August 2024 Digital Marketing Highlights
- TikTok and YouTube take top spots in consumer spending in recent digital marketing study.
- “Made for Advertising” websites are devouring the internet (and your advertising budget.)
- Gen Z continues to turn away from traditional search, leaning on mobile-friendly platforms.
- Serious new scam hits Google My Business pages for local businesses – is yours affected?
- Customers overwhelmingly disapprove of AI for customer service new research reveals.
Video Marketing Platforms Dominate in Consumer Spend in Q1 2024
According to recent research by Sensor Tower, video-heavy platforms lead the pack when it comes to consumer spending in the digital world. TikTok stands out as the #1 app for consumer spending, followed by YouTube, the world’s #2 search engine by query volume after Google itself.
Meanwhile, “X” – formerly known as Twitter – has fallen out of the top spots for both consumer spending and downloads. Longstanding issues with ad targeting make X a niche selection for digital marketing, and all those issues have been intensified by recent technical problems.
What does it mean? This news serves as yet another call for business owners to focus attention on their video marketing. Although TikTok skews young, its footprint among users 21-45 is growing. On the other hand, the recent performance by YouTube showcases the extraordinary commercial opportunities of video marketing.
“Made for Advertising” Websites Are a Bigger Concern than Ever
eMarketer has released research suggesting that the number of “MFA” – Made for Advertising – websites on the internet has risen in recent years, with about 11% of digital advertising spend landing on MFA websites. These websites are notorious for low quality content and unethical search engine optimization.
Google already penalizes so-called “thin content” websites, such as websites made solely for affiliate marketing. However, penalties reducing the visibility of these websites in search results don’t necessarily keep Google Ads purchased on the Google display network from showing up on them.
What does it mean? Making sure you’re associated with high-quality digital properties is an important part of maintaining a healthy brand. Online advertising isn’t the best move for many service-oriented businesses (and especially not without a full portfolio of excellent marketing content) and this news makes it even less attractive.
Gen Z’s Product and Service Research Preferences Come into Focus
Generation Z is now aged between 12 and 27 years old! They’ll soon be a significant portion of customers for service-based businesses, and they are making their preferences known when it comes to the buyer journey. Rather than relying on traditional search engines and expert reviews, many younger users are going social.
“Social search,” as some digital marketing experts are calling it, is a hybrid process that focuses on gathering information from peers and known influencers using tools like hashtags to find relevant content. When they drill down to a brand website, they overwhelmingly look for a mobile-friendly experience.
What does it mean? Like Millennials before them, Gen Z is being underestimated when it comes to their age and purchasing power. Now is the perfect time to evaluate whether your content marketing approach takes younger members of your buyer cohort into account – and to make sure your website is mobile-optimized.
Local Business Results in Disarray as New Scam Hits “Google My Business” Listings
Business leaders around the United States are reporting their company’s map pin is getting moved without their knowledge. Bad actors, including competitors, can update the location of a company’s map pin just by sending in a fraudulent change report.
The “Suggest an edit” interface can be used for valuable adjustments, such as helping Google maintain accurate business hours over time. But now, a widespread pattern of abuse is lowering companies’ visibility in search and potentially misleading local customers.
What does it mean? If you actively maintain your Google My Business listing, you might be surprised to find an important change like this can be made without your consent or knowledge. While Google is looking into the issue, we recommend reviewing your listing and verifying the location of your map pin regularly.
Customers Overwhelmingly Reject AI for Customer Service, Survey Shows
AI-based chatbots can be helpful in customer service for online-only businesses with no physical presence, but what about other businesses? In a recent Gartner survey, 64% of customers surveyed reported that they don’t want brands to use AI for customer service. Many cited greater difficulty reaching a person as one reason.
What does it mean? Take a second look and calibrate any use of AI to your customers’ expectations.
New York Ave helps your brand leverage digital marketing trends. Contact us to get started today.
