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Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and social media can appear to be two different branches of digital marketing. But, there are many ways that these can support each other. 

The ultimate goal of SEO is to drive traffic to your website, and the aim of social media is to build brand awareness and create disruptive marketing in what is essentially a personal space. 

In this blog, we look at social SEO and consider whether these two can function as the perfect pair for promoting your website or blog.

What is social SEO?

Social SEO is a concept that came about when marketers realised that website rankings could improve by posting links on social media. They are two different branches of digital marketing merged, and here is a preliminary definition of them both. 

Social media is a networking tool that encourages people to engage with their contacts and share content with a broader audience. Social media marketing has always been disruptive, and it is now striving to be more informative and well-targeted.

SEO (search engine optimisation) is a process to increase the quantity and quality of website traffic. How? For example, if many people search ‘cafe’ instead of ‘restaurant,’ an SEO expert will know to include ‘cafe’ as a keyword for an article on a website and its meta descriptions. Improve post copy with extensive research on best keywords to increase the probability of the website appearing in search results. 

Does Google care about social signals?

The relationship between social and SEO has always been a grey area. There are three main approaches to the connection between the two: 

  1. No connection: Many consider that social media and SEO are poles apart and have no effect on each other. 
  2. Direct connection: Some believe that social signals positively affect the SEO rankings of any website.
  3. Indirect connection: Many think that social media can indirectly impact SEO.

Why is SEO important in social media?

Using SEO keywords in social media copy can hugely benefit their visibility on search engines and therefore reach and impressions within the channel. 

Using SEO keywords in post copy benefits the audience searching using those keywords on social channels. Using them as hashtags would increase the likelihood of appearing in people’s searches even further.

Good website traffic indicates that your brand has the potential to gain a wider audience for its social handles. Redirecting them to your social channels with relevant and visible buttons on the website will increase followers across all media. 

Good SEO will also help you create better social media content, as it provides better insights into what the audience is after.

Does social media impact SEO rankings?

We need not debate whether social media and SEO are correlated. There are many indirect ways social media marketing can impact your website’s rankings.

  1. Awareness: The most obvious one is brand awareness. The more aware people are of your brand, and the more they see it on social media, the more likely they will click through to your website when they see it in search results. 
  2. Targeted audience: An effective social media posting and boost strategy can help your content reach the audience in the right location and field of work – this is the target audience. With this, more people are likely to click through to your website, thus increasing traffic.
  3. Indexing: Whenever you share on social media, this indicates a new website that needs to be indexed and crawled. The more times it is shared on social, the more alerts it may receive – improving the likelihood of achieving its indexing purpose. 
  4. Knowledge: Social media also provides more insights into what people are interested in seeing. This way, social media can become a soundboard for the audience, and the website optimises according to the target audience and their needs. Social insights can also help improve SEO titles and meta descriptions. 
  5. Link building: A link on social media is not the equivalent to a backlink on a website – but as discussed before, it does help increase awareness. Many people ‘save’ articles on social media and revisit the posts later. It also indicates that the brand recall value created by social media is essential. 
  6. Community building: A social media presence is vital to help the audience connect with the brand. When a brand engages with queries, they appear responsive and create a loyal customer base, who will be more likely to revisit the website in the future. 

Tips for improving your social media with SEO

  1. Keep your social buttons on the top of your articles. Audiences will be more inclined to hit ‘share’ when they can easily spot the buttons. 
  2. Write articles following social media trends to increase the virality of the content. Tapping into social media patterns and directions will help you generate newer and more ‘current’ content. 
  3. Follow a social media content calendar strategy for publishing new content. This strategy can include recycling older blog posts to keep the website traffic consistent.
  4. Generate partnerships with fellow brands to increase chances of link building. 
  5. Listen to your audience on social media to find out what they want to see more

We are a full-service digital marketing agency, and we can support you on SEO and social media marketing. Contact us today.

People with limited vision should be able to enjoy quality content with complete ease. Did you know that social media content is not yet accessible to all? But you can make it so.

And it is very important to do so. Everyone online should be able to enjoy quality content. Social media is an important part of modern-day auto-generated media. We receive most of our information, and sometimes misinformation, from social media. So, wouldn’t it be nice to have the content easily accessible? That’s where alt text comes in. 

What is alt text? 

Alt text means “alternative text”, and it’s used within HTML code to describe images on websites. Alt-text is making social media more accessible by describing images so people with vision loss can understand and enjoy images just like the rest of us. Find out how you can use alt-text to make your social media posts more accessible.

