Twitter is now known as X … and if that’s the only social media news you saw in your feed this week, you’re not alone. Here’s a helpful headline you might have missed.
TikTok has unveiled text-based posts (think Instagram Stories but on your FYP) this week, giving brands without the time, resources, or expertise to create video content a new opportunity to enter the TikTok-verse. Users will have all the same TikTok tools at their disposal when creating text posts, including customized text font and color, viral sounds, and more.
The change comes at a crucial time. With an uncertain outlook for the app formerly known as Twitter, other prominent social apps have the opportunity to fill the potential void. Meta’s launch of Threads got the ball rolling and with text posts, TikTok has firmly set itself up as a challenger while also fortifying its IG comparisons.
If your brand is ready to spread the word on TikTok (sans video), now is the time. Get visual with thought leadership shares, complete with a link to your latest blog post. Or try sharing quick notes from the latest industry conference. If Gen Z is on your radar, it might be time to add it to your brand’s social strategy.
TL;DR: TikTok launched text-based posts similar to Instagram Stories, giving brands without video bandwidth a new opportunity to connect with this very Gen-Z audience.
AI FYI
First, there was ChatGPT. Then came the AI copycats. The latest to join the generative AI game is Llama 2, a new open-source large language model from Meta and Microsoft.
Like ChatGPT, users input queries to receive answers, but Llama 2 is open source, which means developers can work to improve the accuracy of its output and mitigate issues like hallucinations. It’s also trained on 40% more data than its predecessor, Llama 1, giving it more to draw from for more complex queries.
Llama 2’s improved capabilities could be useful for brands interested in improving client communication, gleaning valuable audience insights, and more.
WHAT LIT US UP
Lights, Camera, Xtion
A street famous for breaking down each letter of the alphabet in glorious detail took on one of this week’s biggest social media headlines. Yes, “Sesame Street” joined the conversation around Twitter’s transformation by going straight to the source: apress conference with the letter X. The multi-character discussion featured tweetsfromBig Bird(who can still tweet),Cookie Monster(who is here for the food), andElmo(who prepared questions … and is still missinghis blue checkmark). All of these on-brand and in-character posts were brought together on Instagram too, allowing the show to extend its reach.
The iconic show doesn’t weigh in on every newsworthy topic, but a letter-based brouhaha was the perfect fit for the brand. The cute, witty tweets weren’t only timely, but the “Sesame Street” crew stayed true to its roots — and that makes for Xemplary social media marketing.
While your brand may not have catchy ABCs and 123s hooks, think about how you can similarly insert your voice and expertise into relevant trending conversations. When you do decide to join a trending conversation, remember to always be authentic. In this case, Sesame Street's playful humor around the X rebrand was magnificently on brand. Your audience will appreciate the familiar voice. And don’t forget: Timing is everything. Regular listening and trendspotting can help you stay in the loop and ready to react. If you aren’t able to move quickly, you may want to sit this one out.
TL;DR: The Sesame Street friends enter the chat about Twitter’s transition to X. Look for opportunities for your brand to creatively jump into trending conversations while retaining your voice.