Facebook ads used to be brilliant for reaching highly segmented niche audiences and for creating a positive ROI. But not anymore. Interest targeting doesn't work like it used to and conversion costs have escalated. This week Paul is joined by CEO of Threepipe Reply Farhad Koodoruth to discuss just how broken Facebook ads are and whether this is the beginning of the end for social media advertising (spoiler alert: it is).
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Facebook Advertising: The End is Nigh

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In 2006 I quit my secure, salaried job in a PR agency to set up a business selling luxury pet accessories. Three years later and I was just a few short weeks away from losing my house and being declared bankrupt. The pressure and stress I went through during the several years before and after that time were incredible. And yet I'm not sure I'd really change it if I could. Had I not started that business I would not have learned all about digital marketing, social media, SEO and PPC advertising. I wouldn't be doing what I am now, have worked with the huge brands I have, or have won awards for my work.
Today's Digital Download is a rebroadcast of a recent episode of the Socially Unacceptable podcast, which I was asked to guest upon. As well as delving into the detail of what I learned during those failed years, we also talk about freelancing as a career choice, and about the benefits of podcasting for businesses.






My Business Very Nearly Cost Me My Home

The average person spends the equivalent of one entire month per year looking at their phone. They check it an average of 58 times per day. Overall screen time is at an all time high of 12 hours per day. And the impact on both our mental and physical health, as well as that of our kids, is stark. From a professional perspective, productivity suffers and burnout rates are high. And from a personal perspective, anxiety and mental health issues have never been as great.
Techtimeout is a digital wellbeing initiative focused on helping us to reduce screen time and achieve a more balanced relationship with technology. On today's Digital Download we take a look at the issues behind excessive screen time, the impacts it has and what we can do about it.






Screen Time, Burnout & techtimeout

In the face of changes in the way Google works, how artificial intelligence is making inroads into copywriting and data analysis, the decline of conventional media and developments at X (formerly Twitter), the communications industry is coming under increasing pressure to adapt. Technology has a big role to play in public relations over the next few years, and the key for the industry is to understand this and to evolve with it. 
On today's Digital Download we take a look at where the communications industry is now and what technology is impacting it, and at how this is likely to change over the next year.
You can find the full transcript of this episode here: The Impact of Technology on PR Transcript






Need to Know: The Impact of Technology on the Future of PR

The introduction of Google Analytics 4 this summer was not exactly a surprise. Google had given several years' warning that Universal Analytics would stop collecting data and that users should begin the transition to GA4 sooner rather than later. But being forced to use it is a whole other ball game, and has had digital marketers and communications professionals in fits of frustration and anger ever since! The user interface, lack of reporting and complexity has not gone down well.
On today's Digital Download we're delving into the world of GA4 and trying to explain what to do and how to do it in plain, simple language that anyone can get to grips with.
You can find the full transcript of this episode here: Google Analytics 4 Transcript






Need to Know: Google Analytics 4 for Communications Pros

Social media is now 15 years old and communications consultants are grappling with a series of fundamental issues related to a brand or organisation's use of social networks. While platforms implement updates on an almost daily basis, the bigger picture around whether a company should use specific networks has never been more sharply in focus. The answers to many of the questions arising from this are often extremely nuanced and far from straightforward, but understanding the macro picture helps to answer some of the micro questions.
On today's Digital Download we're looking at what's happening in the world of social media and how this is likely to impact businesses over the next year.
You can find the full transcript of this episode here: Future of Social Media Transcript






Facebook Advertising: The End is Nigh

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