The TwoSix team is back and ready to share what’s On Our Radar for January so that you can stay ahead of the always-evolving digital marketing landscape. This month, the TwoSix team discusses LinkedIn Business Profiles, Pinterest Predicts, AI-generated itineraries for DMOs, TikTok’s new alternative “RedNote,” and more! Keep reading to find out what we’re keeping On Our Radar for January 2025.

Optimizing images enhances your website’s performance, user experience, and search engine visibility. Unfortunately, several of our recent client engagement projects constantly overlook this area. Load times, especially in mobile environments, significantly impact search queries and paid advertising results.  

Key strategies include selecting the appropriate file format, resizing and compressing images to balance quality and speed, and using descriptive file names and alt text to improve SEO.  The alt text is also critical with current accessibility guidelines.

Click below to learn more from Neil Patel, SEO Expert.

LinkedIn rolled out its Premium Company Page option in June last year, and now the reviews are starting to come in. I am surprised to see mostly positive sentiment from early adopters. According to several reviews, subscribers see an increase in their organic reach and follower growth. For a price tag of around $800 per year, it sounds like it is providing some much-needed energy to LinkedIn efforts.

The upgrade to premium may be something worth adding to the marketing mix if you’re already putting in a regular effort. I don’t think it’s going to help you much if you’re not putting in the work. It could be an incentive to get active, though!

Some of the benefits include:

• Seeing some of the users who visited the Company Page
• Auto-Invite engaged users
• Add a custom call-to-action button
• Build testimonials and highlights
• Leverage an AI-powered writing assistant
• A LinkedIn Premium Logo (oh boy!)

Together, these benefits could bode well for any meetings, groups, reunions, and sports event prospecting efforts. LinkedIn has proven to be a solid network for exposure among meeting and event planners in the past. I do think that a lot of CVBs are sleeping on LinkedIn these days. It does appear to be one of the few networks that still rewards active users who publish content organically in a meaningful way.

Do you think you’ll be adding a LinkedIn Premium Company Page subscription this year? If so, we’d love to hear about the kinds of results you receive. If you’re on the fence, there is a 30-day trial available.

You might be wondering, “what is voice search?” Voice search is when you ask Siri, Alexa, or Google to search for you. Essentially, any search queries that people speak. For example, one of the most common types of searches I do is something like “is zucchini safe for dogs to eat?” (which it is, in moderation)

Various statistics show that voice search is on the rise. Of users that use search, one of the biggest searches is weather at 75%. Travel is one of the lowest used searches but is there at 43%. Another interesting statistic is that most are occurring on smartphones — so it’s not just smart speakers. The last important thing to keep in mind is that the youngest generation, Gen Alpha, who grew up with iPads and Amazon Echoes all around the house, is extremely comfortable using voice search.

Numbers aside, the answer to if you need to start optimizing your website for voice search is yes. But it’s not just because people are using Siri on their phone. It’s because those conversationally queries are the same way that people talk to AI. People don’t type in “hikes near me” to chatbots, they write “what are the best hikes near me?”, just like they would say it out loud. If you’re optimizing for voice search, you’re optimizing for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc. as well.

So, start thinking about it. The easiest way to optimizing for both voice searches and AI is by either formatting your subheadings as questions “what pet-friendly hotels are in ___?” or feature FAQs that have a question to answer format.

It’s a new year, which means Pinterest Predicts is here! The annual report released by the social platform outlines the trends that are growing the fastest on the network and show the most promise for mainstream popularity in the coming year. The report typically covers several categories and industries, including travel.

Last year, Pinterest predicted that train travel would see growth due to increased interest from Gen Z specifically, sighting the lack of need for a driver’s license, the increased sustainability compared to cars or planes, and the aesthetic possibilities for social media photos and posts. In 2024, Amtrack set a new all-time ridership record, seeing a 15% increase in ridership year over year.

For 2025, Pinterest predicts an increased interest in mountain travel – or “Peak Travel” as the report cheekily refers to it. Not only are the usual suspects trending, like “skiing fits” or “mountain trip outfits”, but so are many foreign ski destinations like “Atlas Mountains Morocco” and “Dolomites”. While those far away destinations might be trending, they can be seen as more aspirational than literal. Mountain and ski destinations can capitalize on the increased interest by leaning into local and new-skier markets who may have increased and/or renewed interest in nearby ski destinations.

Other notable items on this year’s Pinterest Predicts for destination marketing include “Castlecore” and “Fishermens Aesthetic”. While these are geared more towards fashion and home décor, destinations with gothic or historical waterside architecture can promote these locations as aesthetic backdrops for your next getaway.

