Welcome to another edition of our Marketing Digest where we look to bring you some of the biggest updates from the last month and talk about how they could affect your agribusiness.
The last month has followed a similar theme to previous months with AI still going strong and platforms everywhere announcing how they are going to make use of the new technology to enhance their offering.
We did, however, get one curve ball from Elon Musk which took us by surprise. At this point, it is hard to tell if he is just seeing what he can get away with, but let’s explore it a little further as we dive into this month’s marketing digest.
We have all seen that person get turned away from the bar because they’ve had too much to drink, while all their friends are telling them it’s time they went home before they embarrass themselves. Well, Musk has decided it’s about time the ‘You’ve Had Enough’ policy made it into the online world too.
Many users thought they had encountered a glitch on the platform when they were told they had “exceeded their rate limits”, however, Musk came out to say that he had introduced the content caps intentionally and in one interview stated it was because users should “go outside”.
In terms of the limits, users can expect, verified users will be able to view 6,000 posts a day, while unverified users are restricted to 600 and new unverified users only 300. The move has been positioned as a good deed to prevent users from getting addicted to the platform but what does it mean for brands?
Now that the caps are in place it drastically reduces the chances the content from your agribusiness is going to be seen by potential customers.
In terms of organic content, you will need to brush up on what Twitter’s algorithm is looking for so you have a better chance of breaking into that top 600 (for unverified users). The algorithm is open source and free to access online but I would recommend speaking with a developer who can translate it into language that is easy to understand.
For ad content, the new policy will only drive auction prices up as brands jostle for position to make it into a user’s daily quota. As marketeers, we love our ROAS (return on ad spend) and unfortunately, the new policy makes Twitter a less viable option.
One thing to note is that Musk has described the caps as temporary, so keep an eye out for updates.
In a recent post by Keren Baruch, Director of Product at LinkedIn, it was announced they are testing the use of generative AI in the post-creation process. Over, the past year we have seen many platforms get swamped with AI-generated content and product descriptions as tools such as ChatGPT have made it easier for anyone to create the content they need within seconds.
In her update, Baruch states users will have to provide a prompt of at least 30 words which will form the core and tone of the post, while the generative AI feature will pad it out into a longer format. While this might make content creation easier for your agribusiness it is apparent, even from the comments on Baruch’s post, that users are apprehensive. People are looking for real human connection, especially from a platform whose primary focus is promoting personal brands.
Be careful how you integrate AI into your marketing strategy, one of the biggest risks for brands is that their tone of voice will be lost, and they will blend into the sea of other AI-generated content. When it comes to content creation, stick to the real thing, and make sure your customers can tell so that you can keep their trust.
The time has finally arrived, Universal Analytics for your website insights and data is no more and now we must plough ahead with the new analytics tool GA4, whether we like it or not.
By this point, you will have migrated over your existing data and may have been getting used to using GA4 for the past few months to prepare for the switch. Now that the dust has settled, what’s next for GA4 and how do you make sure you are getting the most out of it for your agribusiness?
If you have been using the platform for the last few months, you will know that there are quite a few differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics in the way you view and navigate through your website data. With the use of machine learning, Google has made it easier to see how users interact with your site and move along your sales funnel, this allows you to identify what is working well and where you might be experiencing drop-off, making your marketing efforts more efficient.
Google has made it clear that GA4 is an ever-evolving platform with new features constantly in development as they identify new opportunities and get feedback from their users, so it is important to keep an eye out for announcements that might benefit the way you analyse your data.
If you’re looking to brush up on your own GA4 skills I would recommend looking at Google Skillshop which has many guides and courses to make sure you’re making the most of the platform. However, if you are a small team that already has several plates spinning it can be hard to get to grips with something new! If that is the case, get in touch with us and we can help you utilise the power of analytics.
Reddit has been in the news recently as they announced a huge hike in their API pricing which could kill off many third-party apps that are integrated with the platform. This saw protests from some of the biggest communities on the app who, as a result, switched to private, restricting access to the wider public. Reddit claims the new pricing is reasonable despite some app developers claiming it will cost them over $ 1 million a month to continue to operate as they do now. You can read more about it here.
This is a big controversy for developers; however, it got us thinking about how agribusinesses could tap into the Reddit platform.
Reddit is an app made up of countless different communities and boasts over 430 million, monthly active users. It is one of the most popular apps worldwide and is a place where like-minded people go to share their experiences, ask questions, and find solutions for any problems they might have on a particular topic.
Some key communities to note from an agribusiness perspective are r/farming (128k members) and r/agriculture (30.6k members), not to mention the endless number of niche communities focussed on particular topics.
So, how do agribusinesses make use of this potential gold mine? Just like other platforms, it is possible to pay for advertising spots which start at a minimum of $5 dollars a day, and target them at users who follow relevant topics.
However, one of Reddit’s biggest values is as a listening tool. As communities are made up of like-minded individuals, users know there is a good chance someone will have experienced the same thing and have the answer they are looking for. By joining the communities that are relevant to your business and monitoring the posts regularly, you can get a feel for the trends and pain points of your customers.
Resist the urge to post on behalf of your business. Reddit communities are moderated, and many don’t allow promotional posts, so if you are going to consider some undercover marketing in Reddit communities, make sure it doesn’t look promotional!
Instagram has introduced Broadcast Channels, a one-to-many messaging tool where creators can invite their followers in and engage with their most interested fans. Broadcast channels allow creators to share text, photos, videos, voice notes, and even polls with their followers.
If you are thinking about trying them for your agribusiness, make sure you differentiate the content from what you are already sharing on your channels already. Try using it as an opportunity to share sneak peeks at upcoming content and use it as a more intimate way to connect with your followers. You need to make it feel different and unique, otherwise, your followers simply won’t use it.
That concludes our top five marketing updates for this month. As always if you would like to discuss anything we have covered in more detail you can email me at antony@redtagmedia.co.uk
