It’s been a busy week in Digi Marketing-land, with plenty going on at TikTok, while we saw another quarter of ‘record’ growth at LinkedIn – but should we believe everything we hear?
Meanwhile, Google Ads will soon be stepping in and pausing lower volume keywords, while a case bubbling up in the US might redefine how social media platforms are held accountable. Let’s dive in…
All go at TikTok
This newsletter feels like a weekly missive from TikTok plus An Other. Well, they didn’t disappoint; in the wonderful world of TT we saw;
- An agreement was finally struck with Universal Music (remember that?), meaning Universal artists can now be utilised by platform users once again. The answer, as ever, involved more money changing hands.
- TikTok owners Bytedance have reportedly said they are happy to ditch the US altogether rather than sell up, if the company can’t win its case to avoid a spin off. It feels surprising they’d want to leave money on the table (workarounds can often somehow be found) and it does seem like posturing, but fighting talk to say the least.
- Not exactly platform news, but adjacent to this; I found this piece on the emergence of superstar therapists on TikTok fascinating.
LinkedIn seeing record levels of engagement
For around the 25th quarter in a row (no joke, this is enjoyable, and contains some healthy scepticism), LinkedIn has declared record growth levels. In all honesty this is actually believable – it does feel like the platform has gone from strength to strength over the past 3-4 years, with an influx of creators, content types and advertisers.
No real key learnings or headlines beyond the fact that if you/your brand aren’t already upping your LinkedIn game, you really should be looking at your options. More and more consumer brands are starting to see the potential of the targeting capabilities on there. Anecdotally I’m seeing content on there fly at the moment for a couple of clients and peers. Although for balance, it is worth saying that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear from LI.
Google Ads will automatically pause low activity keywords from June
One for the SEM marketers out there, but potentially an important one – Google will start to automatically pause low volume/activity keywords from June onwards. Make sure you keep a close eye on your keyword lists – you might find those long tail, hype-specific and niche terms you have on there suddenly get paused unceremoniously.
Do social media users have the right to control what they see in their feeds?
An interesting question, and one currently being explored via a lawsuit against Meta. This lawsuit is challenging the protections traditionally afforded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in the USA.
This law has historically shielded platforms from liability for user-generated content. The case, notably involving claims that Meta’s ad tools facilitated discrimination in housing ads, could redefine how platforms are held accountable.
This demonstrates the (increasing) importance of ethical ad targeting and is a sign of potential shifts in compliance and liability risks on digital platforms. One to keep an eye on.
Further Reading
LinkedIn shared an infographic showcasing the most in-demand marketing skills from the platform. Encouragingly for many reading this newsletter, “social media marketing” is right up there.
Pinterest doesn’t attract much drama or attention; it just sits there doing its thing and seemingly seeing solid, sturdy levels of user growth.
Having talked up its AI tools, studies and stories are now showing that Meta’s Advantage+ ‘set and forget’ tools are burning through budget, and in some cases even exceeding budget caps. Alarming and demonstrative of why you need to keep a close eye on your online spend.
Alphabet’s Q1 revenue was up 15%, something it attributes to Gemini AI. This, unsurprisingly, is the strategic focus and integrating it into search will be a key theme of the next 12 months and beyond.
That’s it for another busy week – if you found this interesting then I would really appreciate if you shared this with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, then I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week!