Saying hello to 2025 with some new developments in the social media world. With the future of TikTok up in the air in the U.S., YouTube has made some changes to shorts. Now videos up to 3 minutes will be considered shorts and show up in the shorts feed. This only applies to newly uploaded content so, your old videos would not be included in this update. Now, when you upload a clip under 3 minutes it will automatically show up in shorts and even if you didn’t intend to create a short, you will be shorts creator, meaning these shorts qualify to be recommended in the shorts feed which could give you a boost if you haven’t utilized shorts before. Short-form video continues to dominate and the ability to tell your story without a big time constraint could be a huge opportunity.

Shifting focus to Instagram, reels continue to dominate. Most of the content you see on your Instagram feed are said to be AI-recommended reels. Using this fact to your advantage, Instagram is telling creators to focus on two things this year and that’s, creativity and connection. Be original, think creatively and showcase what makes you or your destination different. Last year, Instagram refocused their algorithm to better showcase original content by smaller creators, making it easier to get started in the app. One thing to keep in mind as well is a huge part of Instagram lives in messaging. People (myself included) love to send reels to friends and family via messaging. Knowing this making your content relatable and interactive could be huge to creating a successful reel.

If you haven’t, I encourage you to start playing around with short form video on both platforms. If you are making videos, continue to do so! This video trend is not dying down in 2025 so get behind the camera and tell your story!

Last month, we discussed the looming TikTok Ban and how to prepare your digital marketing strategy for the app’s impending doom. As marketers, we know the steps to take to take to optimize our strategies for a TikTok-less world. It seems we’re not the only ones preparing for the ban… TikTok users are now flocking to another  Chinese social media platform in preparation for the ban. Ironic, right? Gen Z is leading the migration over to the app RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in China.

Many users are moving to RedNote as a form of protest, with memes circulating about using another Chinese app. I think we all can admit, Gen Z really has mastered the art of coming together to troll the government.

For those that haven’t yet downloaded RedNote, the app itself looks very similar to the Lemon8 app that Brian discussed in last month’s On Our Radar. RedNote is giving Pinterest and TikTok meet. See for yourself, RedNote vs Lemon8:

Let’s be real, these apps are almost identical. And yes, you can change the language on RedNote to English, if you’re looking to give it a try. Sadly, it can never be all fun and games… RedNote and Lemon8 may not be off the table in the ban as the law allows for apps from “foreign adversaries” to be banned. While Lemon8 is owned by the same company as TikTok, ByteDance, RedNote is owned by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology. Along with the potential ban, considering the safety of the app is also difficult, being that the terms and conditions we have access to are in Mandarin, with only the Privacy Policy and Protection rules for children and teenagers available in English. RedNote also has some very harsh restrictions for content that have been noted by new users.

All this said, my suggestions for your digital marketing strategy remain the same:

-Prioritize Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

-Use CTAs on TikTok to encourage your audience to follow you on other platforms, or lead them to your website.

-Prioritize Lead Generation Campaigns and Email Marketing.

-Lean into Pinterest, travel content thrives here!

Several DMO’s are adopting a new wave of AI-technology that allows their website visitors to ask questions, receive trip-planning advice, and curate highly-personalized travel itineraries.

It seems these AI-planners deliver significant value to communities by promoting and incorporating both major and lesser-known attractions, businesses, events, and hidden gems into itineraries. Additionally, they often suggest extra activities and inspire visitors to extend their stays. Personalization is also a key component to their effectiveness. The tools are able to generate recommendations that align with users’ interests, enhancing the overall travel experience and removing much of the pain involved in trip planning.

Destination Toronto provides an excellent example of this innovation with their AI-powered tool developed by GuideGeek. You’ll see a chatbot appears in the bottom-right corner of their site. Using AI, the chat tool incorporates businesses, attractions, and information from Destination Toronto’s website into itineraries, making it possible to plan a multi-day trip in seconds.

When I tested the tool, I requested a 5-day itinerary and provided details about the types of places I was interested in exploring. The result was a thoughtfully curated plan that included major attractions, local businesses, and vibrant neighborhoods to discover.

It appears tools like these could truly be win-win for both travelers and destinations, simplifying the trip planning process, and supporting communities by spotlighting both iconic landmarks and hidden gems, therefore encouraging local revenue and longer stays.

With the ever-changing digital marketing world, we are here to keep you informed of new digital trends and what we are keeping on our radar each month. Have any questions? Contact us! We’re here to help.

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