đ LinkedIn Sunsets Lookalike Audiences, Googleâs New Generative AI Elements and Whatâs Next for B2B Video Marketing
Welcome to Prosekâs Digital Download: where industry-leading insights in financial services and digital marketing collide.
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2024 continues to bring big updates in the world of social media and advertising. LinkedIn announced the removal of Lookalike audience targeting, and Google is rolling out new generative AI elements to improve the Chrome user experience and allow for more personalization.
On the theme of AI mania and personalized content, B2B marketers are also looking to maximize the effectiveness of video to help their content cut through the noise.
Read about all of these updates and more in this edition of the Digital Download.
3 Canât-Miss Digital Updates
Social Media and Advertising
LinkedIn is Removing Its Lookalike Audience Targeting Option in February
Whatâs happening: LinkedIn has announced that itâs removing Lookalike Audience as an ad targeting option in February. This option allows you to input a list of customer or client information from your CRM into LinkedIn, enabling the platform to scan the list for various traits and match those to other potentially interested users on the platform of a similar profile. On February 29, 2024, lookalike audiences will not be able to be created and existing lookalike audiences will not be editable. Â
Why it matters: This is a fairly noteworthy development, as advertisers have historically used this tool to expand their audience and more specifically target people who match the profile of existing clients/customers. LinkedIn is providing an alternative called âPredictive Audiencesâ, however, which enables you to create a lookalike audience from data collected by LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms, in platform contact lists, and conversion data collection through the Insight Tag. Conversion is key, and while this change is now limiting the data sources to more platform-specific data, it remains a tactic that should be considered and utilized by marketers.Â
Google Adds New Generative AI Elements to Chrome, Including Writing Assistant
Whatâs happening: Google announced new generative AI elements for Chrome, which will introduce more custom design features and provide automated assistance to improve the user experience. These additions include custom Chrome profile wallpapers, a tab sorting tool and a search query/post assistant that showcase Googleâs approach to introduce further AI capabilities to its platform.
Why it matters: AI capabilities continue to be introduced to the digital world in an effort to streamline processes and provide inspiration to users working through tasks. While these updates from Google may be useful and prove to be a more practical use of generative AI, it also illustrates Googleâs cautious approach to the AI evolution - ensuring their core tools are solidified and improved before introducing wide-scale changes. Marketers should follow the same framework, testing new AI-focused options to establish their feasibility and effectiveness for their existing marketing program before going all-in. AI is here to stay, but donât dive in too quickly before you completely understand the implications and potentially run into broader issues. Learn more here about our view on AI from Partner Dan Allocca who leads Prosekâs digital and integrated marketing practice.
Whatâs Next for B2B Video Marketing in 2024?
Whatâs happening: 90% of marketers agree that video content is effective and the use of video across B2B marketing is on the rise. However, B2B video marketing is in the midst of a transformation due to the introduction of AI, personalized video messaging and users' growing expectation of engaging (or even interactive) experiences. With that said, given this evolution and the amount of video content in the digital world, how do you differentiate your brand and ensure you are staying ahead of the game to capture your audiencesâ attention?Â
Why it matters: First, concentrate on the content. Consumers rely on video to make decisions, so it's important to capture their attention immediately and provide the necessary information in a concise and engaging way. Videos are shared at a rate of 20x over any other type of post, so itâs key to inspire engagement. Go a step further in your data analysis to understand watch time, interaction rate and pipeline metrics to determine if your content is resonating and adjust your strategy based on your results. And with the introduction of AI for content personalization and quality enhancement, among others, wade into these new technologies to find unique ways to push your video even further. But as always, start small and build up based on testing and impact metrics.
Good Reads
How Programmatic Targeting is Entering its Contextual Era in 2024
Gaming Once Again Proves Useful to Advertisers: Hereâs What the Numbers Say
Super Bowl 2024: 55 Ads Revealed, No ChatGPT. Is This the End of AI Mania?
Marketing InspirationÂ
Schroders leveraged an animated infographic to promote a new piece of content on social media. Instead of a text heavy post, Schroders used a compelling and engaging visual that draws interested audience members to click through and learn about the implications of changing interest rates in 2024.
Churchill Asset Management recently shared a post announcing its first publicly traded vehicle, Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp.âs (NCDL) successful listing on the NYSE. The post included two photos from the IPO, the first highlighting the Churchill team at the event and the second showcasing Churchillâs logo displayed across the stock exchange floor.
To share its company values with followers on LinkedIn, Blue Owl recently shared a 6 slide post. After introducing the firmâs commitment to its culture and values, the following slides dive into the core values including mutual respect, excellence, constructive dialogue and a one team mindset. Â