Best practice when using alt text for accessibility on social media

  • The description box of alt text on any channel should only describe the image first, and then it can go on to give more information if required. People with vision loss can already access post copy through their screen reader, alt text is all about the image. So for example: If there is an image of a tiger with its cub posted on Global Tiger Day, then the description should read as: ‘Here’s an image of a Bengal Tiger licking its cub under the shade of a tree in the forest’. You do not need to add information about Tiger Day or anything otherwise. 
  • The best practice is to make the descriptions always start with ‘This image/photo shows…’, ‘This photo describes…’, ‘This photo has…’ As the screen reader will read out exactly what is written.  
  • Be mindful of the use of emojis. A screen reader reads out an emoji as it is – for example, a ‘sparkle’ emoji – ❇️ will be read out as ‘sparkle’. But if there are ❇️❇️❇️❇️ – it will be read out as ‘sparkle, sparkle, sparkle, sparkle’. 
  • If there is text overlapping the image, it is important to include that in your alt text. For example: If there is an image of Dalai Lama with his quote ‘Sleep is the best meditation’ then the alt text would read as: “This is a photo of Dalai Lama, with the quote ‘Sleep is the best meditation.’”

Here’s a pictorial guide on how to make your content completely accessible for everyone

How to use Alt Text on Instagram

For Instagram Stories

Instagram has a creative alt text feature for stories. Once you have taken a video on stories, you can access a sticker called ‘captions’ and auto-generated captions are visible on Instagram.  

A simpler way of adding captions on Instagram is by simply going to the text sticker, and adding in the captions manually. This will be more accurate than the auto-generated ones. And this feature will be more helpful if you are talking in a language other an English. 

For images

The process to add images is quite easy for Instagram. Go to Advanced settings and then Accessibility and ‘Write alt text’

How to use Alt Text on LinkedIn 

For images

On LinkedIn, the option for adding alt text is immediately visible once you upload the image. The character limit for alt text is 300. Remember to follow basic guidelines while writing your description.

Image 1: Find the add alt text option as soon as you upload the image.

Image 2: Add the alt text and keep it up to 300 characters.

For videos

Videos can be made accessible as well! Subtitles file (.SRT) can be added to make the video more accessible to audiences.

When you upload a video, you will see the option to add subtitles right below the change thumbnail option. 

How to use Alt Text on Twitter

For images

Twitter has made its channel more accessible with the alt text feature for images. They also have a higher character limit than LinkedIn, so one can be as descriptive as they wish to be!

Click on ‘add description’ right below the image > There will be a box called ‘description’, where you can add the description of your image.

For videos

Much like LinkedIn, Twitter also lets you add subtitles files to your videos. Here’s a visual example of how: 

How to use Alt Text on Facebook 

For images

Where to find: Under edit image, you will find ‘Alternative text’ – underneath it, select custom alt text and fill it in.

Facebook has an alt text feature, where it will auto-generate a description on its own as well. This feature is usually not as descriptive or completely accurate. This alt text can always be customised even after the picture is posted. So a brand can go to their older images and select the option ‘change alt text’ to make all of their content accessible. 

For example, for the following image, the auto-generated text was: ‘Maybe an image of 3 people and drink.’ This is AI-generated detail and isn’t as conversational or descriptive. So it is always recommended to add custom alt text on Facebook. 

The auto-generated alt text for the image above: 

For videos

The videos on Facebook also auto generate captions, but there is an option to edit the caption frame by frame. This is an excellent feature for those who do not have subtitle files ready with them, they can upload native videos and customise the captions on Facebook itself. Alternatively, the channel has given the option to upload subtitles files as well!

How to use Alt Text on YouTube

YouTube has the option to add subtitles under video elements. Although this feature wouldn’t work unless you have selected the language of the video you are posting. 

Language selection:

Adding subtitles:

Sources:

Whether you’re a dedicated TikTok viewer or a creator in the making, it’s clear to see that this platform has seen a huge rise in usage since the outbreak of Covid-19. With trends, dance routines and popular TikTok songs becoming the norm, this platform has seen positive impacts across small businesses and brands.

When TikTok first burst onto the social media scene, monthly active user numbers worldwide were in the millions, but since November 2018 figures have increased from 680 million active monthly users to over 1.1 billion monthly active users in 2021. The platform saw the highest number of app downloads in Q1 2020, driving over 315 million downloads worldwide. This coincided with the time that countries across the world got locked down and people turned to social media trends to keep them busy at home and connected with their friends, family and wider world.

