Facebook's New App, Google AdWords Updates A Few Features, And More

Facebook Launches “Places” App Rivaling Foursquare

The creators of Foursquare and Gowall are now facing a goliath competitor in the check-in social network universe: Facebook Places. The newly-introduced Facebook Places is a mirror replica of the two aforementioned social network services, except Facebook dwarfs Foursquare in terms of total users, 500 million to 2 million, respectively. The application will allow users to let Facebook friends know where they are, if they are close to each other, and voice their opinion about the place they are visiting. Privacy concerns were also top priorities when Facebook Places was under development. Security measures include: 1. If you choose not to “check in”, your location is not posted 2. The default setting only sends your “check ins” to your Facebook friends 3. Facebook friends can check you in when the group is hanging out 4. Your “check ins” will appear in the activity stream on the Facebook Places page Although Facebook Places is only available on the iPhone right now, its impending Blackberry and Android system versions are not far off.

My Client Center (MCC) Gets Some Updates

Google AdWords has added a few notable features to their My Client Center page. Among them: 1. Search across accounts This feature is exactly what it sounds like: All My Client Center-linked accounts are now searchable. Just search for a relevant term search, and all accounts, campaigns, ad groups, ads, keywords, and placements related to that term will show up, at your disposable. 2. Labels Much like common e-mail filter systems, the new label feature allows you to prioritize accounts with flags or group affiliations. You can then sort or organize each account by specific label through the simple click of the mouse. 3. Simplified dashboard buttons As more updates and features are added to My Client Center, the need to reformat the dashboard into a more usable tool became a bigger priority. Enter, a simplified and easier to navigate collection of dashboard buttons. I’ll let the screenshot below do more explaining:

Google Introduces Enhanced Cost-Per-Click (CPC) Feature

Enhanced CPC Bidding allows Google to increase or decrease your bid by 30% in order to increase your conversions or to reduce costs on non converting keywords. On the other hand, when Google feels that a conversion is unlikely, they will reduce your bid up to 30% to save you cost. Using your conversion data, Google has an idea of when a conversion is likely and in that case will raise your bids show you show in a higher placement. Enhanced CPC Bidding can be found in the Settings tab under Bidding and Budget.

Marin Software Launches Comprehensive Package For Facebook Ad Management

Marin Software has created an application that allows advertisers and ad agencies the luxury of running ad campaigns on Facebook at the same time as campaigns on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Key features of the program include audience segmentation, ad rotation, and algorithmic bidding. The application allows advertisers to break down broad campaigns (such as one for “people who running”) into more specific, targets ones focused on gender, age, location, and other things that affect buying patterns (such as “running skirts” or “speed-wick shirts”). Marin’s program also features the creation of unique URL codes to track conversion data and place bids. With the continued growth of ad spending on social network platforms, this is a development worth following as it progresses. By Jake McCormick Rocket Clicks Staff