Chat Curtain Call

Big news from Google for all those who use the chat feature on Google Business Profiles: it’s shutting up shop! Mark your calendars — the digital doors close on this feature come July 31, 2024.

Here’s what you need to know: 

• July 15th is the last call to start new conversations via the chat feature.
• By July 31st, the feature will be completely phased out.
  

While the direct chat option is taking a bow, your customers can still reach you through the trusty duo of Google Search and Maps. Plus, they can soak up all the deets on your biz through your website links, smashing photos, and your business descriptions right on your profile.

What’s next? Well, you’ve got some homework:

• Download your chat history with Google Takeout before it’s too late—keep those precious chats safe!
• Switch gears to alternative chat solutions to keep the conversation flowing smoothly with your customers. 

If you need to know more about what this means for your business or how to transition smoothly, we can help.  Click here to read the article

Social Media is the New Search

While it may seem no surprise to younger generations, according to this recent study, a whopping 24% of Americans now bypass traditional search engines like Google, turning to platforms like TikTok and Facebook Marketplace for their digital queries – this stat gets bigger when you look at millennials specifically (35%) and Gen Z (46%). This isn’t just a minor trend: a third of the population now accesses the internet exclusively via smartphones, with social media serving not just as a hub for chatting but as a critical tool for searching and shopping. The allure of instant, visually engaging content has captivated users, particularly among Generation Z, who are opting for quick scrolls over typed searches.

For marketers, these developments are a clarion call: understanding and leveraging social media’s search capabilities has become critical, especially as Google’s blunders make headlines. It’s important to be across social when it comes to both organic and paid content. Send us a message if you need some help.

The Art of Type

The new tool from Learn UI Design offers a fun and insightful tutorial that’s a game-changer for brands and marketers. This interactive tool not only teaches the basics and nuances of typography but also lets users experiment with font adjustments in real-time. Understanding how different fonts, sizes, and spacing can influence readability and viewer perception makes this tool incredibly valuable.

We like this because it empowers brands and marketers to make more informed decisions about typography marketing materials to ensure they’re in line with your business aesthetic and communication goals, and better understand the “how and why” behind the influence of typography on brand perception.

Many people underestimate the role typography plays in crafting visually compelling campaigns that stand out in a crowded marketplace. Click on the link below to have a play – the tutorial takes around 5 minutes.

Insta-Interrupt

Instagram user? The app is now testing “unskippable” ads that pause your scrolling until you watch them – kind of like YouTube’s approach with mandatory ad views when using without a subscription. Like YouTube, this feature will block further browsing until you view the entire ad. Instagram has been shifting towards becoming a more video-centric platform, so it is likely that that is influencing these changes.

But, as with YouTube, is this also a sign that Instagram may move towards a subscription model?

Early reactions from users range from frustrated to outright threatening to quit the app if these intrusive ad breaks become a regular thing. Will this bold move pay off for Instagram, or could it push loyal users away? For more on this development and what it could mean for your Insta-experience, check out the full story here. 

Leaky Blinders

ICYMI: Last, and possibly most importantly, there was a MASSIVE Google search leak that dropped some real blinders about the way in which their search works – and it went against some commonly held beliefs and info they’d previously shared.

There are a lot of opinions, and lots of articles around about what this means and what’s next, but we reckon this one here is a particularly good one, as it links to some expert opinions and provides some actions to take for businesses and marketers.

The key takeaways?

Focus on crafting impactful, well-crafted content that not only captures attention but provides valuable information – this stuff will earn you those valuable links from authoritative sites.

And think beyond traditional link-building; consider how your overall online presence and interactions contribute to your SEO goals. Need help? Get in touch.

Keen To Dive In?

If you love what we’ve shared above and want to be kept in the loop with our weekly email, The Brief, you can sign up here. We’ll only send you things we love and think you’ll find useful, and you can unsubscribe at any time. And if you need some help exploring any of the above within your own marketing strategy, or you need a rebrand, a custom website built from scratch, Google or social ads, print materials, blog posts – or the whole lot – we’d love to chat. Drop us a line here.