TikTok – not just for kids

With TikTok’s audience growing, the age range of creators and users started to increase – when the platform first was launched, usage was highest in 13-17 year olds but now users across all age ranges are on the app, whether you’re a parent making lunch for their kids or a grandparent getting involved with the latest trends, there really is something for everyone.

Brands on TikTok

Being available in 154 countries, like any social media platform, this is a way for small businesses to grow their following and their brand awareness. I don’t know about you but I’ve made more purchases from small businesses by seeing them on TikTok than I have on any other platform, because they are there on my For You page and ready to promote the products.

On average, a user makes at least one purchase a month through seeing a TikTok video (I would say my purchasing habits are above average looking back at everything I bought in lockdown). Small businesses especially have been utilising this platform to promote their brands – plus users will get more personalised products and service rather than purchasing through a larger brand who have higher consumer numbers.

The rise of paid ads on TikTok

And it’s not just organic content that is on the rise, brands have also been jumping at the chance to use the platform paid ads to take advantage of the strong audience presence that had been built in the last year. Whether they want to use ads to gain revenue or to push their content out to a wider audience, it’s very clear that this platform is one to test and see what results can be achieved. TikTok is a great way to escape from reality and watch some hilarious content, but it’s also an amazing platform for brands and companies to grow their business and user following. During tough times it’s important to give back where we can and TikTok is a great place to do so, so if you’re umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether to jump on the band wagon, I say go for it and you could find some amazing content and creators along the way.

Local experts question how successful YouTube Shorts, the platform’s TikTok rival, will be among users and brands, but say it could benefit from the platform’s reach and the strong appetite for short form vertical content.

YouTube Shorts launched in Australia last week as part of a global expansion of the format. The new feature within YouTube is an attempt from the Google-owned platform to capture some of the short-form mobile video audience.

It’s not the first media company to try to take on TikTok, with Instagram launching Reels and Snapchat launching Spotlight last year.

Edward Deal, head of strategy at talent agency Born Bred, says YouTube’s brand equity will likely give Shorts a boost, but questions how much of a success it will be.

“As far as influencer marketing goes, it offers the potential to what could be a more devoted and invested fan base than ever before in terms of YouTube creators,” Deal tells AdNews.

“However, those audiences are not often on YouTube as a platform for shortform content or their favourite creators producing that type of sponsored content.”

However, Vamp co founder Aaron Brooks says YouTube has a history in short form video.

Over the past year, online shopping has become more popular than ever before with the influence of the pandemic leaving an everlasting effect on how we choose to shop. With this in mind, social platforms have had to adjust their technology to meet the high demands of users, trying to make shopping experiences as simple as possible. From Facebook to Pinterest, e-commerce ads are growing. Learn about the latest features below.

Facebook/Instagram

Facebook has been ahead of the game for years when it comes to retail advertising, first beginning with the build of the shopping catalogue and feeding it into dynamic remarketing ads and then developing collection ads. 

However, this year the social media giant is taking it one step further and making shop ads even more personalised by displaying products to users based on their previous purchases. With hope in future to present special offers or promotions to select customers, which will encourage users to shorten their purchase journey and buy through the app.  

Augmented reality is also becoming more prominent on Facebook by taking the need to go to a physical store away and making it possible to try a product in the comfort of your own home, starting with beauty brands and rolling out to other sectors later in the year. Users will be shown products based on their interests. This feature will be made so it is easily implemented into product catalogues and simple to use for advertisers. 

Pinterest

Despite the impact of IOS 14, this year Pinterest introduced dynamic product ads. These can be created through a product feed or uploading multiple assets and then these will be displayed to users based on their individual user behaviour e.g. what they have been searching for in the app. For example if a user searches for pink curtains the user will be shown the closest results out of your product set.

TikTok

TikTok has also introduced more shopping based formats and features in 2021. Similarly to Facebook, Collection ads are now an option which allows a company to combine big branding videos with relevant product listings encouraging users to complete their purchase journey. 

Dynamic Product Ads will also be added allowing users to be automatically retargeted with products based on their interests and activities within the app and linked websites.   

A new feature of Promo Tiles is also being introduced and it’s pretty clear what the premise is from the name – it is a sticker which will allow advertisers to showcase customisable promotions and discounts to users encouraging engagement.

