There is a lot going on in social media marketing nowadays. Social media platforms continue to make moves into retail, short-form video content and other trends, while user habits evolve in their own way. Keeping on top of these changes is the key to a successful social media marketing campaign, as you can ride the wave of evolving trends to a successful social media campaign that will turn into sales.
So, take a look at what we think are the most advantageous advancements to social media marketing in the past few weeks.
YouTube is getting into TV streaming
In a move that puts YouTube in amongst the big boys like Netflix and Amazon Prime, YouTube has created their own streaming service, where users can watch a range of available TV shows, for free.
YouTube knows well enough that a majority of their users are watching on their televisions already, and so it makes sense to expand into commercial television as well as content, but it is a lesser-known fact to marketers and users. The theory has been for the 17 years that YouTube has existed that it is watched on laptops and mobile screens with the occasional outlier of TV fans, but as the app has evolved and smart televisions have advanced, which has encouraged a lot more users to watch on their TVs.
The details were explained in a blog by YouTube, saying, “YouTube is at the forefront of the consumer shift to CTV viewership as the top ad-supported streaming platform with the content people enjoy and the creators they love. And now US viewers for the first time will be able to watch full seasons of TV shows on YouTube for free with ads. Now you can stream nearly 4,000 episodes of your favorite TV shows, including Hell’s Kitchen, Andromeda, Heartland, and more.”
This creates yet another opportunity on the platform for marketers. There will be chances to post pre-roll and mid-roll ads during TV shows that bring in audiences around the world, and if the rest of the roster is like Hell’s Kitchen, it’ll be TV that’ll be rewatched as comfort TV.
It also bridges two vastly different demographics. You get people who watch TV and people who watch YouTube, rarely much overlap. They might range in demographics, but when “there is nothing on” they’re both turned to to fill a gap. Both of these demographics will now be on YouTube, watching your ads.
TikTok has announced its second summit
It seems that TikTok’s initial #ForYou marketing dedicated summit was such a hit that the platform has decided to host another one this year. As yet, the summit is curated for Southeast Asia but there is likely to be more summits down the line.
In the meantime, you can enjoy this 70-minute event on TikTok’s evolving marketing landscape, and pick up a lot of insight into the landscape that can be applied around the world, not only in Southeast Asia.
In a statement posted by TikTok on their dedicated site for the summit, TikTok said, “The new age of entertainment has arrived. Across content, culture, and commerce, joy and positivity are key to delivering success for businesses big and small. At TikTok, everyone’s in on the fun – especially brands. In this 70-minute event, learn how TikTok is evolving marketing in the region with the power of joy and entertainment. Join industry leaders and market experts as they reveal success stories from Netflix, McDonald’s, and many more.”
The summit’s site outlines that you can get inspiration for your brand’s place on TikTok, “harness” TikTok’s “leaned-in community” and “join-in culture”, discover “the future of shopping” and learn about TikToks commitment to brand safety.
Google adds keys to encourage media diversity
Google is aiming to encourage media diversity by adding a sticker to content and ads that feature businesses that cover a certain criterion, like Latino and women-owned websites.
They have a little key of images, which will be added to ads in Display & Video 360’s Marketplace, in order to give more focus to minority-owned brands and businesses. So far there is the female gender symbol for women-owned businesses, a black heart within an orange backdrop for Black-owned businesses, and a colourful flower for Latino-owned businesses.
As Google explained here, “When accessing Marketplace, you can find inventory packages with attributes that feature inventory from Latino- and Women-owned publishers. We use those same attributes to make it easier to discover publishers owned by individuals from these communities, so you can add these properties to your media plans.”
This will allow marketers representing minority-owned businesses to better get eyes on them. Users are doing more research into who they are buying from, and are pleased to support causes they believe in, so letting your audience know that they are backing a minority-owned business can be beneficial.
If you are looking for more social media marketing content, take a look at our blog. Or for more personalized advice, book a free call with a member of our team.
