The Digital Marketing Podcast: "Digital Marketing News Update"

Hosts: Daniel Rowles & Kieran Rogers
Date: November 12, 2016

Episode Overview

In this episode, Daniel Rowles and Kieran Rogers return after a brief hiatus to deliver a packed news update on the latest digital marketing trends and platform changes. Broadcasting remotely—with Daniel in a soundproofed cupboard (“Narnia”) and Kieran at his rustic kitchen table—the hosts share significant updates from Google, Gmail, LinkedIn, Google Analytics, AdWords, Facebook, and Twitter. The conversation blends expert insight, candid observations, and practical advice, peppered with memorable banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Remote Recording Setup (00:00–02:34)

• Hosts explain their brief absence and novel recording arrangement:
  • Daniel: “I am sitting in what I refer to as Narnia, which is a cupboard in our office… full of soundproofing materials.” (01:33)
  • Kieran: “I'm sat at a rickety old kitchen table. I've had to unplug the battery from the clock because it was ticking...” (02:20)
• Commitment to audio quality: Listeners encouraged to provide feedback.

2. Gmail Supports Responsive Emails (02:43–04:22)

• Big leap for email marketers: Gmail now supports responsive design, meaning email templates will correctly display on multiple device widths.
  • Daniel: “Gmail didn't fully support responsive emails. However, they have happily announced that you will now be able to do responsive emails and Gmail will fully support them.” (04:03)
• Marketers urged to update templates: All major email service providers are making sure their templates are compatible.

3. Google’s Move to Mobile-First Search (04:22–07:37)

• Shift in how Google indexes websites:
  • The search index will prioritize content from the mobile version of websites, affecting SEO strategies.
  • Daniel: “They're moving to having a mobile first index, which means when you search, the results will be matched based on what's on your mobile website.” (05:47)
• Advice: Sites with limited mobile content risk losing rankings—keep mobile and desktop content aligned.

4. Target Internet Blog & New Journalist (07:37–08:57)

• Target Internet’s content gets a boost:
  • New team member Pete, an experienced journalist, is generating frequent, high-quality articles.
  • Daniel: “He writes for things like the Times newspaper in the UK, but he's actually got some expertise in digital.” (08:28)
• Content creation tip: Bringing in a journalist can elevate and accelerate internal content efforts.

5. LinkedIn Expands Content Search (08:57–11:36)

• Content takes center stage:
  • LinkedIn searches will now prioritize published articles and blog-like posts over just people or companies.
  • Daniel: “When you do a search now for any particular topic, the first thing that will show up...is content.” (09:54)
• Actionable strategy:
  • Post introductions or excerpts on LinkedIn with links back to full articles on your own site to capture more visibility.
  • Kieran: “A bit like Twitter's microblogging, only with less micro.” (11:36)

6. Google Analytics App’s Automatic Insights (11:46–14:07)

• Mobile app uses machine learning:
  • The Analytics app now offers automatic insights—machine-generated, plain-English takeaways from your data.
  • Daniel: “It ties together a number of different reports.” (13:07)
• Kieran shares practical benefit:
  • “It's perfect to log in whilst I'm on the hovercraft flying over the Solent...gives you a heads up on things you might want to have a look at.” (13:28)

7. AdWords Display Network: New Location Features (14:24–17:49)

• Location Extensions for Display Ads:
  • Adds business address/phone to ads and better targets users near physical locations.
• Store Visit Conversion Tracking:
  • Uses location data from users’ mobiles to estimate how many ad viewers actually visit physical stores.
  • Kieran: “The real world and the digital world are one step closer as a result. And I think that's quite exciting.” (17:48)

8. Measurement: Display Ads’ Real Impact (17:49–20:34)

• Attribution is muddier than pure clicks:
  • Daniel explains that banner ads may not get clicks but increase branded searches and direct visits.
  • Daniel: “We have seen people clicking and following the call to action. But...our direct traffic go through the roof as well.” (18:46)
• Display seen as a key awareness driver:
  • Kieran: “What you're trying to do is take passive users...and turn them into active users that are searching...” (19:20)

