LinkedIn enhancing engagement options

LinkedIn is looking to build on its record levels of engagement by enhancing the engagement options on its platform.

Among those enhancements are new comment and comment reply options on Event pages, and a ‘Repost’ option.

It was reported by LinkedIn in April that the company continues to see record levels of engagement, which led to a 34 percent increase in revenue in the first quarter.

In respect to Event comments, LinkedIn is rolling out more comment engagement options within LinkedIn Events. The goal is to encourage on-topic discussion and engagement at events. According to socialmediatoday.com, "The option is designed to capitalize on LinkedIn Events engagement, with more than 24,000 events now being created in the app every week. LinkedIn also recently expanded its streamlined ‘Boost’ ad option to incorporate LinkedIn Events, providing users with another way to amplify their LinkedIn event listings. It could be a good way to both encourage topical discussion, while also promoting your event."

As far as the repost option, the goal here for LinkedIn is make it easier to amplify job opportunities, while also streamlining engagement by reducing some of the steps to add commentary to every re-share.

YouTube publishes Culture & Trends report

YouTube has published its "Culture and Trends" report, which includes insights from 10 countries to provide perspective on what’s driving the latest video trends, and how that can relate to businesses digital marketing strategies.

The report looks at three trends: Community Creativity, Multi-format Creativity and Responsive Creativity.

In its introduction, YouTube says, "The pop culture landscape was varied, and a new type of online video creator was rising in prominence, but everyone experienced digital culture in basically the same way.

"Now, pop culture is all about you. We still have viral videos, but single videos are comparatively less likely to achieve broad cultural breakthrough."

According to YouTube, new video formats and technologies have grown massively in the last five years. It said 85 percent of Gen Z users have posted video content online. Gen Z is defined as someone born between 1981 and 1996 (or people from ages 26-41 in 2022).

YouTube also acknowledge the COVID-19 pandemic has "reshaped our relationship with video and accelerated a number of long-term trends."

Here is some data to consider:

• 65 percent of Gen Z agree that content that's personally relevant to them is more important than the content that lots of other people are talking about.
• 55 percent of Gen Z agree that they watch content that no one they know personally is interested in.
• 63 percent of Gen Z followed one or more meme accounts in the past 12 months. "Producing and consuming remixable content - often as memes - is a major way that Gen Z and millennials participate in pop culture," the report said.
• 57 percent of Gen Z agree that they like it when brands participate in memes.
• 59 percent of Gen z agree that they use short-form video apps to discover things that they then watch longer versions of.
• 69 percent of Gen z agree that they often find themselves return to creators or content that feels comforting to them.

Why are you dropping in SEO results?

Don't get discouraged. Mastering SEO is a hard thing to do. There is so much competition for top-of-the-results placement. But, you also know there are ways to standout. Among those, is making sure your website content is updated and making Google Business Profile is updated are two of the easiest suggestions.

But, because SEO placement ebbs and flows, one day you're high on the results, say in that 0, 1 or 2 position. Then, the next week, you're out of those spots. It happens.

Then of course the question you ask is why did that happen?

Here are some possible reasons:

• Technical issue with website. Possibilities here include any change(s) of URL(s), any recent updates (such as uploading a photo or photos and/or video or videos) that slowed the speed of the site, or any updates in general (maybe something as simple as changing the layout or template) been made that could again slow website loading speed. Several research studies have shown that slow website loading speed not only hurts the ability to track consumers but also has a factor in SEO results. The quicker a site can load, the better. You typically have less than a matter of seconds to get your site loaded before a user will click away.
• Another thing to consider is your CLS. Color changes can hinder website performance as well.
• Ah the ol' algorithm by Google. Google is CONSTANTLY working on keeping its algorithm up to date, specifically making sure users are getting search results relevant to them. One of the top factors in that is localization. Google continually puts a greater emphasis on presenting results to users that are of local interest to them.
• Competition. This has already been mentioned, but bears repeating. Competition is a big factor in search results, especially local ones. Continue to monitor what your competition is doing.
• Link building. If you've changed URLs, that'll means lost links on third-party websites. For example, if you have a URL listed on a Chamber of Commerce page, you need to make sure when you update the URL, that the change is also reflected on the Chamber of Commerce. When you lose a link, you lose some link credibility and accuracy, and those elements can lead to lower website scores.
• Keyword search demand. This can fall into the competition category as well. Not only are you competing with other businesses, but also you're competing for keywords. If you're business' or organization's industry is suddenly in high demand, there's heavy competition there too.

