The TwoSix team is back and ready to share what’s On Our Radar for August so that you can stay ahead of the always-evolving digital marketing landscape. This month, the TwoSix team discusses Instagram reposts and map feature, GPT-5, AI’s impact on SEO, and more! Keep reading to find out what we’re keeping On Our Radar for August 2025.

For those worried about the decline in website organic search traffic due to AI overviews, we recently got a positive update from Google.

Google’s VP of Search, Liz Reid, recently wrote a post that highlights how the integration of AI into Search is driving an increase in both the number and quality of clicks to websites. While AI Overviews provide quick answers, they also encourage users to explore topics in greater depth, leading to more valuable click-throughs for content creators. The article notes a shift in user behavior, where people are increasingly clicking on web content that provides a deeper understanding and subject depth.

This sentence is the big takeaway, though: “People are also more likely to click into web content that helps them learn more, an in-depth review, an original post, a unique perspective, or a thoughtful first-person analysis.”

When creating new content for your site, whether it is a landing page or a blog post, keep it unique and do something AI can’t do – provide some unique and personal insights.  This truly confirms that creating high-quality, authentic content is more important than ever for attracting engaged traffic and helping outmaneuver the AI-generated overviews.

It seems a lot of us are struggling with declines in our engagement on Instagram these days. If you’re experiencing this, know that you’re not alone! I’ve been keeping an eye on format types on Instagram to see if there are any particular advantages to one post type over another.

On the surface, Carousels seem to win the day pretty handily, so we should do Carousels. Great. But wait, that is only on the surface.

Carousels see the most engagement from your existing followers. When trying to get your base engaged, Carousels are the way to go. This is great for content marketers, as we can use them to dive a bit deeper into a particular topic because our audience is already aware of us. Carousels also bring built-in engagement in the form of the swipe. Additionally, and quite surprising to me at least, Carousels have the highest Save rate as well. A great signal for massive interest. When done well, and when you keep your existing audience in mind when publishing Carousels, good things can happen to nurture your base.

This doesn’t mean that we go all-in on Carousels and abandon other post types. It depends on your objective and ultimately who is most likely to see your content when using a particular format. Most of us want to continue to grow. If you’re trying to gain new users and awareness, Reels are performing better in that regard. Reels are an awareness tool and offer more of a viral possibility than Carousels.

With these realities in mind, it’s important to keep your messaging on point to speak to two very different audiences. Carousels for your existing fans, and Reels to reach more users outside of your base. A subtle but important difference to keep in mind as you create content moving forward. Influencity had a solid article with a bunch of tips to get more from your posts, depending on their format.

Personally, I like to see a mix on Instagram. Maybe a single image post on Monday, a Carousel on Wednesday, and a Reel on Friday. Typically, we like to keep these posts in line with the same theme or activity. With this new info in mind, my messaging would want to change for each of the posts throughout the week.  Each account is different, of course. So, leveraging a variety of post types in a regular fashion can produce some actionable data for you, too. Be sure to check on your Insights for data specific to your efforts. You may be surprised as you take a deeper look.

What’s your most engaged with post type on Instagram? We’d love to know!

If you’re seeing declines in your organic search traffic, and you’re starting to worry, you’re not alone. We’re getting that question from our clients constantly — what can they do in terms of SEO to combat generative AI? People just aren’t getting as many organic clicks as they used to. Personally, I don’t think that will change. It’s just too convenient. The decline will continue and probably plateau.

That doesn’t mean you should give up.

The best way to ensure you appear in AI results is to follow SEO best practices that TwoSix Digital has been preaching for years. However, we’re learning more about what else you can do.

It turns out, it’s all about brand amplification. If your brand, organization, destination, etc. is mentioned on the internet the most, then the AI will digest it the most, and you’ll show up in results the most. It’s pretty straight-forward. Of course, sources will the most authority will give you the best results. It depends on the AI platform, but sites like YouTube, Reddit, and Quora are cited frequently — because they contain real people talking about real experiences.

But it’s always been this way with marketing. I mean, this is how word-of-mouth works. If your trusted friend says that they tried a new product and absolutely loved it, and you hear that from a family member, too, then you’re probably going to want to try it out yourself. If a stranger at the grocery store recommends something, you probably won’t give their opinion as much weight, but you did hear about the product again.

Who would’ve guessed? Marketing back where we started.

Last month, we pointed out Instagram’s quiet push to turn its standalone Edits app into a full-fledged, creator-first workflow. At the time, changes like built-in stickers, expanded clip trimming, and more refined timeline editing hinted at a bigger ambition: keep creators working entirely inside Meta’s sandbox.

Now, Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri has said the quiet part out loud: yes, using Edits can help your content perform better.

