Christmas is almost upon us — hurrah! But before we get wrapped-up in the festivities like a pig in a blanket, we’ve delved deep into the latest happenings in the world of digital marketing.
In this month’s instalment of Digital Marketing Monthly, our experts give their take on Elon Musk’s vision for ‘Twitter 2.0’, new local search features from Google, and the launch of TikTok Now.
Musk shares vision for Twitter 2.0
Elon Musk got the world talking once again when he acquired Twitter earlier this year. And ever since, Social Media Managers have been on high alert.
Just last week, Musk shared a glimpse of his vision for the future of Twitter, tweeting a series of presentation slides prefaced ‘Twitter 2.0’. Here, he outlined six key focus points, including: advertising, longform tweets, encrypted DMs, and the re-launch of Blue Verified.
The latter in particular has stirred much conversation. Blue verified, a paid-for subscription service which was due to launch earlier this week, will allow brands and individuals to access select new features, such as Edit Tweets.
But why is Blue Verified so significant? Perhaps because it indicates a shift away from Twitter’s conventional advertising model, in the direction of a user-based revenue product. And it may just be the making (or the breaking) of the platform.
"It’s no secret that Twitter has had monetisation issues for many years now, with advertiser interest reaching an all time low. And that’s bad news for a platform that generates the majority of its revenue through ads. At this point, It’s difficult to say whether Musk will make Twitter a more attractive proposition for brands. But one thing is clear: The Twitter-sphere is getting a shake-up. And it’s worth keeping your ear to the ground.”
Lloyd Preston
Marketing Manager
Google launches new local search features
Google is now rolling out a number of new local search features, as previewed at its annual Search On conference back in September.
This includes ‘Search with Live View’, which uses AR to overlay information about local businesses and points of interest — such as opening times, price ranges and reviews — on your phone camera, when navigating your surroundings via Google Maps.
Right now, this functionality is only available in a select few cities, namely London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Tokyo. But we expect it to be released on a wider-scale in the near future. Could be a great opportunity for you to get your business (quite literally) on the map?
“The power of local search shouldn’t be overlooked. After all, 46% of all Google searches have local intent. That’s 1.6 billion everyday! If you’re seeking local search success, make sure your online directories’ (specifically your Google My Business profile) are bang up-to-date. And pay attention to your UX; driving traffic to a clunky website is never a good idea.”
Laura Fletcher
SEO Specialist
TikTok introduces daily photo feature
Another day. Another new TikTok feature. The latest, titled ‘TikTok Now’, was rolled-out earlier this month, and sends a daily notification to users prompting them to upload a photo or video on the app within a 3 minute window.
Sound familiar? It should. It’s basically a clone of the popular French app, BeReal. Both encourage social authenticity, something which rival platform Instagram has failed with in recent times.
Yet, TikTok will likely be unphased by the parallels drawn between its new feature and BeReal. After all, TikTok inspired both Instagram Reels and Youtube Shorts — short-form video formats that are proving increasingly popular amongst brands. Within this copycat culture, TikTok Now represents an interesting juxtaposition; an imitator product that encourages its audiences to be truly unique.
“Brands have tip-toed around TikTok for quite a while. But now’s the time to bite the bullet. Its 18% average engagement rate with micro-influencer content — compared to Instagram’s 3.86% — shows that there’s no reason to sleep on TikTok any longer. TikTok Now has been developed in response to an obvious demand for authentic content, which is something you can build your channel strategy around. Open a conversation with your audience, answer questions and jump on the latest trend with an original take."
Jess Hodgson
Senior PR & Social Media Executive
