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It’s time for our weekly round-up of the latest tech news, where we cover top stories and must-know announcements within the mobile marketing industry. Let’s get started!
TikTok announced new live video features that bring the hit social media platform in line with other popular live streaming platforms such as Twitch, YouTube Live, and Facebook Live. These new features allow both creators and viewers to set up, schedule, and manage live “events.” Additionally, users get to enjoy picture-in-picture support, host group livestreams with two users, and even host live Q&A sessions that make these events even more interactive.
Quick take: The move toward live videos has been around for a while, which makes TikTok’s latest venture unsurprising. In the long run, every app has to listen and develop the features that their users need and want. In their case, live video was the demand. Consider customer demand for real-time gratification, whether you’re a social media platform that allows users to host or enjoy a livestream or an ecommerce app that allows users to see available local inventory in real time.
And speaking of live video, the streaming coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has probably been the most unusual one in the history of global sports. The games began July 23 and continue until August 8, but COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in empty stadiums, forcing fans to resort to streaming the coverage on apps with streaming rights, such as the official Olympics app and Peacock.
To provide viewers with more meaningful experiences, brands have had to provide an omnichannel approach to their Olympics marketing efforts and their media strategies. The result: less focus on ala carte ad buys and linear TV and more focus on omnichannel campaigns across a variety of growing channels that reach viewers who are no longer glued to live TV but consuming video when and where it’s most convenient.
Quick take: Nothing we haven’t said before on our blog. In order to reach users, brands have to be able to give them a seamless experience, whether they start watching on mobile then switch to desktop or smart TV later on. Employing a solid omnichannel marketing strategy is really the only way to reach an audience whose attention is fragmented among different devices and platforms.
And in the latest platform paying for user-generated content, YouTube Shorts, the social media giant’s answer to TikTok, is now beginning to pay creators up to $10,000 per month for creating and sharing popular short form video content. The company plans to pay $100 million throughout the next year, with the first payments going out this month.
Quick take: You want to incentivize users to keep using your app? Give them the proper motivation! While YouTube’s huge pockets are definitely a pipe dream for many startup apps, the idea remains evergreen: engage your users and tell them what you want them to do and what the possible reward is for them to do it. And for the reward to be sufficiently motivating, it has to be something worth their time and effort. Cash always works, but sometimes it may be as simple as loyalty points or ranking on a leaderboard or getting meaty discounts on your products and services.
On July 31st, news came out that Zoom will pay $85 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that Zoom failed to protect users’ privacy in connection with the “Zoombombing” incidents that were prevalent in the early months of pandemic-related remote work. In addition to paying out the cash compensation, Zoom has to implement some changes to its service including giving meeting hosts more control over who can join meetings and developing a better tracking system of users and reports of meeting disruptions.
Meanwhile, Amazon was hit with a $888 million GDPR fine for behavioral advertising. According to the complaint filed: Amazon analyzes user behavior to build profiles that are used for targeted advertising. And since building these profiles is done without a user’s consent, it violates GDPR.
Quick take: This new generation of privacy enhancements means that brands have to be careful about the collection, analysis, and actions taken using first-party data. Be transparent about your data policies. Look closely at your overall user retention strategy. And most importantly, use tools that give you actionable insight on your users’ data without stepping on their privacy rights. It’s the only way to truly engage customers and build a relationship with them that fosters trust and loyalty.
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