9. Facebook Workplace: Team Collaboration Tool (20:34–25:09)

• Facebook’s business offering launched:
  • Workplace is a separate, ad-free space with chat, video, groups, and newsfeed features, targeting businesses and distributed teams.
  • Daniel: “We’re going to run a trial...and see how we get on with things using the live video, the live chat...” (21:13)
• Clear separation between business and personal Facebook:
  • Daniel: “Your business account and your personal account are quite separate.” (23:47)
• Pricing and features: $3/user/month, free for education/nonprofits, supports file storage and integrations.
• Caveat:
  • Kieran: “There are too many of these services now and everybody’s trying to jump on that bandwagon to be the one size fits all thing at work.” (25:09)

10. Twitter’s Ongoing Challenges and Changes (25:33–29:23)

• Rumored acquisitions fall through:
  • No buyers lined up (Salesforce, Google rumors); growth stagnant, but core users are very loyal.
• Platform changes:
  • Vine (video app) is shut down.
  • More characters freed up in tweets by not counting links/images.
  • Daniel: “The problem with Twitter still is that a lot of people just don't get it...in the youth market there are some real struggles because everyone's living on Instagram and Snapchat at the moment.” (27:53)
• Value remains:
  • Twitter still leads for “real time news coverage...the US election, it's been an amazing place.” (28:51)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On responsive email & Gmail:
  “Keep an eye on your email service providers because you shouldn’t need to worry about this too much.” — Daniel Rowles (04:15)
• On SEO impact of mobile-first:
  “If you have a very cut down version of your website for mobile, that that's not necessarily going to be a great thing from a search optimization point of view. So I think this is big, big news.” — Daniel Rowles (06:20)
• On bringing in a journalist:
  “Like any good journalist, they learn and they get some real insights that you probably wouldn't get from a normal kind of style of writing.” — Daniel Rowles (08:36)
• On Google Analytics app:
  “It's really good. It's like having an analyst do the legwork for you.” — Kieran Rogers (13:34)
• On store visit tracking:
  “The real world and the digital world are one step closer as a result. And I think that's quite exciting.” — Kieran Rogers (17:48)
• On using display for brand lift:
  “It's a little bit like a relay race really.” — Kieran Rogers (19:57)
• On digital workplace tools:
  “It does log into various Windows technology and other technologies as well. I can see a use in our organization because...we are distributed around the world.” — Daniel Rowles (24:23)
• On Twitter’s struggles:
  “The problem with Twitter still is that a lot of people just don’t get it.” — Daniel Rowles (27:53)

Timeline of Important Segments

| Time (MM:SS) | Segment | |------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–02:34 | Remote setup, hiatus explanation, light banter | | 02:43–04:22 | Gmail now supports responsive email | | 04:22–07:37 | Google’s mobile-first index for search, SEO implications | | 07:37–08:57 | Target Internet blog news and adding a journalist | | 08:57–11:36 | LinkedIn shifts to prioritizing content in search | | 11:46–14:07 | Google Analytics app, automatic insights, and mobile use | | 14:24–17:49 | Google AdWords: display location extensions, store visit tracking | | 17:49–20:34 | Measuring impact of display/fb ads, branding, awareness drivers | | 20:34–25:09 | Facebook Workplace for team collaboration, workplace tool trends | | 25:33–29:23 | Twitter news: buyout rumors, stagnation, Vine shutdown |

Conclusion & Next Steps

• Hosts commit to regular episodes:
  “Over the next couple of weeks, Daniel and I are going to commit to making sure we do one episode every fortnight.” — Kieran Rogers (29:23)
• Call to action:
  Subscribe, visit Target Internet’s blog for the latest updates, and leave a review on iTunes.

This episode delivers a punchy, comprehensive rundown of must-know digital marketing news—with practical context and actionable takeaways—punctuated by the hosts’ signature mix of expertise, humor, and candor.