ESSAYS
LAURA CRIMMONS, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AT BRANDED3
may account for the drop in active users on Facebook and Twitter. No prizes for guessing who Vine and YouTube are targeting with these two launches, but the lesson is universal: select the right channel for the right audience.
FACEBOOK EXPAT TARGETING In March came a further focus on
niche groups with the news that Facebook would help businesses target the 92 million expats who use the platform. “It didn’t get talked about much but I think it’s one of the exciting things Facebook have done in terms of their targeting. It’s a great solution for a range of businesses. Travel is the obvious sector, but also international payments and money transfers, students and parents. It’s a useful development from Facebook.”
PINTEREST INTRODUCES BUYABLE PINS Pinterest has been one of the highest
move towards more immersive experiences is part of a broader trend
The
GOOGLE INDEXES TWEETS In May this year Google started indexing
Tweets, first on mobile, then on desktop. “The main thing for us is there’s more real estate to go after on the search engine results pages,” says Crimmons. “Rather than our competitors’ ads showing up, it can be our Twitter feeds and Tweets.” By July, according to Search Engine Land, Google was indexing nearly five times more Tweets, though it still favours higher authority users. In the same month Stone Temple Consulting published a study indicating that Google had indexed 3.4 per cent of Tweets. Not bad, but it still means 96 per cent of Tweets are not currently indexed. Why the shortfall? Possibly, as several commenters have suggested, because taking account of the 500 million Tweets posted every day is just too much of a task, even for Google.
referrers this year and in June it was announced that a ‘buy’ button would be included, meaning purchases can be made directly. “Pinterest is used as a real discovery platform,” says Crimmons. “People make mood- boards there, they’re looking at fashion, weddings and so on. Now there’s the opportunity to generate revenue straight from the channel.” Google, too, have been
talking about introducing a buy button but, as Crimmons points out, the curatorial aspect of Pinterest makes this a very natural development. It’s not, however, available to everyone yet. Potential users need to register
through Shopify or join a waiting list.
SNAPCHAT INTRODUCES NATIVE VIDEO ADS Snapchat’s great distinction lies in the immersive nature of the experience it provides. “Think about how you view a video on Facebook,” says Crimmons. “Even if it’s auto-play you’re scrolling through the page and it only takes up a little part of your screen. The benefit with Snapchat is that it’s full-screen. It’s not surrounded by text. You’re fully immersed in it.” That move towards more immersive
experiences is part of a broader trend. Facebook recently trialled its Instant Articles initiative, which sought to deliver faster, more immersive content. The format aims to load stories on mobile devices ten times faster than when users follow a link to a publisher’s site. (The platform hopes to attract publishers by offering them 100 per cent of the ad revenue sold around articles and 70 per cent of the advertising that Facebook sells.)
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According to re/code in September, Google and Twitter are also developing a similar service.
INSTAGRAM EXPANDS ITS AD OFFERING Strong though it’s been for engagement,
Instagram has proved tricky for marketers seeking clear, demonstrable results. In June this year the platform enabled brands to embed a button that would allow users to take action directly - from signing up to a website, making a purchase or downloading an app. A partners’ programme is also designed to open up the platform to smaller businesses. “Instagram is the king of engagement,” says Crimmons. “It beats Facebook and Twitter. Now brands can finally use it to drive traffic to their sites. You have to pay for it, but I see it as quite an exciting development.”
FACEBOOK TESTS IMMERSIVE ADS Taking a leaf from Snapchat, in
September Facebook started testing their own immersive, full-screen ads. Mr Porter and Gatorade have been among a small number of brands trialling the format. It may be a marketer’s dream, says Crimmons, but how will users feel about full page take-overs interrupting our highly personal experience of Facebook?
STATE OF E-MERGENCE So what have we learned from this
year’s updates? “Social is merging with all the other marketing functions,” says Crimmons. “The developments here are tapping into the commerce teams, they’re tapping into ad campaigns. You can bring your ad campaigns to life on social rather than having your social ad campaign, your above-the-line campaign and so on. The key thing for 2015 and beyond is working together because we don’t – or shouldn’t - now have campaigns in isolation.”
Branded3.com
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