April 2019 Digital Marketing Updates

A lot happened in the world of digital marketing in April. From new features to rebrands, here is everything you need to know!

Bing Ads is Now Microsoft Advertising

Bing Ads recently changed its name to Microsoft Advertising. These changes began on April 29th, with BingAds.com becoming Ads.Microsoft.com. All materials associated with the brand will be updated in the coming months to reflect the new change.

This rebranding represents a move away from a singular focus on search advertising and a shift towards personalization and AI. Rik van der Kooi, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Advertising said in a blog post on Monday, “In the next year, we’re introducing more advertising products with built-in AI, more connected to your data and your business. There are two offerings that showcase ways in which Microsoft Advertising is delivering on this potential: the Microsoft Audience Network and Sponsored Products.”  

Powered by AI, The Microsoft Audience Network helps businesses leverage rich user intent and profile information. This data allows businesses to create more powerful offerings targeted more effectively. A few new additions to the Microsoft Audience Network include product enhancements, like viewable impressions, and expanded audience campaigns.

With the introduction of Sponsored Products, businesses have the ability to boost visibility and drive traffic to their top products in shopping campaigns. Sponsored Products are only available in the United States and are currently in open beta.

Shopify is Giving Businesses Access to Facebook And Snapchat Tools

In an effort to help businesses manage all of their marketing needs in one place, Shopify has added access to Facebook Dynamic Ads and Snapchat Stories to their platform.

In 2018, Shopify rolled out Marketing on Shopify as a place for merchants to centralize all of their marketing campaigns. Merchants originally only had the ability to run Google Smart Shopping campaigns and Facebook carousel ads. With the new additions of Facebook Dynamic Ads and Snapchat Stories, Shopify users have even more access to integrated marketing tools.

Through this new feature, Facebook Dynamic Ads will target users with products that might appeal to them, updating based on product availability and price. With Snapchat, merchants can place featured products in a collection of Snaps that will be showcased within Snapchat’s Discover section. Expect to see Shopify continue to invest in marketing tools for merchants, creating a fully integrated platform for their users.

Google My Business to Potentially Charge Monthly Fees

Google may be adding premium features to Google My Business listings for users who pay a monthly fee. Sean Bucher first posted a screenshot on Twitter of a survey he had received asking about features and pricing.

Anyone else get this bananas questionnaire from GMB today about updated features and pricing for those features? #GMB #Maps #LocalSEO pic.twitter.com/YvfAiItoLc

— x-Sean Bucher (@spbucher) April 25, 2019

The survey is now closed, but this article from Search Engine Land provides an in-depth explanation with screenshots of the information and questions that were included in the survey. Basically, the survey shows that Google is gauging user interest in a subscription-based Google My Business listing.

As of now, Google My Business is still free to use, but it might not stay this way forever.