This Week in Digital Marketing - March 25, 2022

Let’s find out what Google and Meta are up to this week! We have important updates for e-commerce, healthcare providers, and web analytics. There’s pretty good odds at least one of these apply to your company, so check it out! ​

Instagram Product Tags Rolling Out to All U.S. Users
Every Instagram user in the United States will be able to tag products. The option to tag products is now being rolled out, and it will be available to everyone in the next few months.

As the platform's first venture into e-commerce, it introduced product tagging in 2016. Only businesses and creators were able to tag products in video posts, articles, and reels, until now.

Why We Care: According to Instagram, 1.6 million consumers tag at least one product per week. This figure is sure to grow as users learn about and use product tagging now that it is available to everyone in the United States. Another option for brands and businesses to be discovered organically on Instagram is through this feature. There's no better time to test Instagram Shopping if your brand isn't already set up.

Meta Rebrands Automated Ad Products - Shopping Campaigns Coming Soon
The business announced that all of Meta's automated ad products will be grouped under the brand Meta Advantage. Five of its existing ad products will be renamed, and a sixth, relatively new one called Shopping Campaigns will be rolled out to all advertisers later this year.

Google Search Adds Booking and Appointment Availability for Healthcare Providers
Google has announced that it will now display appointment availability for some healthcare providers and allow you to book an appointment directly through Google Search. This is presently only available in the United States, and it appears to be limited to one private pilot, MinuteClinic at CVS, but Google aims to spread it to more providers in the future.

Google will eventually make these alternatives available to all healthcare providers, and if you or your clients would benefit from them, you should integrate these booking options, as well as insurance options, as soon as possible.

Google Analytics 4 or Bust: Will You Stay or Go?
Google has stated that the present Google Analytics version will be phased out by July 2023, so we have until then to complete the changeover. However, Google has said that historical data from our existing GA instances would not be transferred to Google Analytics 4. As a result, the longer you put off setting up your GA 4 instance, the less historical data you'll have.

And, if you want some year-over-year data after the switch, you'll need to get your GA 4 set up before July 2022.

Marketers now have two choices: make the switch or look for alternative analytics systems.

Some of this information is relevant to your business, and some of it might not be. This is where we can help. We’re able to break down these updates and figure out which ones are most important for you and your business. Contact us for a consultation!