Facebook Live lets you practice before you preach, Groups on Facebook are a marketer's friend, and climate change is the talk of the town.
September 20, 2019
Currently Googling: How to Write a Headline
There’s not a single person out there who hasn’t Googled “how to … ” at least once. (If you haven’t, don’t @ us). Because those searches are so popular, Google is helping users get even more specific results. Now, not only will search results offer up related YouTube videos, results can also point to exact moments within videos that may answer the query. The update is a major opportunity for brands to boost their SEO with video, but only if they’re sure to tag key moments within the vids. (Google bases its results from timestamp information in the descriptions.) If you’re not sure how to do that, try Googling “how to boost SEO.”
Put Your Facebook Live Nightmares to Bed
What’s worse: Finding yourself on stage in just your underwear, or going Live on Facebook and realizing you’ve had something in your teeth for the last five minutes? We think the latter, but thanks to a recent FB update, that nerve-wracking worry is now obsolete. With the newly added rehearsal feature, Live broadcasters can practice their videos and share them with Page editors and admins before streaming to an audience. Additional new video features include a trimming tool for Live replays (to cut out those awkward stand-by periods at the beginning and end) and an extended maximum length for Live videos. While there’s no solution yet for the undies-only nightmare, marketers can sleep soundly knowing they have increased quality control for their brand’s Live broadcasts and replays.
Get in the Group
Real talk: Even before Facebook began to really emphasize Group activity and private messaging, brands weren’t having much luck with organic reach on the platform. While the changes introduced at Facebook's developer conference in February might not have improved organic reach on the News Feed, they have presented new avenues for marketers to connect with FB users. Marketers can take advantage of the authenticity and activity in Groups by creating branded ones, or by joining relevant groups as your company Page (a feature that was added last year). While the shifting Facebook landscape definitely poses new challenges for marketers, Groups offer a fresh space for building communities and social listening — and with more than 400 million FB users, Groups may be the final frontier for organic reach on the platform.
SPARK OF THE WEEK
Charging for Change
You may have noticed a lot of brands being particularly climate conscious, seriously sustainable, or ocean obsessed lately. It’s because the United Nations Climate Change Summit is next week in NYC (and it’s a pretty big deal). Brands like American Express, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and hundreds of others are taking part in the climate change discussion in a number of ways — from hosting social media hashtag fundraisers to joining climate strikes and walkouts.
It’s amazing to see so many companies taking part in the conversation of climate change both on and offline. What really matters, though, is what they do when the summit is over. As we hear again and again, younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z care about what brands stand for, the causes they champion, and how authentic they are (hence why Equinox and SoulCycle faced boycotts last month). Brands like AmEx (and its #BackOurOceans campaign) can be sure people will be watching to see if they continue supporting the cause when it’s not a major news headline. Bandwagoning on a trendy cause is easy, but maintaining support long-term is what really impresses audiences (and, you know, saves the planet).