In a recent Q&A, Mosseri confirmed what we suspected: videos made in Edits often enjoy better reach. Not because of an under-the-table algorithm boost or secret favoritism (at least according to Mosseri), but because the app’s built-in polish and engagement tools can make it easier to produce the kind of content people actually watch, tap, and share. Whether that’s a feature advantage or simply a nudge to work the way Meta prefers is up for debate.

The goal here is obvious. Meta wants to guide creators from first cut to final post without ever stepping outside the platform. Skipping CapCut, Premiere, or any other third-party tool in favor of Edits doesn’t just save time; it keeps you firmly in Meta’s ecosystem and playing by its rules.

For marketers, influencers, and brands, the takeaway isn’t “drop everything and use Edits.” It’s to recognize how platform design subtly influences your workflow and, potentially, your results. And with every vertical video platform from TikTok to YouTube to Meta adding new editing and production features almost monthly, the real challenge is figuring out what’s genuinely boosting performance and what’s just another shiny thing adding more steps to your process

New metric alert! In Instagram within the insights tab, you’ll now be able to get more data on how your content is resonating. You can now see at what point during your reel someone liked it. Meaning you can see the exact second of the reel that people hit that heart. Similarly, if you post a carousel, you can see which image users were looking at when they liked the post. This will give you an idea of what is working and potentially what’s not. You’ll get to see what’s the high point of your reel and what image is working the best for you.

You’ll also be able to see some demographic details like gender, age and country but also what content produced the most followers so after you’ve made a few posts or reels you can maybe see what type of content your users are vibing with. Views are also available to see and are broken down between followers and non-followers, this will soon replace accounts reached although it’s unclear when that will officially happen.

Instagram has been dropping quite a few interesting new features lately from edits to their new map feature, and now we’re getting more metrics so I encourage you to get out there and get to posting!

OpenAI has released the newest version of ChatGPT, GPT-5. While there are some weird tone differences with the new update that some have described as an “overworked secretary”, the update isn’t all bad news. There’s a few new features that destination marketers can use to their advantage, saving time, boosting creativity, and working smarter!

The new update can hold onto more context with a better memory, making it easier to maintain your brand voice between projects. It claims to be able to jump between tasks with ease. GPT-5 also has real-time web search included, so now you don’t have to chose between using the “search the web” feature and using the model with your stored chats. This will be helpful for finding current travel trends or up to date event details. Along with those features, the update also has improved data analysis capabilities and enhanced tools for generating and analyzing visuals.

You can use these new tools to help out with maintaining brand voice while optimization content and captions for several platforms, planning ahead for seasonal campaigns with current trends, and to summarize marketing data to find out what’s working and where your pain points are.

Click the button below to see all the updates in GPT-5!

If you’ve updated the Instagram app, you may have noticed the new “Map” feature located at the top of your direct messages. The feature allows users to share their most recent active location with others and discover location-based content.

Photo from techcrunch.com

Users can browse geo-tagged posts, stories, and reels in specific areas, making it a great tool for real-time destination discovery. For destination marketers, this presents a new benefit in geo-tagging your content. Additionally, by encouraging visitors and locals to tag content, destinations can increase their visibility, drive interest to hidden gems, and benefit from user-generated content that highlights local experiences.

However, this location tracking also raises privacy concerns. Many users seem uncomfortable with sharing their location via the new feature, especially in real time, which could lead to safety risks.

Location is off by default on the Instagram app, so if you are a destination looking to use this feature, you’ll need to take the steps to turn it on.

Photo from techcrunch.com

The first time you open the Map, you will see a page that reads “Who can see your location.” From there, you can choose to share it with your Friends (followers you follow back), your Close Friends list, select users, or no one.

You will still see location-based content on the Map even if you have your location turned off, so you can easily browse content by destination to see how others are already taking advantage of this feature!

In yet another move to replicate certain features of TikTok, Instagram has officially rolled out a repost button on posts and reels.

As you’re scrolling through your feed, the repost option now exists smack dab in between the comment and the send/share buttons. The quick click allows you to easily reshare content and interests relevant to you. If necessary, you can also tag pages/organizations and/or leave comments along with the repost—a way to add your own perspectives and add something original.

To see what friends, pages, and organizations you’re following repost, head to the Reels tab, go to your “Friends” feed, and scroll away. A small profile image with a purple repost icon will show who has reshared it. Plus, Instagram has stated that all reposts will still credit the original creator.

“If you’re a creator, this means that if your content is reposted by someone else, it may be recommended to that person’s followers, even if those people don’t follow you. This gives creators a new opportunity to reach more people whenever you create something worth sharing.”

Reposts will now also live publicly on profile pages. However, instead of existing in your main feed profile feed (like any reshared content on Facebook), it will live in its own separate feed. This is yet another way to curate and show other users related/relevant content to your organization, while still maintaining control over your own posts and videos. Users can also remove the reposts at any time—take it from me, someone who has accidentally used this feature twice since it rolled out and didn’t intend to do it!

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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