The data is in: TikTok is overtaking Google as a search engine
Google has always been the top dog in the Search world.
But a new study from Adobe shows that the trend is changing. 10% of Gen Z chooses TikTok over Google as their go-to search engine.
But it’s not just Gen Z. Almost 50% of millennials, as well as 29% of Gen X and 14% of Boomers have also admitted to using the viral video platform as their go-to for getting answers.
The survey also showed that 54% of business owners surveyed use TikTok to promote their business, posting an average of 9 times a month. So as of January 2024, if you’re not on TikTok, you’re actually in the minority.
Introducing “Q5” – a key period for your yearly marketing calendar
The data direct from Meta HQ is in. Post the mad holiday season shopping rush, during what we’re calling the “Q5”, CPMs hit their lowest point of the year.
With full hindsight and data, this truly makes it the golden hour for advertisers to shine – something we need to mark in the calendar for 2024/25 and start thinking about early..
Q5 effectively connects from late December to mid-January.
Why is it different from the rest of the year?
During this time, shoppers are making returns, redeeming gift cards and spending cash gifts that they got during the holiday season.
Here’s how you can use Q5 to your advantage:
- Consider the “Back to School” category, and think about marketing to tertiary students who’ll start their studies around the beginning of February.
- Consider various customer motivations at this time of year — New Year’s resolutions, health and fitness goals, etc. — and think about using creators to tell your brand story to increase relatability.
Top marketing channels of 2024 revealed
According to the 2024 Hubspot business survey, Facebook is still the most popular platform used by marketers (57%). It’s closely followed by Instagram (55%), YouTube (52%), TikTok (44%), X/Twitter (39%), and LinkedIn (37%).
Despite Facebook still reigning supreme, short-form video is now the #1 content marketing format. In 2024, marketers will invest most of their time and resources in…
- 36% short-form video
- 9% podcasts
- 9% images
- 8% case studies
- 8% long-form video
- 7% blog posts
That means if you’re not already on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, you’ll be falling behind.
CORE MARKETING PLATFORM UPDATES
By the end of 2024, Google is planning to get rid of all cookies
To get ahead of the changes, enable first-party cookies with the Meta pixel.
- Head to your Events Manager and then go to Data Sources.
- Select your pixel and tap on Settings.
- As you scroll down, you’ll be able to see Cookie usage.
- If you haven’t already, turn on first-party cookies.
If you’re not sure where to start, you can get in touch with one of our Meta experts.
Google reveals SEO secrets about author bylines
If you’ve been adding author bylines in your blogs to rank higher on Google, turns out that myth has just been busted.
Unfortunately for all of the SEO masters out there, it seems that author bylines are merely a status symbol.
This revelation comes from Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, who debunked claims made by another publication suggesting otherwise.
Although author bylines may not directly impact website rankings, they do contribute to enhancing your page’s credibility and user-friendliness, ultimately improving the overall user experience.
Should we stop doing them? No. But are they as pivotal as we initially thought? Also no.
Update: 2 easier ways to connect with Instagram creators
- There’s a fresh new way for brands and creators to collaborate within Instagram’s creator marketplace. To make it easier for brands and creators to close branded content deals quickly, you can now send projects with fixed offers that creators can review and accept immediately.
- Creators will also soon be able to set up a portfolio to share their unique stories and position themselves for brand partnerships. This means you’ll be able to more easily find the creators who suit your brand voice.
2 upgrades for creating and monitoring your Instagram content
- Instagram introduced a new Reels metric on Facebook and Instagram called “Replays”.
- Forget about doing your own voiceovers! Instagram is adding 10 new English text-to-speech voices to choose from, rolling out across different countries in testing phases. Learn more here
TikTok Publishes Valentine’s Day Marketing Guide
Thinking about running a Valentin’s campaign?
Then don’t ignore TikTok come February.
The platform released this guide on How to harness engagement ahead of Valentine’s Day which is jam-packed with information brands can use.
Like… the most used hashtags around the event:
And the platform users’ Feb 14th gifting habits..
If you’re on the fence, remember this:
In 2023, #ValentinesDay garnered 57 billion video views.
That’s a lot of attention you can take advantage of in 2024.
Meta decreases detailed ad targeting options.
The platform has recently shared that they’re “discontinuing some detailed targeting options because they are either not widely used, redundant with others, too granular, they relate to topics that people may perceive as sensitive”.
Exact details of the changes are yet to come to light, but Meta mentioned health, race, and ethnicity as examples.
Fret not through. There’s a simple alternative if your ads do become affected: use automated options like the Meta Advantage+ audience (which it claims drives better performance anyway).
Meta’s A/B Testing Tool is becoming more powerful
The Meta Marketing Pros suggest utilising the A/B testing tool. This will help to reduce the ‘cannibalisation’ of ad sets against each other in an account while testing new audiences, creatives, optimisations, etc. This can make your efforts while testing even more effective and valuable, as we can have a super controlled split test.
You have the ability to shift the suggested budgets, what will be the determiner of success (such as lower CPA, higher ROAS, etc.), and how long you want to run this for. Might be perfect for those ads that never seem to get any spend when added into a new ad set…
The perfect scenario to lean into Meta’s Adv+ Expansion
If you’re running a ‘traditional’ TOF/MOF/BOF Meta ad structure, there might be a way to make your re-targeting even stronger.
Make sure you’re expanding and utilising the ‘Adv+ Expansions’ option on the ad set level to help introduce some new customers into your funnels. This will reduce the frequency of your campaign, helping to drive purchases for BOTH warm and cold, and letting you spend a bit more on those new customers.
Think of people who may have fallen off the BOF wagon and just need a little point in the right direction to make it work.
