[Roundup] The Best of the Web in August 2018

By Jenny Lockhart on 09/05/18
Updated on 07/07/21

August flew by at 9 Clouds HQ.

Our team has been busy soaking up the last days of summer. One of us took a sabbatical. Another one of our team members hosted a reading of his original play. And a couple of us checked a long-standing personal goal off our bucket lists. ✅

Even though we’ve been taking full advantage of the dog days of summer, we certainly haven’t been slacking. Read on to see the nine most interesting things we found online this month.

1. Facebook Pulls the Partner Data Plug

Yes, I know. Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. It’s all we seem to talk about these days. But August brought to fruition the changes Facebook announced at the beginning of this year.

The result?

Nothing really changed (for our clients, anyway).

Third-party Partner Categories data is officially gone, but we’ve used the past few months to figure out replacement targeting. Turns out, those replacements are pretty awesome.

See what you can do in a world without Partner Categories data »

2. Free Money From Ford

Speaking of announcements made earlier this year that are still kind of dragging on . . . the changes to Ford co-op are officially in effect! 🎉

The news that Ford doubled the amount of money available in the co-op pool (and improved the payoff for dealers that invest in digital marketing efforts) first broke back in June.

And now? Third-party providers (like 9 Clouds!) are 100% eligible for reimbursement.

Are you getting the most out of your co-op dollars? »

3. Solving a Problem with Your Friend Google

Something we love digging into is the research from Think with Google. Google doesn’t often open the curtain, so we’ll take any insight straight from the search engine we can get.

The most recent case study is on the rise of personal searches and how people are using search engines like friends or family for recommendations. This is a great read for anyone working on keyword research or brainstorming blog content.

Dive into Google’s research on search trends »

4. The Express Lane for AdWords

This summer, we’ve had the fortune of working with a very cool nonprofit through our Marketing from the Heart program. While we’ve taught our nonprofit friends a lot of things, they actually schooled us on one important opportunity: Google Grants.

We put together a post explaining how to use AdWords Express and how to determine Google Grants eligibility.

Are you eligible? »

5. Listen Up, Skill Up

Some 9 Clouds readers might have heard about my love of podcasts. Everyone who knows me IRL has heard plenty about it.

I’ve got a new podcast recommendation for you all. Our friends over at HubSpot launched the Skill Up podcast, which is “all about the changing landscape of marketing, sales, and customer service.”

The podcast’s first season takes a look at search engine optimization (which you can complement with season two of 9 Clouds Live, if you really want to nerd out on SEO).

Skill Up with HubSpot »

6. Self-Driving Siennas

Self-driving cars haven’t stalled completely. Toyota entered into a partnership with Uber, investing $500 million.

Toyota will manufacture Sienna minivans equipped with Uber’s self-driving technology, Time reports. Another, yet-to-be-named company will operate the fleet.

Self-driving car safety? See what Uber and Toyota are planning »

7. “Like Being a Movie Star”

“It’s like being a movie star at 76. I felt like a movie star at 22 when I bought the car. I mean, that was 54 years ago, and we’re still talking about it.”

Gail Wise, 76, is a sweet woman who happens to own the first Mustang ever sold. How cool is that?

Ford invited Gail and her husband Tom to celebrate the production of its 10-millionth Mustang (and Gail graciously let them show off her beautiful classic).

Check out Gail’s ride »

8. America’s Best Sellers

Back in the ’90s, I remember sliding across a particularly bad stretch of black ice. It felt like a roller coaster, but we were actually in my mom’s Ford Escort.

This memory, lodged in my brain, apparently took place in one of America’s best-selling cars of all time.

Who knew?

The MSN Auto Blog article on the best-selling cars took a few of us down memory lane. How many of these top sellers have you driven?

Can you guess history’s best-selling cars? »

9. Email Better

We’ve long sung the praises of email marketing. Just this month, we reminded you why email is still the queen. 👑 (Long live email!)

That’s why email marketing platform Emma’s 2018 Email Industry Report was so shocking. According to this report, 53% of marketers never A/B test their emails, and more than half of marketers haven’t begun to use email automation.

Let’s vow to increase those numbers in 2019, folks. We can do better!

See all the stats in the 2018 Email Industry Report »

Get More than a Roundup

Thanks for being an awesome roundup reader!

Subscribe to our blog to get our latest posts delivered right to your inbox. It’s free and gives you access to some of the best digital marketing content around.