Whatsapp

As the instant messaging app is owned by Facebook, it comes as no surprise that WhatsApp is also introducing a shopping feature. Viewing a shop via WhatsApp will give customers the option of chatting to a business before purchasing something. 

It’s part of an update in WhatsApp for Business, aimed at making the Business arm of WhatsApp more user-friendly for businesses. Although WhatsApp has over 2 billion users globally, only 175 million users message with WhatsApp Business accounts for things like customer support. With so many online shops turning to instant messaging services as their primary method to communicate with customers, this update will no doubt prove popular with consumers and brands alike. 

The rollout has already begun in the US, and although there’s been no news on when it might come to the UK, no doubt the update will arrive on our shores before long. 

Twitter

Twitter has yet to play catch up compared to the other platforms in regards to e-commerce innovations and this may be incorporated into their future strategy soon. 

Ready to make the most of these exciting new features? Get in touch with Tug today to find out how we can help you with paid and organic social media. 

After a quarter of a century of digital marketing which has relied on cookies and third party data, advertisers are now faced with the dawn of a new age – a cookie-less world. Many browsers have already disabled third-party cookies and Chrome, with its 63% market share, is turning them off at the end of 2021. Apple has also famously made it much easier for users to disable tracking of their app data with iOS14.5 – much to Facebook’s annoyance.

What this means in practice is that marketers’ ability to layer complex sets of data – for example your web and mobile browsing habits, location tracking, purchase history, and interest intelligence – in order to target you with incredibly targeted messages is diminishing. 

The reasons for this shift are three-fold: 

  1. Individuals care more about privacy and their data than ever before – and major platforms are taking notice
  2. Data is valuable – and the big players like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon etc don’t want to share 
  3. New laws and regulations around data capture and processing like GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California 

So what does it mean for marketers? We have a thorough explanation of what needs to happen in the media buying space on our Preparing For A Cookieless World page. But as Head of Social & Content I am interested in the opportunity for creativity – and I think it’s vast.

The demise of the third-party cookie means we can’t get away with lazy creative and pinpoint targeting. Brand and messaging are of paramount importance in this new digital landscape. 

Media platforms will now actively reward creative that get high engagements with low costs per click – because it means more traffic, more clicks, and better click through rates for them. Which means they make more money. 

Specifically it means four things:

  1. Broad appeal creative  

Broader targeting means creative needs a broader appeal. Decreased targeting also means a greater focus on top of funnel – brand and awareness is key.

  1. Video

Moving image will drive more efficiency and lower costs because it is a highly engagement format versus static creative. YouTube and connected TV will rise in prominence – make sure you have the right assets.

  1. Volume

Broader audiences means more multivariate testing – you will need multiple creative sets to test and learn. We also recommend you look more closely at cross-channel creative repurposing – if it works on Facebook it may work well on display.

  1. Formats

Creative needs to engage – interactive display formats will come into their own – think sliders, quizzes and personalised elements.

Wondering how your creative will fare in a cookie-less world? Get in touch: hellolondon@tugagency.com.

Social media is a hugely valuable marketing tool for businesses to reach and convert consumers. With over a billion monthly users, Instagram is now one of the largest social networks in the world, with numbers beginning to rival its big sister, Facebook.

With brands evolving to meet its demands, there is no doubt that Instagram will continue to be a powerful force in marketing. However, with the rise of emerging platforms such as TikTok and Clubhouse –  It is crucial for marketers to keep up to date with new social channels and uphold a strong presence to reach new and younger audiences. 

Clubhouse

Clubhouse is seeking to change social media as we know it. Instead of visually capturing audiences with perfected Instagram backdrops and photogenic food porn, Clubhouse is completely audio based. It is an invite-only platform therefore, an existing user must send you an invitation to join – once you’re in you can join ‘rooms’ that are hosted by users on particular topics and chime in if the host allows.

Clubhouse is a fantastic opportunity for businesses to inspire customers, espouse their views and share their expertise. Unlike other social media platforms, Clubhouse enables the user to turn off notifications, stop the endless clicking and focus on one person and topic at a time. The platform is a great tool that can be used to step away from the short-form personas people are used to on Tiktok and Instagram. It enables users to tell stories and interact with each other on their thoughts and share their personalities through what could be considered an interactive podcast. 

