forecast data from Zenith. Marketing Land

LinkedIn Launches Events to Facilitate Professional Meet-Ups
LinkedIn (client) has released a robust new tool allowing users to create and manage events pages, the culmination of a program first announced late last year, the professional social networking firm revealed this week. Social Media Today

Facebook testing ads in Groups tab
Facebook has begun allowing certain advertisers to utilize new mobile Facebook Groups ads, as part of an Ads Manager test, the social giant recently announced. Should the option eventually be rolling out to all advertisers, digital marketers will be able to target new audiences with mobile group ads. Marketing Land