Uncategorized - Tom Kennett

November 28, 2024November 28, 2024Uncategorized

What’s going on with X/Bluesky, and we need to talk about Reddit

In my little echo chamber, it feels like everyone is talking about Bluesky; but, in reality, it’s making relatively little impression outside of certain circles. That, at least, is what I’m taking a little bit more of a look at first this week, with the ongoing landgrab between X, Threads and Bluesky warming up.

Elsewhere, Reddit overtook X in the UK in terms of usage; it’s a viable platform for corporate comms, something I make a case for below. And finally, the issue of Australia banning U16s from social media has been bubbling up over the last few weeks; I start to make sense of it.

I’ll just leave a little plug for my Bluesky account, where I’m posting regularly about digital marketing, and then say let’s get to it!

Microblog Landgrab: X vs Threads vs Bluesky

The world of social media managers seems to be dominated by talk around the ongoing landgrab taking place between X, Threads and Bluesky. I’ve made some sense of it all below.

Bluesky hit 22 million users this week. But, latest figures report around 1.5 million Daily Active Users (though presumably this is fluctuating all the time). When you consider that the last reports on X state it has 156 million Daily Active Users, it’s safe to say that there’s still a way to go yet.
That said, that hasn’t stopped X from showing some nervousness. Features such as enabling users to hide engagements could be interpreted as a bid to conceal waning popularity.
Elsewhere, Threads is just full on cloning Bluesky features, with ‘following’ feeds being tested as the default and the genuinely brilliant starter packs from Bluesky now suddenly coming to the platform.
That said, Threads did add 35 million new sign ups this month – though recent daily active user data remains scarce.
Where does this leave Bluesky? Well, this week they’ve had a regulatory headache, with the EU taking issue with user declarations (or a lack thereof). This might be slightly surprising as the platform seems to be providing almost daily boasts of new sign ups, but the issue seems to mainly be a declaration of how many users it has in the EU. This is a technicality and will be a quick fix.
The bigger issue is that, in my experience at least, the honeymoon period isn’t really translating into usage. Much of my network has signed up and loves the vibe, but isn’t really contributing. I certainly would be reluctant to encourage clients to commit much resource yet.
It feels like a lot of the same people are posting a lot, while others are either lurking or just out of the microblogging habit. I like it, so hopefully I just need to be patient, and will persevere for a while; you’ll find me here!

We need to talk about Reddit

It was fascinating to see Reddit overtake X this morning, in the UK at least, in terms of platform usage. And yet, as mentioned here before, many brands/organisations seem to ignore it as part of their marketing mix.

As mentioned in the link, Ofcom said Reddit was visited by 22.9 million UK adults in May this year, compared with 22.1 million on X. Admittedly, this isn’t super scientific, but it’s a sign of a greater shift.

My own experiences of advertising on there have been largely positive – a lack of flexibility with ad formats is made up for with good CPMs, and a fantastic ability to target active, niche communities. It seems weird to me as an SMB owner the amount of relevant advertisers who’ll splash the ads on relatively pricey (and difficult to attribute) out-of-home ads, yet don’t seem to be testing Reddit.

It depends on your offering and your audience, but if you have any relevant communities on there who might be interested in your product, it might well be worth giving it a second look.

16 year old debate Australia

I might try and delve into this further in the next few weeks, but it’ll have been hard to miss the news coming out of Australia that 16 year olds are very possibly going to be banned from using social platforms. There are concerns on how this will be enforced, but inevitably this has opened up discussions on whether this could be an option in the UK – though it seems unlikely for now.

With news that TikTok is blocking teenagers from beauty filters over mental health concerns, I expect we’ll see a lot more from the platforms in terms of pre-empting this, and trying to take steps to prevent any further action. Other platforms (i.e. LinkedIn) note that they aren’t really popular with kids/teens.

The obvious thing here in terms of what this means really comes down to your product and audience; its already difficult to use advertising to reach these audiences, but removing the organic audience will force a lot of brands to rethink their approach. This is a big thing to watch going into 2025.

Which trends will drive Digital Marketing in 2025?

The countdown is very much on to the holiday season, with Thanksgiving and Black Friday only days away, while Christmas is a little over a month away. As such it can only mean one thing: sky-high CPMs… I mean, it’s time for an annual trends round up!

I’ve had a look at the five biggest trends and themes I’ve seen, plus there’s a few thought starters. The newsletter will return to its usual format next week.

Also, just a quick plug – I’ve joined Bluesky and am posting there far more regularly than on LinkedIn. Some of it is even about Digital Marketing; if you’re new to the platform and looking for a more frequent marketing fix, then please consider following.

Anyway – let’s get to it!

1. AI and Automation are essential (but you knew that already)

Generative AI is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a cornerstone of marketing workflows. From content creation to audience segmentation and predictive analytics, AI is driving efficiency and personalisation at scale.

