It seems like only yesterday I was on my routine journey of scouting out the new updates in digital marketing for January – but I blinked, and May is already on our doorstep! If you’re anything like the Smarter Searches team, this year is running by us. But enough chit-chat – welcome back to our monthly digital round-up series, and get ready for episode 4: April 2022.
Why Elon Musk Buying Twitter Is Such a Big Deal by Brian Fung from CNN
In case you don’t pay attention to the news and/or social media, Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, bought Twitter for approximately $44 billion. So what caused this transaction to spark in the first place and how could this change the landscape of digital media? Brian Fung explains that as a result of Musk’s past eccentric Twitter controversies and being banned, the billionaire made the offer to purchase the publicly traded firm and take it private. By doing so he aims to reduce restrictions on free speech, allow access back into Twitter to previously banned accounts, and, while not directly stated by Musk, leverage this entity to enhance his other enterprises in foreign markets.
Spirited debates have ensued discussing the positive and negative effects of having a global monetary power like Musk, who is known to be rather abrupt in changing his mind, in control over this social atmosphere. Personally, I believe taking the company private will reduce the transparency and accountability drastically and will inspire hate speech rather than a civilized discussion of opinions. As Musk claims his career and life are dedicated to the advancement of science, technology, and human society, this may just turn out to be an implosion both online and in real life.
Digital Marketing News, Trends, and Insights from March 2022 from Frizhit
While this article incorporates short snippets of current events in Marketing, one topic that caught my eye was TikTok’s release of 10-minute videos. Known for short-form content, this social media platform took the world by storm and essentially created a replacement for apps like Vine. TikTok really was in a league of its own until Instagram released their reels; but now that 10-minute videos are a new option, it will be interesting to see how a) this competes with YouTube and b) how successful the launch will be considering users’ increasingly short attention spans.
Junior Marketers Are Driving Customer Experience Innovation from MarketingTech
For all the recent or upcoming marketing graduates, I understand the struggle of finding a digital marketing job in a world that wants you to have six years of experience for an entry-level position. While the opportunities seem slim, a recent study conducted in the UK revealed that 50% of junior marketers are tasked with driving innovation for customer experience. Duncan McRae from MarketingTech explains that while not all young marketing assistants feel their opinion isn’t valued by senior management, developing and experimenting in markets is essential. And who better to help implement these tests and trials? Young graduates with current education, technologies, and familiarity in the digital world are the ideal candidates. Reach out to agencies or businesses local or abroad to see if you might be able to create a job for yourself based on this study!
Title Rewrites: 3 Patterns to Avoid by Dr. Peter J. Meyers from Moz
My day consists of writing, writing, and you guessed it – more writing. You learn very quickly that the best way to become a better writer is to write more and absorb as many tips as you can. Dr. Peter J. Meyers from Moz explains in his Whiteboard Friday video some of Google’s new and unpopular updates for rewriting titles. In a nutshell, it was recorded that roughly 30% of titles are rewritten by Google. This means you need to be paying attention to a few scenarios that will more than likely give you less control over how Google presents your page. These are Dr. Meyers’ takeaways for writing better titles. First, focus on utilizing critical keywords so Google can better distinguish the page’s theme. Second, tone down the use of superlatives because Google will replace the title with something different from your page. And last, if your title runs the risk of being too long, the middle terms may be truncated instead of the ending one.
What Are Keywords and How Do You Use Them by Luke Harsel from Semrush
Taking it back to basics on this one, Luke Harsel from Semrush does a great job explaining the overview of keywords, their role in SEO and PPC, and how to choose the right ones to implement into your strategy. For anyone starting out in digital marketing, I’d recommend this guide. It covers everything from competitive short-tail terms to long-tail high converting keywords. He also dives into several qualities to pay attention to. Most importantly though, I would tip my (white) hat to him for plugging in those correct SEO tips such as no keyword stuffing, placement, and natural usage, all of which will help you create the most effective content or campaign.
Overall, April was quite busy in the digital marketing realm! From billionaires acquiring social media platforms to video content and keyword fundamentals, digital marketing is ever-changing. Come back next month to see what May has to offer!