Although Clubhouse is a great platform to share experiences and discuss interesting topics, over the last few weeks its growth has slowed down. Facebook and Twitter are launching competitors such as Twitter ‘Spaces’. In line with the user response, Twitter has begun rolling out updates for Spaces including new displays of speakers and listeners in a room. The feedback for Spaces so far has been largely positive with users sharing that already, Twitter’s process is far more advanced than Clubhouse.  

People love to share their experiences and audio apps are definitely carving out huge potential for businesses to promote their organizations and increase brand awareness along the way. It is important to remember to focus on what the audience interests are – a good place to start is demonstrating why they should converse and listen to what the brand has to say. Audio interaction is certainly an excellent source of collaboration, insight and a place to access some of the brightest minds in the world!  

TikTok

TikTok is impossible to ignore, according to a report from the Harris Poll Brand Platform, the rewards for businesses are potentially huge! Brands such as RedBull and Xbox have seen higher equity through use of the platform compared to the general public. Redbull saw a lift of 15.7% and Xbox saw a 13.5% lift. This means ads, in-app content and influencer engagement have resonated extremely well with TikTok users. 

The platform is dominated by user-generated content which can heavily influence purchase decisions therefore, brands who find reaching new audiences a challenge can create partnerships to overcome inexperience with the channel – this can be through collaboration with influencers or other brand partners. Users of TikTok are drawn to the app’s ability to serve their interests and creativity but brands need to do more than just create an account. The Harris poll reports that comedy is driving TikTok’s user base with Gen Z leading the way. However, Millennials are more likely to make a purchase based on something featured on the platform – it’s time to get creative!

Twitch 

Most tech-savvy gamers will know about Twitch! However, despite having millions of daily users there are some who are still unaware that the streaming service exists. The top generator of traffic is live video game action although, you can watch just about anything on the service  – cooking, Q&As, live music and much more. 

Each video game channel is gaining millions of followers making it highly valuable to brands and content creators. Marketing content that is seamless and authentic is a must – content curators make a great living from their Twitch streams, it’s not just a hobby. Brands can gain highly authentic partnerships due to the unfiltered, lengthy duration of the live streams. A streamer can include a brand on a tile on their channel page, behind the streamer on their webcam or brand placement on a video stream itself. Streamers can also mention your brand organically or discuss it during the stream depending on the topic.

Brands don’t have to rely solely on influencer partnerships, there are also options for traditional advertising as well – from brand placement, video and banner ads, brands can get in front of millions of viewers and reach new audiences that may have been unaware of your business before.  

The past decade has seen social media platforms develop from fun youth platforms to serious marketing channels. New networks are emerging and new tools are constantly being developed. Although the Facebook/Instagram behemoth is the largest, competitors such as TikTok are proving how brands can reap the benefits of creative user generated content that is more authentic and unfiltered. 

The next social frontier is the audio format which is proving to be an enticing way to reach new audiences due to its recent hype, novel nature and ability to exist as a ‘background’ medium (you can listen while you do other things). And as ever, businesses who stay abreast of the latest trends, will have the most opportunities to connect with their consumers. 

It’s been eight months since Instagram launched its very own TikTok competitor feature Reels, which is now available in 50 countries around the world. Reels allows users to record and edit short-form video content to be shared in a separate Reels newsfeed. You can find the Reels newsfeed by heading to your home newsfeed and clicking on the video icon in between the home and shops icon.

Reels is the same as Instagram Stories – what’s the point? 

You might be wondering how Reels differs from Instagram Stories. The answer is Reels has a variety of sophisticated editing tools which allow users to overlay text, filters, align objects, edit the speed of clips and combine multiple video clips into one video. You might think this sounds like a lot of effort, but brands and influencers have reported receiving significantly higher video views from posting videos to the Reels tab.

We wanted to test this out for ourselves, so we got to work. Over the past eight weeks, we’ve tested 16 different videos for one of our clients. Here’s what we learnt.

1. Music is a must

We are used to creating videos for sound-off social media audiences and reiterating the importance of subtitles, however, it’s a different story altogether on Reels. Sound is essential for driving engagement and views. Music is a shortcut to engagement; people recognise a song, and this retains their attention, (alongside captivating video footage of course.)

We tested posting videos both with and without music, and from the results we learnt that videos with music received more views than videos without music. We also tested including music from a free music library, which was added to our clips before posting on Reels. We quickly realised that when we used music from Instagram’s music library our videos received a higher number of views.