Here are some tips and tools on how to address lags in your search result placement:

• Meta tags and descriptions. Continue to make sure these are accurate and up to date. Make any changes when necessary.
• Sitemap. Make sure your sitemap is updated and accurate with Google. You can do this through Google Search Console.
• Site speed. Check on your website's speed. Google has a free tool for you to check that called PageSpeed Insights.
• Test your site's SEO. There are several resources for that including Sitechecker and Google SERP Snippet Optimization Tool, to name a few.

Meta/Facebook releases 'Widely Viewed Content' report

Meta/Facebook has published its "Widely Viewed Content Report," which highlights the most-viewed organic content in Facebook feeds by U.S.-based users throughout the first quarter of 2022.

According to socialmediatoday.com, "Meta came up with the report to counter the narrative that its algorithms help to amplify right-wing and extremist content." Socialmediatoday.com added this was a response to a Twitter profile that "highlights the most shared Facebook links each day, and has been widely quoted in such criticism." The Twitter profile is @FacebooksTop10.

Meta/Facebook has created a center within its company website called Transparency Center.

Here is a brief description of that center:

"Since 2016, we've used a strategy called "remove, reduce, inform" to manage content across Meta technologies.

"This means we remove harmful content that goes against our policies, reduce the distribution of problematic content that doesn’t violate our policies, and inform people with additional context so they can decide what to click, read or share.

"To help with this strategy, we have policies that describe what is and isn’t allowed on our technologies. Our teams work together to develop our policies and enforce them."

In Q1 2022, Meta/Facebook reported 85.3% of views came from posts shared by people’s friends, from Groups people had joined, or Pages they had followed. Of the remaining 14.7% of Feed content views in the U.S. during Q1 2022, 11.7% came from in Feed recommendations, which show people content from sources they are not connected to, but Meta thinks users might be interested in. The company refers to this content as ‘unconnected posts’. The last 3% came from less common products, such as Events, and logging discrepancies.

Meta reported youtube.com had the most content viewers at 182.3 million. TikTok.com was next at 135.4M, gofundme.com (123M), amazon.com (122.8M) and media1.tenor.co (119M). The rest of the top 10 was twitter.com (118.8M), linktr.ee (92M), open.spotify.com (91.1M), dailymail.co.uk (88.3M) and eventbrite.com (82.5M).

Google unveils changes to maps, search insights

At its 2022 I/O Summit, Google announced a range of updates and new features related to the presentation of its Map app as well as search insights.

In a jaw-dropping development, Google unveiled what it is calling an Immersive View to the Maps app.

"Today at Google I/O, we announced new ways the latest advancements in AI are transforming Google Maps — helping you explore with an all-new immersive view of the world, find the most fuel-efficient route, and use the magic of Live View in your favorite third-party apps," said Google in a blog post.

In short, the Maps updates will enable users to experience what a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue looks like, via your device.

"With our new immersive view, you’ll be able to experience what a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue is like — and even feel like you’re right there before you ever set foot inside," Google said. "So whether you’re traveling somewhere new or scoping out hidden local gems, immersive view will help you make the most informed decisions before you go."

Google said the Immerse View will work on just about any phone and device. The plan is to roll out the feature in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo as 2022 progress. More cities will be rolled out soon after.

Google is also making steps to allow users to remove search results about them that includes personal information. Related to that, Google also announced it expanded its appeals process for the removal of search listings that include personal information.

On the advertising front, Google’s testing a carousel ad format in Search results. The goal will be to provide another way for shoppers to browse directly from the SERP.

In another ads-related announcement, Google also unveiled a new ads control dashboard, which will enable users to control how their ad experiences are personalized across Google’s apps and sites. The dashboard, which will be accessible on all Google ads, will enable users to like, share or block any ad, and/or show additional insight into who paid for the ad, and why they, specifically were targeted within that campaign.

Tapping on ‘Customize more of the ads you see’ will take users to a second screen above, which provides more controls over one's Google ad experience.

Users will also be able to limit ads relating to sensitive topics, including alcohol, gambling, dating, pregnancy, parenting, and weight loss.

Local SEO tips, why are they important

The competition is fierce to be discovered on the internet. Thus, the value of a sound SEO strategy is important to a company/business' success or lack of it.

WebFX has a blog post about important statistics to know when it comes to SEO and understanding its value. (WebFX does offer a free SEO calculator. You can view it here). Here are a few of those:

• 80% of local searches convert.
• 46% of Google searches are for local businesses.
• The search term "near me" has increased more than 500% in the last few years (which puts a heavy emphasis on local searching).
• 78% of people search for local businesses more than once per week.
• 97% of search engine users search online to find a local business.

So how do you become successful on local SEO?

The first part is to understand that success in SEO doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to develop and populate, and really establish yourself as a business on the web. You have to gain Google's trust that you're a viable business with something to offer before it offers you to the masses.

