⭐️ Social Media
🎯 Public comments are available for Instagram stories
Instagram recently released a new feature within their stories where you can publicly leave comments on people's story posts. Before the only option to reply to an IG story is through a private message to that account but with the newest feature release this can be a public response too. There are still some limitations with this such as the fact that for private accounts, only people that the poster follows back can leave comments, and for public accounts, anyone the poster follows can comment.
How can you utilise this new feature in your social media marketing you may ask?
This can be a great way to spark engagement with your audience. Posting comment-provoking stories seeking your audience's opinions can be a great way to boost engagement. A simple example would be a photo story post with the text 'Caption this -wrong answers only...' Will you be taking advantage of this new IG feature?
🎯 Meta can now use public posts from U.K. users in its AI training
As all social media are adopting AI features within their platforms, Facebook has been on the journey to use UK users' posts in their AI training features. The reason behind this is that they would like to be able to present British users with authentic and relevant British culture content. In the words of the team at Meta:
"This means that our generative AI models will reflect British culture, history, and idiom and that UK companies and institutions will be able to utilise the latest technology".
This effort is receiving a lot of resistance and Meta is now shifting their efforts to reframing their demand to be able to gain the needed access to UK Facebook users' data for AI training purposes.
🎯 #BackToSchool with TikTok Shop and #AutumnTok series are trending
As September has approached the most popular videos we see on TikTok are the #BackToSchool series with creators and businesses showcasing their school finds/products. If your brand offers anything school-related this is one trend you don't want to miss! The autumn season has of course brought back everything autumnal and cosy and has posed as a great opportunity for brands to showcase their autumn offerings, autumn products and the autumnal team traditions. Make sure to share yours using the hashtag #AutumnTok.
🎯 More improvements on LinkedIn articles
On LinkedIn since earlier this year targeting your audience with LinkedIn Articles was enabled. LinkedIn has been making several updates to its article feature to enhance user engagement and content creation and with this, enabling businesses to use this feature to the best of their abilities. Some of the newest developments can be seen around:
1. Enhanced Formatting Options
LinkedIn has added more sophisticated text formatting tools for articles, similar to those found in traditional content management systems (CMS). This includes:
- Headings (H1, H2, etc.) for better structure and readability.
- Inline images and media, allowing users to embed videos, podcasts, and external links within the text more seamlessly.
- Lists (bulleted and numbered) for improved presentation of information.
2. Analytics and Insights
Articles now come with enhanced analytics to help authors understand how their content is performing. You can track:some text
- Views, engagement, and reach metrics.
- The type of audience engaging with your article (job titles, industries, locations).
- Referrals and how readers are finding your article, whether via LinkedIn, search engines, or other sources.
3. SEO-Friendly Features
LinkedIn has improved the SEO capabilities of its articles, meaning that well-optimised articles can now be more easily found through external search engines like Google. This makes LinkedIn articles a more powerful tool for personal branding and content marketing.
⭐️ SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
🎯 Optimise for Voice Search
As search engines continue to advance, marketing strategies need to adapt in response. With voice-activated devices becoming commonplace in homes, voice search is rapidly expanding and is growing to become a standard method of searching.
Voice Search Optimisation (VSO) is gaining importance as we shift toward a hands-free interaction with technology in today’s evolving digital landscape. VSO focuses on optimising a website’s content to improve its visibility in voice search results. The goal is to ensure that when users ask questions via voice commands, the website delivers accurate and relevant answers. As a vital component of modern digital strategies, VSO is essential for marketers aiming to reach audiences who depend on voice assistants.
With smart speakers and voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant becoming household staples, optimising for voice search is no longer optional.
Get ahead in Q4:
- Incorporate Natural Language
Voice searches tend to be more conversational, so prioritise long-tail keywords and phrases that reflect how people naturally speak. - Provide Direct Answers
Since many voice searches are framed as questions, structure your content to address them directly. Use H2 and H3 headings to organise and highlight your answers clearly. - Optimise for Local SEO
Voice searches frequently include terms like "near me" or location-specific queries, so ensure your website is thoroughly optimised for local SEO.
