SMB Marketing Weekly: Nov 3-10, 2025

Here’s your weekly digest of the marketing news that matters most for small business owners. Let’s get into it.

1. Google November 2025 Core Update Begins Rolling Out

Google confirmed its latest core update on November 3, with early data showing significant movement in local search results. Service-based businesses are seeing the most volatility, and review quality appears to be playing a larger role in local pack rankings. The rollout is expected to take up to two weeks. Our advice: monitor your rankings but hold off on major site changes until the dust settles.

2. Meta Adjusts Default Campaign Settings for Small Advertisers

Meta quietly updated the default settings for new ad campaigns created through its simplified Ads Manager interface. New campaigns now default to Advantage+ audience targeting, which uses AI to find your best audience automatically. While this can be helpful for businesses without dedicated ad managers, it also means less manual control. If you prefer to define your own audiences, double-check your settings before launching any new holiday campaigns.

3. Holiday Email Open Rates Already Up 12% Year Over Year

According to early data from several email marketing platforms, promotional email open rates for the first week of November are up 12% compared to the same period in 2024. Click-through rates are holding steady, suggesting consumers are engaging with holiday messaging earlier this year. If you haven’t started your holiday email cadence yet, you may already be behind.

Need help managing your holiday customer communications? A good CRM keeps your contacts organized and your follow-ups on schedule. SMBcrm is built specifically for small businesses juggling the holiday rush.

4. YouTube Shorts Now Supports Longer Videos Up to 3 Minutes

YouTube expanded its Shorts format to allow videos up to three minutes long, up from the previous one-minute limit. For small businesses creating short-form video content, this opens up more room for product demos, quick tutorials, and behind-the-scenes looks. The change brings Shorts closer to TikTok’s current maximum length and gives creators more flexibility without leaving the short-form format.

5. Yelp Launches “Seasonal Highlights” for Business Profiles

Yelp introduced a new Seasonal Highlights feature that lets business owners pin seasonal promotions, holiday hours, and special offers to the top of their profile. The feature is free for all business accounts and can be managed through the Yelp for Business dashboard. With holiday shopping ramping up, it’s worth taking five minutes to set this up if Yelp drives any traffic to your business.

That’s the wrap for this week. Stay focused on your holiday prep and we’ll see you next Monday with another roundup.