There is so much going on in the world of social media that affects our 2017 communications planning that I can’t choose just one topic!
First, Twitter is rumored to have buyers looking at them (though, their stock price is so low, Jack Dorsey is no longer a billionaire).
Twitter, as well, is testing live streaming with the NFL, which means cutting the cord for sports lovers soon could be an easier choice.
And Google is making lots of changes that affect you and your work.
So, rather than give you a blog post full of lessons to apply in your professional life, I bring you social media articles you should read to stay abreast of upcoming changes and what it all means.
Social Media News Will Affect Communications Planning
It’s all Twitter and Google right now—and maybe Kurt Wagner is right about who will buy them.
- Who Will Buy Twitter? In the aforementioned news about Twitter, Kurt Wagner and Kara Swisher debate the pros and cons of the usual suspects buying the social media giant. In their list includes Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, private equity, and more.
- Twitter Comes to TV. The biggest con I hear from people about cutting the cord is they will no longer have access to their sports (though with an Apple TV or Roku and a Sling, you can still get them). But they may be a non-existent fear by this time next year. Right now, Twitter is testing Thursday night NFL games (as well as MLB Advanced Media, Pac 12 Networks, Campus Insiders, Cheddar, Bloomberg News, and the NBA), but if all goes well, it could add Sunday and Monday nights, too.
- Google Analytics on Your Phone. Are you a data geek, like me? Do you check your analytics obsessively each day? Well, Google has now made it lots easier on you. Download the app and you now have access to your customized dashboards and goals with the swipe of your thumb. No longer do you have to sit down at your desk and pull all of that up to analyze. You can now do it during your commute (assuming you don’t drive!), while waiting for the airplane doors to close, while standing in line at the grocery store, or even at your kid’s sports games.
- Google Core Web Algorithm Update. Did your domain authority crash four or five points a couple of weeks ago? Have you dropped in search results without explanation? That’s because it looks as thought Google did a complete algorithm update around the first of September. Don’t worry, though! As long as you’re practicing great content marketing, you’ll bounce back.
- Google Keyword Planner Changes. Last month, there was a big hubbub about changes to the Keyword Planner, which had some communicators in panic mode. Now that it’s been a little more than a month and we’ve had time to figure out what those changes mean, I can safely say: Nothing. The big change is that, unless you are an advertiser, you now receive a range of search volume (100-1K, for instance) versus a clear number. That’s okay! For the work most of you do with content marketing and, what I’ll call, front-end SEO, that’s all you need. Pay closer attention to the level of competition—low, medium, and high—as you do your keyword research.
This is the big social media news that we’re paying close attention to around here, particularly as we begin to plan for next year.
What else have you seen that could affect our jobs?