🎯 Leverage seasonal content
Q4 offers a prime opportunity for seasonal content. With consumers actively searching for holiday deals, gift ideas, and year-end purchases, it’s the ideal time to create content tailored to these demands.
Here’s how to make the most of seasonal trends:
- Create Holiday Guides
Write blog posts, gift guides, or how-to articles that align with the season’s trends and interests. - Update Old Content
Give your previous holiday content a fresh boost by updating it with current data, trends, and keywords to improve its performance in search results. - Leverage Seasonal Keywords
Incorporate Q4-specific terms like "holiday sale," "Black Friday," "Christmas stays," and other relevant keywords. Focus on keywords related to trending holidays, events, or popular products during this period.
For more, check out important marketing dates in the Q4 period here.
🎯 Prioritise the mobile user experience
A significant majority of searches (64%) now occur on mobile devices compared to 35% on desktops. In response to this shift, Google fully transitioned to a mobile-first index in October 2023. This means Google primarily evaluates the mobile version of your site when determining search rankings. As a result, it's essential for businesses in 2024 to prioritise optimising their websites for an exceptional mobile user experience.
Here are essential practices to keep in mind when optimising your site for mobile:
- Responsive Design
Ensure your website automatically adapts its layout, images, and text to fit the device it’s viewed on. This provides an optimal experience whether on a desktop, tablet, or mobile. - Page Speed
Google confirmed in 2018 that fast-loading pages are a ranking factor for mobile searches, and faster pages also lead to higher conversion rates. A 2022 Portent study found that a site loading in one-second converts three times more than one taking five seconds. - Simplified Navigation
Mobile screens have limited space, so it’s crucial to design navigation to be simple and user-friendly. Main navigation menus should be concise and intuitive, with easily accessible search functionality to help users quickly find what they need. - Touch-Friendly Interface
Ensure that all interactive elements—such as buttons, links, and form fields—are easy to tap. Make them large enough to avoid zooming in, and space them well apart to prevent accidental clicks.
⭐️ PPC (Pay Per Click)
🎯 Video dominance & Youtube performance becoming visible in Google Ads segmentation.
Video continues to be a highly engaging format within PPC, especially on platforms like Youtube and social media. As everyone's attention span is getting lower and lower, it is crucial for advertisers to create short, compelling videos that grab people's attention immediately. By having strong visuals, and dynamic content, advertisers can significantly improve engagement and ROAS in PPC campaigns leading to an increase in conversions.
Google Ads now includes Youtube as a distinct segment alongside other network performance metrics like google search and display network. This segment allows advertisers to track and analyse how their ads are performing specifically on youtube separate from search & display ads. With this visibility advertisers can have a better understanding of how their campaigns are performing.This ensures more effective allocation of budget and resources to help maximise their results on Youtube.
🎯 Confidential matching
This is a new feature designed to improve data privacy. It uses Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) to keep your data secure. In these secure environments data is decrypted and combined to create insights and reports on customer engagement. This enables advertisers to securely connect their first party data with Google’s audience insights for more precise ad targeting whilst maintaining privacy safeguards.
Confidential Matching ensures that sensitive information remains encrypted and isolated throughout the processing phase. It is now automatically applied to Customer Match, adding an extra level of security to keep personal data private, even from Google itself.
🎯 Google requires Local Services Ads verification by November 2024
Google has started informing advertisers using Local Services Ads (LSA’s) that they must complete a new verification process by November 15, 2024. The verification is aimed at reducing spam and increasing trust by ensuring that businesses and professionals, e.g. Lawyers are properly authenticated. Any lawyers for example who appear on LSAs will need to undergo both an identity check and licence verification to continue being featured in Google ads.
From September 16th, 2024, Google’s partner Evident will begin sending verification emails to those relevant professionals and businesses. Once you have been notified, advertisers will have 30 days to complete the required process. This is all contributing towards protecting businesses and consumers from fraud and impersonation.
If you feel like you may need some expert advice or support to execute your digital marketing strategy in the Q4 period, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at Big Bear Creative to excel in your marketing performance.
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