Thanks so much, Sarah!

What Meta’s Latest Changes Mean for Advertisers Recent controversial changes at Meta have raised questions about user exodus and advertiser response, but with limited alternatives and Meta's near-monopoly status,…

For those who listen to podcasts, my latest Pubcast Shot is live. I grapple with Meta's latest controversial announcements, both from a personal and brand/advertiser perspective. It ain't easy.

Just 10 minutes of your time...

Yeah, not sure! I didn't follow the Potus account. The only thing I saw is that the switch of Potus has been a thing since 2020 and that the archive accounts aren't new either. Not sure how it works from there though.

I’d scrutinize those reports, but yeah. That would suck!

Yeah, lots of people confused since the Potus and VP accounts automatically switch hands at inauguration.

a cartoon of marge simpson saying " testing " while holding a microphone ALT: a cartoon of marge simpson saying " testing " while holding a microphone

I’m here.

Thanks! I started it in 2013, originally as an interview format where my guest and I would enjoy a drink while discussing a topic. Now it's Shots only (5-10 minutes) focused on Meta advertising (which is my core business anyway). So agencies, Meta ad consultants.

Shoutout to @dylanschmidt.com (Content Clips) for taking over the editing!

Is It Time to Abandon Lookalike Audiences? Lookalike audiences made sense in 2014 when targeting options were limited, but with Meta's evolved algorithm handling audience expansion and remarketing automatica…

It's just a different creative outlet. I really enjoy it, and I dig the final product. I'm only recording "Shots" now, which are solo 5-10 minute episodes on a single topic.

Listen to my latest episode below...

pubcast.jonloomer.com/is-it-time-t...

I'm so happy to have my podcast back. I had to abandon it during the past two and a half years once I committed to short-form video. Something had to go. But once I stopped publishing a video every day (scaled back to three per week), some time and mental space became available.

Someone who joined my email list in 2013 (possibly earlier), bought my first training course, and was a member of my private community from 2015 to 17 just signed up again. Being around this long, this is the stuff that makes me smile.

Very true. I'm also seeing a steady increase in AI search referrals, though it's still small comparatively. Like you say, it's the bottom line that matters.

The bottom line was hurt over the years, too, but I can't blame that entirely on Google. It's complicated.

Word. I've always been conscious of the slice of traffic that Google sends me, which I rely on. That's dipped over the years. While it would be nice to replace that, I just keep creating content and showing up in multiple places. Then pray to the Google gods every night.

It's easy to assume greed whenever a business makes a decision that will cost you money. But sometimes... it's just business.

No, this wasn't greed. It was necessity. Some were taking advantage of my bot by using it in ways I had not expected. It became too expensive and the only way to truly control it was to put it behind a paywall...

Dear reader, my website is loaded with free content. I write a new blog post every day. I publish three videos every week. I now publish a new podcast episode every week.

I have multiple free lead magnets that provide value without having to spend a dime...

Well, one person decided to let loose on it today, going on about my greed. That I ruined this bot because of my need for money...

Every day, I see several attempts to get Meta advertising advice from that new assistant that is ill-equipped to answer those questions. They often attempt to trick it, though that's impossible. It doesn't have the trained content...

So I replaced the bot on my main website with an assistant that explains my product offerings. Of course, those who made my old bot a part of their regular routine may not have been happy to discover this...

I eventually decided that a perfect solution was to make access to it a benefit of my private membership. This would limit the usage, and I'd feel better that the effort and credits that go into it would be paid for...

This bot was valuable, and it was also a decent amount of work. It's not trained on all of my content because much of it is outdated. I have to highlight what I think is most valuable and remove stuff when it gets old...

I began hitting my limit every month. I'd hit it early, driven by these few people. I put usage limits on people, but they found ways of getting around them. I paid for extra credits, but it was never enough. They'd blow through those extra credits every time...

It made me question how they were using it and if it was somehow driving their own business.

I was less concerned about that than I was the volume itself. I had a usage limit on this chatbot. If I go over it, I pay for more credits...

I wanted it to be an extension of my content and an attraction -- a reason people come to my website. For some people, it certainly became that.

Some people used it a lot. And when I say "a lot," I mean that they asked it hundreds of questions per month...

In many ways, it became what I envisioned. I write a TON of content, and it isn't easy to sift through it all. But it gave people the option of getting quick and mostly reliable answers.

It became too good...

Not every business decision is driven by greed...

For the past year and a half, I've had a chatbot on my website that is strategically trained on specific content to make it most helpful. In the beginning, it was cool and novel, but flawed. With time, it's gotten better and better.

🧵

Aw dang. Thanks so much, Sarah!

I hear you. I'm personally using all social media way less than I once did. It's difficult to abandon anything entirely without completely changing my business. It's tough for sure.

Not ideal. The only somewhat helpful reminder is that nearly every major social media platform is a dumpster fire in one way or another. It doesn't make the stuff okay, but shifting to another platform comes with its own baggage. Any change I make would be life-changing.

To put it another way, I'm much less concerned about how this will impact my business than how much longer I'm willing to put up with this nonsense -- and what that means.