Here is today’s roundup of news related to local marketing and advertising, local media, technology, local commerce, consumer behavior and more.

Facebook ad revenue keeps rising, 3 million advertisers using Stories Ads (April 25, 2019)
Marketing Land: “Facebook’s bet on Stories Ads looks like it is paying off.COO Sheryl Sandberg said Wednesday during the company’s first quarter earnings call that, while Facebook and Instagram feed ads make up the bulk of Facebook’s ad business, Stories Ads are “an increasingly important growth opportunity.””

How Forward-Thinking Brands Are Leveraging Automation (April 25, 2019)
Street Fight: “Brand marketers want to be everywhere, all the time. When customers need support, when questions need to be answered, and when decisions need to be made, brand marketers aim to be present at every point along the path to purchase. But humans are fallible, and where human marketers fall off, technology allowing for automation is picking up the slack.”

Mobile-first strategy is really about cross-platform experience (April 25, 2019)
SmartBrief: “The “trends to watch for in 2019” articles last year were unanimous on the importance of “mobile-first” strategy, and with good reason. Mobile market share now exceeds desktop worldwide, and mobile share in North America has climbed 12% in the last four years.”

Google search spend growth slows as click volume rises, reports show (April 24, 2019)
Search Engine Land: “Google search ad click volume continues to rise as CPC growth trends down and spend growth slows, according to reports out this week from performance agency Merkle and campaign management platform Marin Software.”

Deals Drive Greater Engagement on Shoppers’ Favorite Brand Communication Channel: Email (April 23, 2019)
eMarketer: “Consumers are still using email to receive communications from retailers—and those emails that include deal-driven incentives spur engagement among shoppers of all ages.”