The challenge? Striking the right balance between automation and maintaining a human touch. My own personal recipe is to use it for, say, a first draft of a customer journey map, before then applying my own expertise and experience to finessing it.

2. Authenticity and credibility has never been more important

AI can churn out vast quantities of content fast; however, your competitors already know that, and are already using it. Unique “human” experiences and expertise will cut through like never before; again, video will be a key way to drive these messages home.

3. Short-form video rules

Short-form video content dominates—platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are increasingly non-negotiable parts of a successful marketing mix. Meanwhile, LinkedIn is making a major play towards video, and with increased mobile usage on the platform portrait “talking heads” style videos are becoming increasingly common. I’m expecting to see a lot more of this in 2025.

4. First-party data 🤝 Personalisation

Customers increasingly expect tailored experiences. With third-party cookies (still) on the way out, first-party data is becoming ever more necessary. Loyalty programs, email campaigns, and app engagement will be key to delivering the level of relevance consumers now demand.

5. Social is becoming increasingly fragmented

This might not even have made the cut a few weeks ago, but the last week has shown how quickly things can change in the social landscape. Right now, Bluesky feels like a winner, while Threads and X feel like losers, especially if you look at data suggesting BlueSky has already surpassed Threads user numbers in the UK and US.

Brands might be starting to plot their route to the platform already, but I’d recommend caution; yes, of course, you should grab those handles. However, advertisers are mooted to be returning to X, while Threads is looking to introduce ads, a move which will surely herald a major (or at least noteworthy) ATL campaign. This scrap has only just got started.

Further thinking

TikTok in the US: Donald Trump previously said he’s going to row back on banning TikTok. Only, his FCC pick wants to ban the platform. So… he’s 180’d his 180? This will be a huge story to watch over the coming months.

It’s the economy, stupid! The wider economic landscape is shifting wildly. It’s never been more important to run data-driven A/B tests and to double-check your attribution game is strong, to ensure you can demonstrate ROI and understand what works for you.

That’s it for now! We’ll be back to normal next week, and continuing until just before Christmas. If you found this interesting, I would appreciate it if you shared it with your friends and colleagues.

If you’re feeling particularly generous, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you next week!

November 14, 2024November 14, 2024Uncategorized

Advertisers return to X, as The Guardian leaves. What does this all mean?

I was on a client call earlier this week and someone said “it’s 7 weeks until January”, which is slightly terrifying, but also a timely reminder that we’re now right into trends season!

As with previous years, it’s quite hard to predict anything definitively new, but there are some interesting nuggets starting to emerge, notably with Hootsuite’s trends report this week. As with last year, I’ll pull together a concise compilation of the best trends in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for that.

But first: what on earth is going on at X?

X was always likely to play a prominent role in the news cycle regardless of the election result. However, even I’m slightly surprised at the level of chaos emerging; what does it all mean for the wider landscape?

Firstly – there’s every chance we’re seeing an exodus of users, although until X releases its next round of user figures we won’t know for sure. My own hunch is that most of the people who were going to leave and go elsewhere probably already have done, but we’ll wait to see what the data says.
That said, there were some high profile leavers this week; most notably The Guardian, as well as former CNN anchor Dom Lemon following a bizarre interview with Elon Musk.
Yet, the FT conversely reports this week that while we might be seeing an exodus of users, major advertisers are being tempted back to the platform in a bid to curry favour with Musk and, by extension, Donald Trump.

With Bluesky and Threads both reporting major surges in terms of usage, it all begs the question; what does this landscape now look like?

Where before there was just Twitter, now there are X, Bluesky and Threads, all largely competing for the same slice of the social media pie. My issue with all 3 platforms is that, at least within my own network, there’s not really enough going on with any individual app to make it feel worth my while. A lot of people I know have signed up, posted once or twice, and then never posted again.

Until Threads or Bluesky improves Daily Active User figures (which reflect my anecdotal musings), it’s hard to see either leapfrogging X.

Threads is likely to launch ads early next year. This should, probably, coincide with some above the line advertising (something that’s been absent when compared to Twitter or, a few years back, other Meta products), and this is a scrap I expect to heat up over the next year.

Hootsuite launches 2025 trends report

Hootsuite has launched its annual trends piece. I’m planning on taking a deeper look at upcoming digital and social trends over the next few weeks, but this will possibly make for some interesting reading in the meantime.

Key takeaways are:

Content experimentation is up, with brands foregoing long protected brand guidelines to do so
Brands are commenting elsewhere to grow outbound engagement
Apparently, social listening is launching social into a new era – though, given this is coming from Hootsuite, you’ll forgive me for taking that with a pinch of salt.
Oh also, AI is your new social media strategist.

Read the full piece here. Social Media Today also launched its trends piece this week.

Category: Uncategorized