Here are tips that can help with that.

• Make sure you have a Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business). You can do that by clicking here if you don't have one set up. It's free.
• Why? If a user does a search in Google, especially a local one such as looking for closest seafood restaurant, the most common result is called the Map Pack. It shows locations of seafood restaurants. Then if user clicks on the restaurant, they're shown the business profile, which contains things like website, phone number, reviews, photos, etc. Think of it this way: the map pack result or Google Business Profile is what a user sees from the street. The business website is for when the user wants to be inside the business. 
• Get reviews of your business. This is a great thing to have, but can get complicated. Google has several mechanisms in place that try to sniff out what it believes is spammy-like reviews. It also looks to make sure reviews aren't being posted by one single email address or from the same IP address. Encourage visitors to your business to leave a review.
• Optimize your website. Make sure you have a solid website. By that I mean have relevant content on the page. It can be a simple website. You don't need all the videos and graphics. That just hurts website loading speed, which is a factor in SEO. Understand what words or phrases users might use to try and find your business and make sure they're in prominent spots on your website, such as page titles.
• Have clean and concise calls to action, contact page. When a user is on your site, make sure what you want them to do is clear and obvious. You typically have only a matter of seconds before someone makes a decision of whether to do business with you. Make those seconds count.
• Utilize free analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Search Console and Data Studio. These tools offer tons of information to help you understand users' behavior on your site, but also how they're getting to your site. You can set up a Google Analytics account by clicking here.
• Build backlinks. Get your site listed on important websites, such as local chamber of commerce, Better Business Bureau. Building backlinks ups SEO score, which improves SEO result.

Report shows teens still engaging with Facebook

Hootsuite has released a report that has several key findings, including what people are doing on specific social media platforms and teenagers still engage with Facebook.

The report entitled "Digital Statshot April 2022" explores data of social media users from 230 counties and territories. It's a 300-page document, but Hootsuite was kind of to break it down into a 29-page "Top Takeways" document, which you can view by clicking here.

Here are what I thought were the key takeaways of the top takeaways:

• It was a breakdown of what type of content users are looking for on specific platforms.
• 77.4% of users on TikTok are looking for funny/entertaining content, followed by Instagram (61.3%), Facebook (55.8%), Reddit (37.8%).
• 62.2% of users looking to follow or research brands/products are doing so on Instagram, followed by Facebook (55.6%) and Pinterest (37.9%).
• 59.8% of users looking to keep up to date with news/current events are doing so on Facebook, followed very closely by Twitter (59.7%). Instagram is third at 51.2%.
• 71.1% of users looking to message and friends are using Facebook to do that. 49.9% use Instagram, 34.3% use Snapchat and 20.9% use Twitter, all the others were below 20%.
• 69.9% of users posting or sharing photos/videos are using Instagram, then Facebook (64.3%). From there it drops to 40.3% on Snapchat and 33.9% on TikTok (thought this number would be higher.
• Snapchat added 32 million users to its global ad audience over the past three months, a growth of almost 6% from quarter-over-quarter.
• The Facebook advertising audience profile, the data says, is 17.8% 25-34 year old men, followed by 18-24 year old men (13.2%) and 25-34 year old women (12.2%).
• Teenagers are still going to Facebook. Data says the platform added 2.8 million additional teenagers since the start of the year.

This next part was a bit shocking for me.

Hootsuite broke down communication channels used for work. The results showed the percentage of working professionals (ages 16-64) who use each tool or medium for work-related communication.

• Phone calls was the leader at 77.3% daily, 95.1% overall. Email was close behind at 76.7% and 94.7%, respectively.
• Office software such as Google Docs, Microsoft Office was 72.8% and 90.6%.
• Messenger services such as Skype was 70.0% and 86.8%.
• Video calls was 55.5%, 86.5%.

Facebook user growth back on track; revenue declines

After reporting a decline in user growth for the first time in its history, Facebook/Meta reported in its latest quarterly report that user growth grew in the first quarter of 2022.

In its 2021 Q4 report, the company reported it showed a rise in monthly active users and a growth in revenue. However, daily active users declined, losing about a million DAUs.

In the 2022 Q1 report, the DAUs was up to 1.96 billion from 1.929 billion. In the 2021 Q1 report, DAU was 1.878 billion. DAU reached 1.93 billion in Q3 2021 before the drop in the fourth quarter. It was an alarming revelation and it opened up perception as to whether the social media giant had reached its peak.

When looking at monthly active users, that data continues to grow.

In 2021 Q4, MAUs was 2.912 billion. In 2022 Q1, MAU was 2.936 billion.