Tip: Scroll through the Reels feed, when you hear a song you like, click on the music copyright label at the bottom of the video and click save audio. This will automatically add the song to your music library, ready to use when you come to create your next video.

2. Framing

Framing is important. Make sure your subject or object appears in the first second of the video to capture the audience’s attention quickly. The Reels newsfeed is fast-moving. People are in viewing loops, scrolling from video to video, so your first frame needs to be thumb-stopping to capture their attention. From our tests, we learnt that using the face of a person or animal in the opening frame improves video views.

3. Clear Footage

Instagram is a visually aesthetic platform, therefore, everything you post needs to be super high-quality and crystal clear. When we tested posting videos of marine wildlife in the ocean, the footage was slightly blurry given that it was filmed underwater and, therefore, lower resolution.

However, the footage was nonetheless beautiful, showing humpback whales in their natural habitat. But we were surprised to see that the videos all resulted in between 45,000 – 50,000 video views. This was considerably lower than video footage taken in clearer landscapes.

4. In-App Editing

This has been a head-scratcher. We tested posting 30-second vertical video clips with no text overlaid. We then tested creating videos within the app. We stitched multiple video clips together, overlaid text and used the align feature to ensure different text appeared as the video frames changed.

We have seen a mixture of results, some of the textless videos with no in-app editing received over 200,000 views, others received only 50,000. What is clear is that all the videos edited within the app which included music, clear footage and framed the subject in the first second all received over 150,000 video views.

From our test, we believe that combining all the best-practice tips in this article is the best way to ensure your videos are engaging and favoured by the algorithm. 

5. Cross-Promotion

Try cross-promoting your content to increase the likelihood of your video being served to more people. Whenever we create Reels, we share them to the Instagram grid and Instagram Stories. We noticed that this helped to boost the number of views immediately after the videos went live. This then prompts the algorithm to serve the videos to more people. Videos gaining traction and views appear to be prioritised by the Instagram algorithm. 

To summarise: 

  1. Include music from the Instagram music library. 
  2. Frame your subject/object in the first second of the video to capture the attention. 
  3. Use clear, high-resolution footage, avoid using blurry video.
  4. Edit your videos in Instagram, use the Reels editing tools to create native content.
  5. Cross-promote your Reels, share to your Stories and the grid to increase views and engagement. 

Good luck creating your Reels!

Climate-related content is taking TikTok by storm 

When you think of TikTok, you might think of skateboarders drinking Ocean Spray, a twerking dog, or a cat singing 50 Cent Candy Shop. Whilst it’s true that TikTok is light-hearted, fun, and top banter, there are also much more serious conversations happening. Climate change and environmental awareness are some of the issues taking the platform by storm (pun intended).

#ForClimate has resulted in 533 million views 

Climate change is a rapidly growing topic of conversation amongst TikTok audiences, who are using the platform to try and change the world. The hashtag #ForClimate has received over 533 million views. Climate activists using #GlobalWarning received more than 24 million views and #ClimateChange has received over 602 million views. Is it any wonder climate-related issues are gaining this level of engagement? Not really. Generation Z is the leading age demographic using the platform, with 36% of users aged between 13-17. Research by Deloitte found that environmental concern comes above health care, unemployment, and personal safety for Generation Z. However, they also found that 49% of Gen Z feel we’ve reached a point of no return and it’s too late to save the planet.

Can TikTok inspire hope that it isn’t too late to change the climate crisis? 

Absolutely. Accounts like eco_tok are made up of over 20 different contributors, all of who use the platform to educate and raise awareness of environmental issues. Eco Tok shares new technologies that could reduce eco-fatalities. Captions include text like “positive news for eagles and wind energy.” Their videos are uplifting and inspire hope while also communicating the realities of climate change.

Is the climate conversation always positive on TikTok? 

The answer is no. It’s hard to communicate a crisis with positivity, but scientists warn of the negative impact doom scrolling can have.

Creators and scientists have noted that a significant number of climate conversations on TikTok are negative. Creator and climate activist Louis Levanti said he feels distressed when reading the comments on his videos. Discussions and commentary are often limited to “doom and gloom.” Cameron Brick, a professor of social psychology at the University of Amsterdam, says this commentary is dangerous as audiences begin to lose hope and become disengaged, which can lead to fatalism and inaction.

Now is the time to change the narrative around environmental issues and inspire hope 

There is a huge opportunity for brands, NGOs and creators to drive content trends that inspire people to hope. There is a need to educate and communicate the realities of the climate crisis but there is also a need to create content that tells people it is not too late. Now is the time, as we build back from an unprecedented health crisis.

