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Bots, Bluesky, and the Battle for Attention
Marketing is having a midlife crisis.
Audiences are shape-shifters, content is a shouting match, and traditional channels aren’t packing the same punch. To get you up to speed, here's what we're seeing:
- What’s working in channels: The battle for real time engagement: X, BlueSky, or Threads? Who’s winning, who’s struggling and what does it all mean for your marketing?
- What’s working in content: Employee-Generated Content (EGC) — hype or hero? Let’s talk about impact.
- What’s working for the audience: Authenticity in the age of AI. We’re drowning in AI slop so how do you stand out?
One more thing: we've just dropped a brand-new report on Millennial Newcomer banking. It's free to download below, because we like to share.
Let's get into it.
– Charlie
In the Spotlight
FINANCIAL SERVICES: OUT NOW
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The RightMetric team is excited to share our latest report, "Banking on Millennial Newcomers: How Financial Brands Can Capture and Keep This High-Value Segment."
Here’s what’s inside:
- How financial brands can build loyalty with Millennial Newcomers.
- The biggest content gaps banks are missing.
- Real-world campaigns that are actually working.
This is just the start. We’re diving deep into the financial trenches in the coming months and will have more reports to share, so buckle up!
X vs. Bluesky vs. Threads
On the global traffic rankings, X is still dominating at #5. Bluesky has climbed to #250, while Threads sits at #197 — not exactly in the digital graveyard, but definitely not a threat to the throne.
X is clearly running the show with 116.3M monthly visits. People are engaged and sticking around, too (13 minutes on average). Plus, their strong performance in organic search is contributing to sustained growth.
Bluesky trails X in referral traffic (6%), with nearly a quarter (24%) from online marketing sites. Threads also gets a significant chunk of referral traffic from online marketing sites (30.5%).That tells you something – they're actively building their audience through strategic marketing partnerships. However, while online marketing referrals represent a smaller percentage of X's overall referral traffic, the sheer scale of X's traffic means that the actual number of online marketing referrals far surpasses those of Threads and Bluesky.
X.com leads in overall social traffic. But look at Threads: Instagram is their social traffic lifeline, driving a massive 95.9%. Yet, they're wrestling with retention. Meanwhile, Bluesky's got a different social strategy – they're leaning into Reddit, pulling in 41.9% of their social traffic from there, while X.com gets 22.3% from the platform
What this means for marketers:
- Go where the audience is. X is still the heavyweight for reach and engagement. Threads offers a different play: direct Instagram access.
- Watch Bluesky’s referral growth. They’re gaining traction, particularly from online marketing sites. There might be some smart partnership plays there. While you're at it, note their Reddit strategy. They're likely targeting niche communities relevant to their target audience.
- Don't write off Threads. That Instagram link is valuable, despite the leaky bucket. If they crack that engagement code they're a force for a specific demo.
The game is still on, but for now, X stays in the lead.
Why Your Team Is Your Content Goldmine
Forget the polished, pricey influencer parade.
Today, it's about real. It’s about your team, those brilliant humans who live and breathe your brand are stepping up, phones in hand, to show the world what's actually happening.
Think day-in-the-life glimpses, office humor, the unvarnished, wonderfully human side of your company. That's Employee-Generated Content (EGC) and it's not just a trend, it's your trust-building strategy. Why? Because 81% of consumers say trust is essential when making purchases. And they're 3x more likely to trust company information coming straight from your employees.
The proof is in the employee-generated pudding: Anthropologie's TikTok saw a 5,194% YoY increase in impressions thanks to EGC. Let's not forget SEMRush basically building a content dynasty around their own social media manager named Chris.
Your people are your most authentic storytellers. They can make your brand truly, genuinely, human. And in a world drowning in curated content, that may just be the superpower you need.
Authenticity in the
Age of AI
AI slop is this era’s spam — low quality text and images generated through AI. It’s the automation beast gone wild, and frankly, it's making authenticity look like a rare, endangered species.
An MIT study says people might initially prefer AI-generated content. But the moment they know it's AI? They lose interest.
How do we go for the balance, then? Consider the following:
- Draft with your heart, edit with AI. Start with human insight then let AI refine, not replace. A study found that 77% of consumers are more likely to engage with content that feels genuine.
- Use AI to streamline tasks, not replace human creativity. The Washington Post’s Heliograf AI automates basic news updates so journalists can focus on real storytelling.
- Leverage AI for data analysis, not for crafting your brand's voice. Netflix uses AI to crunch numbers on viewer habits, which in turn improves their still human-led marketing.
- Prioritize human-created content that showcases your personality. Google is already cracking down on AI-generated fluff, prioritizing "helpful, people-first content" in search rankings.
Be authentic. Share your stories, your insights, your humanity.
Open Tabs
CONSIDER THESE FOR YOUR WATER COOLER CHAT
- Advertisers upped women’s sports spend by triple digits in 2024
- L'Oreal teams up with NHL's first female coach Jessica Campbell (note from the RM staff: With the F1 Academy docuseries set to (potentially) drop this year, women in sports will only get more attention!)
- The power of Nostalgia Marketing
- The inconvenient marketing truth
- Guide to signal-based campaigns
That’s it for the month.
May your content be strong and your coffee be extra caffeinated.
