It’s mid-October, which means two things. The silly season is close, and the platforms have been busy changing things again. Here’s what’s worth knowing this month, in plain English, and what I’d actually do about it.
1. Meta’s new advertising terms start on 30 October
Meta has updated the terms every advertiser agrees to. You don’t need to click anything. If you keep running ads after 30 October, you’ve accepted them.
Two parts matter for small businesses. Meta can now run tests that affect how your ads are delivered, who sees them and the creative itself. And you’re responsible for any AI-generated content in your ads, even when it was made with someone else’s tools.
What to do: if you use AI to create images, copy or video for your ads, check every ad before it goes live. Don’t let a tool publish something you haven’t seen.
2. Meta’s AI can now do more of the work in Ads Manager
Meta is testing an AI assistant that can plan campaigns, create ads, change targeting and adjust budgets from a chat. Turning still images into video ads is now available to all advertisers.
What to do: these tools are handy for getting more variations out of the photos and content you already have. But an assistant that can change your budget is one to watch closely. Keep a human in charge of the money and the message.
3. Google Ads may be adding offers from your website to your ads
From 12 October, Google can automatically pull promotions from your website, like discount codes and deals, into some Search and Performance Max ads, unless you switch it off.
What to do: log in and check your settings. If there’s an old promo code still sitting on your site, you don’t want Google advertising it.
4. Ads are now showing up in Google’s AI Mode
AI Mode is Google’s chat-style search. Google has started showing ads from ordinary Search campaigns inside AI Mode answers, which it describes as a small experiment. One study of around 50,000 shopping-type searches found ads on nearly a third of them.
What to do: AI search reads your website to understand what you sell. Clear product descriptions, real FAQs and up-to-date information now matter for your ads as well as your SEO.
5. The Christmas window is closing
Black Friday falls on 27 November this year, leaving only 28 days until Christmas. Meta’s advice to online stores was to have holiday campaigns running by mid-October, so the platforms have time to learn before costs climb.
What to do: if you haven’t started, start this week. Build and warm up your audiences with content now, and save the big sales push for when people are actually ready to buy.
The bottom line
The theme this month is AI doing more of the work. That’s not a bad thing, but it makes the human side matter more: knowing your customer, your message and your numbers. The tools can run the campaigns. They can’t tell you what your business actually needs.
If you’d like a second set of eyes on your marketing before the year wraps up, get in touch.
Tara