I’ve been running these newsletters for a few months now, and I’m not sure I’ve ever offered Snapchat more than a passing reference. However, it’s their time to shin… well, it’s their time this week.
In other news, after years of seeing companies take brief snapshots of SEO performance a couple of times a year, it was interesting to see a columnist at Search Engine Land this week call for a more enlightened approach. Meanwhile, TikTok is testing private spaces where creators can engage with select subscribers – perhaps not world changing in itself, but indicative of a wider trend where social networks are focussing on ways to satisfy both the public and private needs of creators.
What’s going on at Snap?
It was all happening at Snapchat this week, which might have had one of the most turbulent weeks in its relatively rollercoaster existence.
Still reeling from the news it was going to have to recall its Pixy drones due to battery issues, Snap (the company behind Snapchat) then announced significant layoffs to 10% of its workforce. Somewhat predictably given that news, it then transpired that the quarterly earnings had not gone well, leading to stocks tumbling amid fears that growth hasn’t quite gone as well as expected – largely, from where I’m sat, because TikTok has happily stolen it’s lunch.
It isn’t all doom and gloom for Snap however – it has more monthly active users than ever, and there are continued platform improvements.
From my perspective, and chatting with a few peers, I’ve never quite gotten past the fact that Snap was incredibly slow to monetize, wanting to offer advertisers an exclusive experience and failing to launch a self-service ad platform while the iron was hot. By the time that had reached a point of being interesting, much of the same appeal was already offered via Instagram, and then via a TikTok ad platform that has constantly improved since launch.
When you factor in the fact it’s never quite had a market-leading offering with the fact that in that time we’ve seen unprecedented economic instability, it probably isn’t too much of a surprise that investors are concerned. As a marketer, I haven’t heard a single compelling reason to go back to Snap – and don’t see that changing any time soon.
A user-centric approach to SEO
I spotted an interesting article in Search Engine Land this week looking at why a shift to user-centric SEO objectives makes a lot of sense.
At the moment, there is a general focus on capturing volume-based metrics at moments in time – total page views, monthly organic traffic, number of indexed pages and then keyword rankings. These still have a place for me (most obviously tracking keyword rankings) – but the point here is that rather than measuring at distinct fixed points in time, we should consider tracking them dynamically at more regular intervals.
We should also track how user behaviour changes over time, particularly in tandem with how keyword rankings change. This is crucial for adapting to the fluidity of online user needs and aligning marketing strategies more with user experiences and preferences, improving overall SEO performance
Doing this means we can learn more about why these changes are happening, rather than just noting that they’re happening. I’d recommend taking a look at the article for more detail.
TikTok experimenting with private spaces
TikTok is testing a new feature called “Sub Space” within its Live subscription tools, aiming to boost engagement between creators and their paying subscribers by setting up private chat rooms. This very much plays into the wider trend called out by The Economist this week that we’re seeing the demise of the social network as a concept, and the rise of private social spaces.
This feature is designed to incentivize sign-ups by offering exclusive interaction opportunities in live chats. For digital marketers, this represents a novel avenue to deepen relationships with our most engaged audience members. It’s still very much in development, but we should consider how to incorporate private spaces into our TikTok strategies (and potentially other channels – Instagram is playing in the same sandbox).
Further Reading
Are you one of those people who was vaguely interested in Bluesky when it was exclusive and invitation only? Well it’s your lucky day as now anyone can sign up, post once and never use it again. In all sincerity – I’d keep an eye on it as a marketer, but it’s some way off being a major concern.
Meanwhile, Meta gave some insight this week into how the Threads algorithm works. Nothing earth shattering, but worth a look if you have a presence there.
One interesting and unintended consequence of the tightening up of restrictions on ads around political and social issues is that it’s causing brands to see CSR-focussed ads disapproved. This is particularly hitting Pharma firms at the moment.
And finally, well done if you had Tucker Carson interviewing Vladimir Putin on your bingo card this week – the stranger-than-fiction scoop also led to X topping the app store charts for the first time in a long while. Speaking of the channel formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk is putting his money where his mouth is regarding funding legal action for those cancelled for comments on the channel, funding Gina Carano’s case against Disney.
That’s it! If you enjoyed this article, then please feel free to tell your friends, say hello or if you’re feeling particularly generous, to buy me a coffee.