Social Media Usage Statistics for 2019 Reveal Surprising Shifts
A look at the latest Edison Research and Triton Digital Social Habit study shows largely unchanged social media usage over the past four years, growth for Instagram among young Americans, a drop in Facebook’s popularity, and several other statistics of interest to digital marketers. Convince and Convert

Silence is golden: preparing for the sound-off mobile ad ecosystem
A look at optimizing video ad creative for silence, the impact of HAVOC (Human, Audible, Viewable On Completion), and measuring viewability in an age when some 85-90% of branded videos are viewed with audio muted. The Drum

Mary Meeker’s Annual Tech Report Outlines Coming Shifts in Social Media and Digital Marketing
The highly-anticipated Internet Trends report for 2019 has been released, including data of interest to digital marketers. For more than 21 years venture capitalist Mary Meeker, partner at Kleiner Perkins, has researched and put out the report, this year weighing in at 333 pages. Social Media Today

Voice Search Study: Factors Influencing Search Engine Rankings in 2019
20 percent of Android Google App searches now come from voice, and a new SEMrush study examines ranking factors including the importance of first-page placement and other facets of voice search. SEMrush

Social Media Moves Down the Funnel as Commerce Opportunity Arises
Social media is used to research products (42 percent) and discover brands (24 percent), and new eMarketer survey data takes a look at social’s power to influence purchase decisions among U.S. companies. eMarketer

LinkedIn Acquires Data Personalization Platform Drawbridge to Improve Ad Targeting
LinkedIn (client) has announced that it is acquiring data analytics firm Drawbridge, and will incorporate its advanced machine learning features to better refine the platform’s ad targeting options. Social Media Today

Behavioral Ad Targeting Not Paying Off for Publishers, Study Suggests
A new study on how behaviorally-targeted advertising affects online publishers’ revenue shows only modest gains around 4 percent over traditional tactics, and the Wall Street Journal takes a close look at the recently-released data. Wall Street Journal

Digital Ads Are Raking In More Cash Than Ever
A new Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) report shows that 2018 was the first year U.S. digital advertising earnings topped the $100 billion mark, hitting $107.5 billion, up from 2017’s $88.3 billion, led primarily by the strength of mobile and video. Users also spent 22 percent more time on social media properties in 2018 than during 2017, the report details. Adweek

eMarketer Reduces US Time Spent Estimates for Facebook and Snapchat
U.S. adults are using Instagram more than ever, at an average of 27 minutes daily and expected to increase through 2020, while Facebook and Snapchat have both seen a drop in the average number of minutes of use per day, according to new forecast data from consultancy eMarketer. eMarketer

YouTube Ads Are Getting Longer
The ads marketers run on YouTube are getting longer, with the number of 30-second ads rising from 19 percent in January 2018 to 24 percent in January 2019, bucking the notion that shorter is always better with video, one of several video trends shown in a new MediaRadar report. MediaPost

Survey Report: Landing Page Habits of Marketers
30 percent of marketers expect average landing page conversion rates of 10 percent or less, and more than half expect a rate of 20 percent or less, according to new survey data on landing pages and their lead generation performance. SmartBrief

Google shares details on how first price auctions in Google Ad Manager will work
Display and video ads sold with Google Ad Manager, Google’s ad server and publisher exchange, will get additional auction functionality aimed at removing Google’s “last look” outbidding advantage, while also bringing new minimum pricing strategies and rules, the search giant recently announced. Marketing Land

Instagram Separates New Likes on Posts, Adds Unfollower Stats for Creator Accounts
Instagram has tested showing most recent post likes first, along with adding unfollower statistics to Instagram Creator analytics data, features that could prove useful to digital marketers when eventually rolled out. Social Media Today

B2B marketers acknowledge the need for quality content
72 percent of B2B marketers intend to create more social content over the next 12 months, and 98 percent see the performance of content marketing as justifying its cost — two of many insights containing in newly-released report data. CMO.com

LinkedIn Engagement Continues to Rise, According to Latest Update from Microsoft
LinkedIn (client) saw revenue growth of 27 percent for the quarter, a 24 percent increase in on-platform sessions, and record engagement and job posting levels, according to recently-released report data from parent company Microsoft. Social Media Today

Twitter to launch a ‘hide replies’ feature, plus other changes to its reporting process
In June Twitter plans to launch an experimental feature to hide certain replies, and a handful of other new changes the firm says are designed to help make conversations on the platform more productive. TechCrunch

Facebook gives Ads Manager a design refresh and launches new cost cap bidding strategy
Facebook advertisers and users of the firm’s Business Manager platform will see new layout changes and features, including streamlined Ads Manager navigation and tools to improve new client on-boarding, Facebook recently announced. Marketing Land

LinkedIn Is a Newcomer to the Reactions Game, With 4 Options Joining Its Like Thumbs-Up
Over the coming months LinkedIn (client) will roll out a slew of new user content reaction options to the professional platform, including expressions of curiosity, love, and celebration, the firm recently announced. Adweek

Google-Backed Study Finds People Willing To Trade Sensitive Data For Personalized Media
More than a quarter of U.S. and U.K. consumers are willing to share some location, purchase history, and banking information with smart voice assistants, while 46 percent are also willing to share their media usage history, according to new survey data from Google and the National Research Group (NRG). MediaPost

Using Trust as the Driving Force Behind Marketing Strategies
61 percent of millennials are concerned about global conditions and feel personally responsible for making a difference, one of several signals of increasing opportunities for greater trust and brand integrity in marketing, and Adweek takes a close look. Adweek

Corporate America can’t afford to ignore Gen Z
U.S. Gen Z members tend to spend their money with businesses that align with their values, respond positively to autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) advertising, and prefer online subscription and customization, according to new research survey data of interest to digital marketers. BNN Bloomberg

Why More and More Brands Are Getting Into the Streaming Game on Twitch
Twitch, which Amazon acquired in 2014 for $970 million, has seen increasing numbers of brands advertising on the streaming platform, and recently some have been moving from traditional ad formats to the in-game action itself, a new area of opportunity for digital marketers. Adweek

Adobe, Microsoft to take on Salesforce’s marketing software, with LinkedIn as a weapon
Adobe* and Microsoft have joined forces to better compete against Salesforce.com in the sales and marketing software arena, with the LinkedIn* platform’s recently-expanded targeted audience advertising featuring heavily in the new alliance. Reuters

What CMOs Are Focusing On in 2019 [Infographic]
74 percent of CMOs plan to encourage peer engagement and the transfer of knowledge among talent, while improving digital marketing capabilities and boosting go-to-market processes are the most important agenda items for 2019, according to newly-released research data from the CMO Council. MarketingProfs

What the Numbers Say About Mobile’s Place in B2B Marketing
The opportunity for more mobile-friendly B2B content is ripe for progressive B2B marketers, especially those working to offer greater trust and understanding, according to research of interest to digital marketers from MarTech Advisor. MarTech Advisor