While it appears users are sticking with Facebook/Meta, the company also revealed in its 2022 Q1 report that revenue declined.

In an article by zdnet.com, Facebook/Meta estimated Apple's iOS changes, including the mail privacy protection, will cost the company about $10 billion in 2022. The first report appears to validate that predication.

In Q1 2022, Facebook/Meta's revenue by user geography was $27,908 (in millions), down from $33,671 (in millions) from Q4 2021. Plus, net income in Q4 2021 was $10,285 (in millions) and dropped to $7,465 (in millions) for Q1 2022.

If you'd like to see the full earning report, you can view it by clicking here.

More on social media trends: What you need to know

As social media marketers, we always have to stay on top of latest trends, right? Introducing the latest social media report: "Social Media in the US" by GWI.

The report analyzes the latest social media trends in the United States. You can view the full report by clicking here.

To obtain the information, GWI said "Figures in this report are drawn from GWI’s online research among internet users aged 16-64. Please note that we only interview respondents aged 16-64 and our figures are representative of the online populations of each market, not its total population."

The sample size drew "insights from GWI’s Q3 2021 wave of research across 47 countries, with a US sample of 24,692 respondents."

Here are the key insights in the report:

• Social engagement is waving. The report from Q1 2021 showed the highest average figures on record for US social media usage. "While engagement has plateaued for younger consumers, our latest Q4 data shows older consumers have kept social media in favor."
• More TikTokers are scrolling away. "Since Q4 2020, the number of consumers using TikTok monthly has grown by nearly 50%. Despite its youthful reputation, engagement has grown most among Gen X (+79%) and baby boomers (+147%). Its popularity doesn’t show any signs of slowing and older consumers will have a leading role.
• New contenders in the messaging space. "Data privacy is a growing focus, with increasing use of privacy-centered DuckDuckGo and encrypted messaging services. With WhatsApp growing in the last year, and Discord and Telegram making big leaps, their engaged messaging communities are a strong option for marketers.
• Stories provide growing interaction opportunities. "While less stories are being posted, the number of consumers swiping up on Instagram stories is on the rise, and Facebook too. With significant growth among Gen X (+24%) and baby boomers (+33%) on Facebook Marketplace/Instagram Shopping, utilizing the latest story tools will help keep platform users engaged.
• Social commerce is on the rise.

Let's take a deeper look into the data.

According to the report, Americans spend an average of 11 minutes less per day on social media than the global average. Users from the Middle East, Africa and Latin America are the most engaging areas.

Americans average about 2 hours, 18 minutes per day on social media. Globally that average is 2:29. Latin America, as well as Middle East/Africa are at 3:34. Europe is the lowest at 2:05.

The most popular social media platform for all those regions is Facebook/Meta. In addition, more than 2 in 5 social media users have at least five social media services.

During the pandemic, social media saw record-breaking engagement levels. As the pandemic has faded, so has engagement for at least some parts of the population, according to the report. For example, GenZ users (those born between 1997 and 2012) have gone from an average of 3 hours, 16 minutes on social media in Q4 2020 to 3:11 in Q4 2021. On the other hand, millennials, Gen-X and baby boomers also had higher engagement in Q4 2021 compared to Q4 2020. Millennials peaked at 2:47 in Q1 2021. That is now 2:42.

As for what apps appeals to what population segments, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok reign supreme for Gen-Zers. Even Twitter is the most popular app for that age group. Facebook remains popular for those older than 25. LinkedIn is popular for those 25-54.

We've learned TikTok's short-form video model has reset the foundation for what's popular and how to be popular on social media. TikTok has expanded the video uploading options to be as long as 3 minutes. But, data shows there is still some value for videos lasting longer than 4 minutes.

LinkedIn reports growth, record engagement

Microsoft Corp., which owns LinkedIn, announced April 26 its third quarter results.

In the midst of the results report was an update on LinkedIn and the company shared positive results from its third quarter, which ended March 31.

LinkedIn revenue grew 34 percent. The growth, according to the report, was "driven by a strong job market in our Talent Solutions business and strong advertising demand in our Marketing Solutions business."

In addition, LinkedIn sessions grew 22 percent with record engagement.

“Going forward, digital technology will be the key input that powers the world’s economic output,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft, in a press release. “Across the tech stack, we are expanding our opportunity and taking share as we help customers differentiate, build resilience, and do more with less.”

Microsoft didn't release specific information about LinkedIn members, which, at last check, was at 810 million.

LinkedIn has launched new analytics, updates to profile video features and a subscribe bell and enabled creators to feature newsletters on their profiles, as well as a skills-first tool to focus on hiring and developing talent.

If you'd like to dive into more of Microsoft's/LinkedIn's latest report, you can click here.