The TikTok Opportunity

Is there a more creative social media platform out there? No. The features, filters, technology, community, and virality of TikTok make the platform unique. Additionally, 88% of TikTok users have posted a video on the platform, making engagement unrivaled. There is a huge opportunity to drive content trends and challenges which focus on what we can do to help our planet.

TikTok also provides an opportunity to reach a wider audience. The TikTok algorithm serves content based on video views and interests, not only the people you follow. This differs from platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which serve you content from the people directly in your community.

If we can reach a wider audience, set challenges and communicate the message that there is still time to take climate action, then we can drive meaningful engagement. It’s not too late.

When picturing the person who has the final say on purchasing new software for a business, the image of an old guy in a suit might spring to mind. But a 2016 study found that 73% of B2B sales transactions involved millennial decision-makers and another from 2018 that over 45% of B2B technology buyers are 25- to 34-year-olds. One can only assume this number has increased since then, as more millennials reach senior positions in companies.

That means, when it comes to B2B marketing, we’re no longer appealing to people like our dads, but people like you or me (I’m assuming you’re a fellow millennial since you probably found this blog via social media or a particularly long-tailed keyword search).

Here’s what you need to consider when marketing your B2B brand or product to a millennial decision-maker.

Social media for millennial B2B decision-makers

You might assume that social media is the domain of direct-to-consumer and FMCG brands, who attract idle thumbs with enticing impulse buys, rather than B2B companies which often have a lead-time of six months or more.

But according to Lead Forensics, 57% of B2B buyers now use social media to research vendors, and 80% of millennial B2B buyers say social media influences their purchasing decisions.

Millennials are tech-natives, and they’ve grown up with social media. They use it for more than simply checking in with their mates – social media is increasingly the go-to channel for news, fashion, activism, humour, entertainment, and yes, business.

A B2B millennial buyer survey report found that millennials use social media for researching potential purchases, browsing discussions to learn more about products, and asking for suggestions and recommendations from other users.

Millennials have also been found to be the most brand-loyal generation, with 62% more likely to become loyal customers if a brand engages with them on social media. As well as connecting with brands, millennials also use social media to engage with thought leaders in their field, with 92% of millennial B2B buyers using social media to forge authentic business relationships.

Having an active social media presence is essential for B2B brands who want to appeal to millennial decision-makers. But getting social right for B2B brands isn’t always straightforward. Read our guide to creating great social content for B2B audiences or watch our video tutorial to learn more about making the most of this channel for your marketing.

SEO for millennial B2B decision-makers

The importance of SEO in B2B marketing can’t be overstated. 90% of B2B researchers who are online use search specifically to research business purchases and SEO is a huge factor in ensuring that your website is visible in search.

Many brands might assume that branded search should be the focus of their search strategy, but 71% of B2B researchers start with a generic search. Millennials prefer to do their own personal research into a product or company before speaking to a sales rep. Millennial buyers are generally 57% of the way through the buying process before they will engage with a sales rep, which means your website content will be a key tool to capture their interest early on in their purchase journey. Optimising for generic and long-tail keywords should be a part of your B2B businesses SEO strategy, which means creating content not only to target these keywords but to keep the decision-makers on your site when they arrive.

Rich digital content – blogs, infographics, white papers, landing pages and articles – should be a key factor in your marketing strategy, educating millennial B2B decision-makers about your product and how it can benefit their business. If you need help with your B2B SEO content, get in touch with Tug today.

Tone of Voice for millennial B2B decision-makers

Tone of voice is one of the most important aspects of building a brand, but all too often it’s an afterthought for B2B brands. With millennial decision-makers using social media and online search to find and research your brand, getting your tone of voice right matters.

Formal and corporate might’ve been the B2B language of the past, but today’s decision-makers are more likely to wear jeans and trainers to the boardroom, and your tone of voice needs to appeal to them, not their parents.

Millennials connect with brands they feel are authentic and align with their values. Creating a consistent tone of voice across your marketing – from your website to email newsletters to adverts to your social media – means that no matter how they interact with you, millennial B2B decision-makers will feel reassured that your brand is authentic.

Could your B2B brand benefit from improving your social media, SEO or Tone of Voice to appeal to the B2B decision-makers of today? Get in touch today to find out how Tug can help.