🗝️ TikTok Search (and how to prepare)

Hey, Marketers.

In today’s edition

• TikTok’s Evolution as Search Engine (and how to prepare)

• Last week’s Must-Know headlines

Let’s jump in 🪂

TikTok as a Search Engine

TikTok isn’t trying to compete with Google in traditional search.

They are trying to beat Google to where search is heading.

Instead of scrolling through 1,000 word web pages found via Google Search, on TikTok you can find a video that delivers the information you want in 10 seconds.

More visual. And more time efficient.

There are times when short-video is more helpful for users. And other times text results are better. But that in itself is huge. There’s now a genuine choice that people can make about how they search online.

Google saw this coming. You may have seen that Google reported 40% of Gen Z turn to Instagram or TikTok instead of Google Search or Google Maps.

And Google already includes TikTok videos in their search results.

TikTok has been positioning itself as a search solution for a while now:

• Last week: TikTok confirmed that they are testing a visual search feature

• May 2023: TikTok released an iPhone search widget

• January 2023: TikTok ran a TV campaign with the tagline: Search it, Learn it, Do it, with TikTok.

• October 2022: TikTok extended the text character limits for video descriptions from 300 to 2,200.

How do you prepare?

Hootsuites’s guide is a good place to start. It details the process of how to optimize videos for discovery on TikTok. The main part of the process is the same as with Google SEO; identifying what information potential customers want, and creating a piece of content delivering it.

Of course, the big difference is the style of the content.

In many organizations, the responsibility for producing TikTok videos has fallen to Marketing Managers.

But as with all other aspects of Marketing, individuals are investing in their skills and becoming specialists in this new style of delivering information.

While search-first creative agency, Rise at Seven, is building an in-house Content Creator team for their clients. The Content Creators will specialize in producing short-form videos tailored to specific searches.

Enabling the brand’s content to be discovered on TikTok or Google - wherever the potential customer is searching.

ICYMI: Last Week’s Must-Knows

Reddit protests continue to disrupt the platform. After Reddit announced it would begin charging developers of third-party apps many top subreddits went dark in protest. Reddit CEO, Steve Huffman, defended the move. He said the platform was “never designed” to support third-party apps and that the company wouldn’t reverse the decision. The standoff continues. (Social Media Today ↗️)

Google Ads could be heading for a future without match types. Google has launched a beta campaign setting called "broad match keywords". Which converts phrase and exact match keywords into broad. The setting claims opting into broad match keywords will “ensure you get the best coverage and performance”. Earlier this year Google described how AI has transformed the performance of broad match. At the very least expect that Google will continue to make broad the default option. (Search Engine Roundtable ↗️)

Twitter’s new CEO lays out the vision for the app. Linda Yaccarino says the mission is to make Twitter “the world’s most accurate real-time information source and a global town square for communication”. It’s been a bumpy start to the Musk-era. The advertiser exodus led to a reported drop of 59% in revenue. But new, smaller advertisers are benefitting from lower CPMs. (Twitter ↗️)

LinkedIn is creating a product to show ads to their users while they stream video. This will enable B2B marketers to use LinkedIn’s data in their upper-funnel marketing. And target potential buyers as they use third-party video streaming platforms. There are no details on specific partners, but the ad-supported video space is growing quickly. With Netflix and Disney (and potentially soon Amazon Prime) offering ad-supported plans. (Reuters ↗️)

Plus

Google has received a formal complaint from the European Commission, proposing they sell off some of the divisions within their advertising ecosystem.

Goldman Sachs has invested $300m into Madhive, which powers programmatic advertising for Connected TV devices.

Amazon is testing the use of AI to summarize reviews left by customers on some products.

Netflix plans to enter the live-streamed sports market, starting with a Celebrity Golf Tournament.

Instagram launched Broadcast channels globally and they added Music to the Notes feature, so users can share a 30-second clip of a song.

Lastly, Brandtech Group has added AI ad creation tool Pencil to their portfolio companies, after also recently acquiring Digital Marketing agency, Jellyfish.

P.S. One reader flagged the sharing button below wasn’t working. It should be fixed now! Appreciate everyone who has shared so far. Will do an update on the number of trees planted at the end of the month 🌳