The search (war) is on
Social media vs. search engine
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*Note: Next weekend is a long weekend in Canada, and I’ll be taking all three days off! The next TSP newsletter will land in your inbox on Monday, May 29th.
A movie about the rise and fall of BlackBerry — the world’s first smartphone — just opened in theatres and is already getting rave reviews. In honour of the opening, I thought I would give a little shout out to BlackBerry’s now-defunct Instagram native app: iGrann. When the Z10 launched, several social media companies created native apps, including Facebook and Twitter. But Instagram said it would NOT create a native Z10 app, according to AllThingsD. Instead, BlackBerry 10 users got the iGrann. Here’s what it used to look like (ahh, I still remember those simpler times in social media).
In today’s newsletter:
The Search (War) Is On: Social Media vs. Search Engine
Twitter Gets a New CEO
Upcoming Webinar: Social Media Strategy in 30 Minutes
And I Can’t Stop Thinking About This Tweet 🤔
SEARCH WARS
Google, whose dominance in the world of search once seemed unshakeable, seems to be trying to adapt to this AI-focused world as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, platforms like TikTok may be about to move beyond “just” social media with a search-first focus. And for social media marketers, that’s a pretty big deal.
It’s no secret that Gen Z (and many others) are moving away from using search engines to find information, and are instead using platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In fact, a Google executive shared a study last summer suggesting as much. Add the growing dominance of AI into the mix, and things get even more interesting.
Here’s what you need to know…
1/4 TikTok quietly unveils a new search widget
Last week, while searching for a video on TikTok, a message popped up showing me “How to add a search widget” on my phone. According to Mashable, this (quietly launched) widget is available to iPhone users. The article says this widget appears to be a direct response to Google’s search widget, and suggests TikTok is increasingly promoting search as a key feature in the app, even launching ads in the UK earlier this year with the slogan “Search it on TikTok.”
As for how it works: Instead of navigating to search within the app, you can do it right from your iPhone screen. The widget I added (there are several to choose from) allows me to search in three ways: Following, Post, and Inbox.
2/4 Google announces new AI-powered search experience
Last Wednesday, at Google’s annual developer event, the company announced the next evolution in Google Search. Instead of generating a list of links, a new AI-powered chatbot will generate one central answer at the top, with a traditional list of links below. According to CNN, there’s a waitlist for the new Google Search, which will first launch in the U.S.
If you want to see what it looks like, here’s a TikTok video from Kane Kallaway.
3/4 The AI race
Of course, Google isn’t the only one interested in using AI for search and other productivity features. In February, Microsoft announced it was “Reinventing search with a new AI-powered Microsoft Bing and Edge.” Meanwhile, ChatGPT continues to be a popular search solution, and hopes to become even more ingrained in what you do. OpenAI just announced that it’s rolling out ChatGPT plugins to Plus users.
4/4 Why all of this matters
As social media marketers, it’s important to know how/where people are searching in order to get our content in front of those audiences. Also, platforms that make it easier to search may have an edge over other platforms that don’t have increased search functionality (like Facebook).
These changes in search will also likely have a huge impact on small businesses, particularly those who rely on digital marketing tactics, such as Google ads.
It’s too early to really understand the full impact of these changes on marketing efforts, and on social media marketing. For now, I’m just going to try and keep up 😉
🍩 SOCIAL SNACK 🍩
Twitter Gets a New CEO
Elon Musk recently announced the new CEO of Twitter: Linda Yaccarino. The former head of advertising at NBCUniversal, “will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology,” Musk tweeted. Given that her background is in advertising, the NYTimes suggests that the focus at the platform seems to be on advertising, not social-media know how. And if the focus is advertising, this article from Mashable suggests it may mean the Twitter Blue subscription experiment may not be going as planned (Musk has previously said he wanted subscriptions to be the main driver of revenue, not advertising). If you want to learn more about the new CEO, Musk says they’ll be hosting a Spaces on Twitter soon. Stay tuned…
ICYMI
Meta has a team working to block news on Facebook, Instagram from Canadian users [CBC News]
Twitter launches encrypted private messages, says Elon Musk [BBC News]
TikTok launches a new hub to help brands better connect with their audiences [TechCrunch]
LinkedIn CEO announces the company is laying off 700+ people and phasing out its local jobs app in China [LinkedIn Blog]
YouTube blocks ad blockers amid declining revenue [Search Engine Journal]
Pinterest is combining Pins and Idea Pins into a single format [TechCrunch]
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY IN 30 MINUTES
This webinar is for anyone who wants to create a social media strategy from scratch, or for those looking for a refresher. In this free 30-minute session, you’ll learn:
The best way to get started
The key elements of a social media strategy
How to implement your strategy
Join me on May 24th!
🤔 I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS TWEET 🤔
This feels like the equivalent of an earworm (and I still don’t know the answer…).
