🍊 The One With the AI, Memes and Cookies
Welcome to Prosek’s Digital Download: where industry-leading insights in financial services and digital marketing collide.
Did you survive Reporting Season? For me, 2023 started off with EOY wrap-ups on top of monthly reports and strategy setting for Q1. I spent a lot of time on social media looking for inspiration for the Next Great Post, pulling metrics for reports, and researching the latest trends and platform updates. I learned a lot and walked away with good and bad news.
The bad news: I realized my overall social media presence is weak – especially for someone who spends hours on these platforms for work each week. Do other social media managers ever feel the urge to disconnect from their accounts and retreat to a secluded environment on weekends, or is it just me? I feel like there’s a movie where that doesn’t end well for me.
The good news: I am utilizing my new-found knowledge to inform you! In this edition of the Digital Download, I will provide some preliminary insights into the trends and developments we can anticipate for the year 2023, including:
Generative AI, or artificial intelligence that can generate novel content, is not here to replace marketing strategy and creative thinking. The latest buzz includes discussions about how to use AI ethically.
Companies that incorporate AI tools into their marketing and communications strategies may want to consider implementing a policy that outlines how the content will be used and how employees will vet the content for misinformation.
Google is working on phasing out third-party cookies from Chrome to meet its 2024 deadline. The company’s solution to cookies is the Topic API, which determines the number of topics, such as music, food, sports, travel, tech, etc., representing your top interests in a week based on your browsing history. The API was rejected by the W3C.
Facebook’s Creator Studio is shutting down and merging with Meta Business Suite, although it is unclear exactly when the changes will take place. After spending 2022 watching Instagram copy TikTok, I am hoping Meta prioritizes updates to make Business Suite and Business Manager more user-friendly.
Keep reading for more organic and paid social media updates, tricks to hack the algorithm from viral meme accounts, and how to make AI work for you – not in lieu of you. Please enjoy this meme I made with Canva.
Pop Quiz
Our newest addition to the Digital Download. Find the answer at the end of this edition!
Q: Tweets that include visual content are ____ more likely to receive engagement.
A. Not
B. 1.75x
C. 2x
D. 3x
Digital Updates
Social Media
How to Boost Organic Reach of Images on Instagram, According to Meme Accounts: Viral meme accounts have hacked the Instagram algorithm by posting static images as “videos” – only one second long. Every time a video is watched from start to finish and done so repeatedly, the algorithm counts that as a positive signal that the viewer enjoyed the content. By the time a user has finished reading the meme, the video has completed 2 or 3 loops, boosting post performance. This isn’t the first time meme accounts have made us take notes.
YouTube Makes it Easier to Tell Where Subscribers are Coming From: YouTube Studio now displays a breakdown of subscribers gained by each content type, providing more context on video performance. This makes it easier to see how each video, and video format, is contributing to your YouTube channel growth.
LinkedIn Engagement and Ad Performance Rises: LinkedIn published an infographic with stats for B2B marketers, including a 25% increase in public content YoY and 2x more engagement with sponsored content. Additionally, of the 29M people who subscribe to LinkedIn newsletters, many subscribe to more than one.
TikTok Labels State-Affiliated Profiles in 40 Markets: TikTok has placed labels on profiles that indicate whether the local government controls the account’s editorial content. This update comes while the US Government is in the midst of determining whether it should ban TikTok outright.
Good Reads
Use Generative AI for Marketing Inspiration: Text-to-image creator DALL-E and search engine ChatGPT can be used as tools in a marketer’s toolkit for inspiration, such as outlining ad copy or visualizing a creative concept.
Try TikTok for Talent Acquisition: Companies can use existing employees to post videos on TikTok and become an influencer for their business, posting content about what a company is like and why someone would want to work there.
Conversely, the University of Texas at Austin Banned TikTok on Campus Wi-Fi: The university is complying with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent decision to forbid state employees from having the app on government-issued devices. Public universities in at least five states have banned the app.
Gen Z is Reclaiming the Flip Phone: Gen Z consumers are investing in flip phones in an effort to fight feelings of disconnection by focusing less on phones and more on the experience. The trend: take photos and videos using the flip phone, transfer to smartphones via Bluetooth, and post the low-quality photos and videos to social media.
Marketing Inspiration
Castlelake’s Win Together video, part of a greater Conversations About Culture series, highlights the company’s behaviors and values to show how they create experiences for employees and clients.
President and CEO of Invesco Marty Flanagan shared this discussion video with his outlook for asset managers in 2023.
Oak HC/FT released their inaugural Social Impact Report as a document post on LinkedIn, highlighting impact across healthcare and fintech sectors, ESG efforts, and portfolio companies.
D: Tweets with visual content are 3x more likely to receive engagements.