Digital & Technology

Optimizing content for traditional, typed-in search is not like learning how to find the right notes on a clarinet—the algorithms, unspoken rules and methodologies keep changing. Voice search is a whole new ballgame entirely. The phrases people use for voice searches tend to be different from written-out searches, and those content marketers who can adapt their content for voice searches are going to be the early winners in the race for brand visibility.

Like all social media platforms, Snapchat is tweaking itself, and the social community responds with changes of its own. Just weeks ago it was accurate to say Snapchat contained no e-commerce ads, that it averaged 8 billion daily views and that curated content on the evanescent platform was strictly verboten, a liability for brands intent on having maximum control of the message. Each of those statements now is untrue. Quickly to the first two: Snapchat began accepting e-commerce ads May 1 and it now says it is averaging 10 billion views daily. While those first two points are important to brand communicators, especially those interested in speaking to a millennial demo, the curated content piece may be the most important.

Your brand can ignore Snapchat if it wishes, yet with 10 billion daily views and growing (it was 8 billion just a few months ago), concentrated largely in a very young, highly desirable demographic, it might not be the greatest idea. OK, perhaps your brand isn’t ready to join the Snapchat foray today. Fine. That’s reasonable, Gavin Donovan, digital strategy lead, Mission Foods, told attendees during a PR News Digital PR& Marketing Conference in Miami Beach June 7.

Have you ever tried to shine a light on your CEO in your digital content and been underwhelmed by the response? Unless you have an outsize visionary like an Elon Musk or a Bill Gates heading your organization, this isn’t surprising. Let’s face it, people have more in common with your average employee or average customer. So why not make them the stars of your digital content?

If you’re responsible for brand communications, then you’re expected to be an SEO expert as well as a great content creator. Yet SEO may still be somewhat of a mystery to you. If that’s the case, it might be because you’re getting stuck on what’s often the first recommendation from self-proclaimed SEO experts: Identify smart keywords and use them in your content.

A harsh reality of the digital age is that excellent content can languish in obscurity owing to its creators’ lack of knowledge about search engine optimization. And desktop search is far from the whole story. In fact, ignoring mobile search makes no sense.

Social media is clearly a crucial part of any PR strategy, but it’s also a vast and sprawling world comprised of various platforms and countless users and content creators. Many organizations are turning to volunteer spokespeople to meet this challenge—not only to cover more ground, but also because of the authentic passion that a fan of the brand can bring to the conversation.

At Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, Katie Dowd has a content production powerhouse at her disposal. There’s little doubt that social media has found its place in politics and Dowd is hoping to use her vast online communications experience to not only generate donations, but also utilize her team of content creators to make connections with voters that will last long after the ballots are cast.

Just as communicators are coming to grips with the possibilities of live video on social platforms, Facebook throws us a new twist: It will now allow “nonstop, long-form” live video. The Continuous Live Video option allows for 24/7 broadcasting, although there is no way to rewind the stream or download it.

If social media is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. There are some notable examples of brands committing embarrassing online flubs, but don’t pat yourself on the back just because you haven’t screwed up big time: Most social media crimes are crimes of omission. If you’re like most brands, you could be doing better.