Mediaboss Marketing

We get it! You're busy scheduling content and engaging with your followers, so it can be difficult to make time to sit down and read about the latest Facebook algorithm update or how brands are leveraging TikTok. But, hey, it's also important to carve out time to learn about new ways to improve your social media strategy. So, put down your phone (we know: it's a big ask!) and indulge in reading about recent social media updates.

If you work in social media marketing, these are the stories you need to read this week!

Up to four options rather than two are now available in Instagram Stories! If you've ever not answered a poll because neither answer fit, or you wanted a "both" option, those days are over. Which is also good news for social media managers trying to capture those taps for engagement metrics. Posters can also now update the color of the poll question text, allowing for more brand alignment.

It's Black History Month! Companies and brands around the world are celebrating in various ways. The Metaverse launched the "Metaverse Culture Series" which will use VR and AR to help amplify black voices through collaborations with black creators, and provide educational resources on black culture and history. Importantly, the series will run for a full year, rather than just the month of February.

Privacy concerns have been at the forefront of social media users minds for several years, and a new study from Snapchat reveals that actually having tools to control their privacy is more important for Gen Z and millennial users than a "privacy policy". The report found that "65% of respondents are actually satisfied with their online privacy" and that having better options for controlling what they share is a priority.

Another social platform dedicated to elevating black creators this month is Pinterest. Continuing their new livestream shopping endeavor "Pinterest TV", which launched just before the holidays, Pinterest will be "amplifying Black creator content through a Pinterest TV series focused around Nourishing Your Soul, working with inspiring creators across food, fashion, beauty and wellness."

A new toolbox hub from Twitter aims to help marketers quickly access all the features, apps, and resources they need to improve their Twitter marketing prowess. The Hub includes links to a number of 3rd party apps and sites, broken up into three sections: Expression tools, Safety tools, and Measurement tools. It remains to be seen how long the hub will be active or if it will change as Twitter promotes more of its internal tools, but for now it's a great way for marketers to keep up!

Update from January 25th

TikTok is planning a few new features, currently in experiment mode and not yet being tested live. These include a customizable avatar similar to Apples "Memoji" in look and feel, audio-only live streaming which gives creators more options to build their audience, and a creator subscription model, akin to what Instagram is currently testing.

Twitter's newest upcoming feature is called "Flocks" and it will enable users to share Tweets with a select group, rather than publicly. It is similar to "close friends" in Instagram Stories which allows you to only show your Story to people on your close friends list. Twitter already offers control over who can see and post replies, so Flocks can add an extra level of protection as well as the ability to create conversation between a close knit group.

In a continuing effort to prevent the spread of hate speech and misinformation, Instagram has announced that it will now demote posts that are detected by the algorithm to contain hate speech or bullying, or that may incite violence. Instagram already shows posts lower on feeds that are reported by independent fact checkers, so this is essentially a step toward automating the process and catching posts that aren't reported.

Meta business platform, Workplace, announced last year that it would be implementing a WhatsApp integration to help facilitate communication between remote teams. In particular the update aims to make it easier for frontline workers to stay connected, ensuring "that information and updates reach frontline workers where they are in real-time."

There's no question that the working world is rapidly changing and a new ad for LinkedIn illustrates how the professional networking site is adapting to accommodate these changes. The promotional video focuses on the changing nature of what it means to be a "professional" and what work-from-home means for work-life balance.

Update from January 18th

The power of manifestation is the subject of the latest ad campaign for Twitter. Billboards have started showing up in various cities, showcasing famous athletes and entertainers early Tweets with career aspirations and dreams. Today these dreams have been realized, and it's a nice reminder of the power of intention setting. Sometimes publicly sending your aspirations out into the universe (or on Twitter) can have powerful results!

2. TikTok Tests Integrated Stories

TikTok is in the early stages of testing a more integrated experience for its Stories feature. While currently Stories on TikTok live in their own separate space, this change would include them in the "For You" and "Following" sections of the app. Navigation to Stories creation would also now be available from your main feed as well. Users scrolling through will see how many cards each Story contains and can tap through to view from right within their main feed, which is the biggest difference from Instagram's Stories.

3. Pinterest Shares How the Male Demographic Uses Pins

While Pinterests primary demographic is women, a new report indicates that more men are using the platform today, and takes a look at what they're interested in. The study reveals that men are making big goals and spending decisions for 2022. According to Pinterest: "75% of men in our study are planning to spend more this year to bring their goals to fruition... the study showed a mix of big-picture intention setting (eat better, find work-life balance) and smaller shifts to have more fun (socialize more, spend more time with friends)."

4. Snapchat Adds More Protections for Minors

In a move similar to one made by Instagram in 2021, Snapchat announced plans to make its platform a safer place for minors. The platform will be adding more safeguards to its "Quick Add" suggestions feature to prevent users under 18 from being connected to and contacted by adults they don't know. Approximately 20% of Snapchats user base is under 18.

5. YouTube Adds a "Media Kit"

YouTube has introduced an exciting new addition called "Media Kit " to help creators share their audience and engagement metrics more efficiently and effectively with brands and advertisers. This will make it easier for creators to earn ad revenue and partner with more brands who are interested in getting in front of relevant influencer audiences.

Update from January 11th

While "sound off" is the default setting for most platforms when showing videos, TikTok is taking the opposite route. With 9 out of 10 TikTok users viewing sounds as essential, the platform seeks to expand their audio offerings and explore the continuing evolution of how sound is used to create content on TikTok. Audio is a key component to TikTok content, and with its popularity it will be interesting to see if other platforms will eventually switch from sound-off to sound-on by default.

Pinterest has made it easier to find specific profiles and creators with a new filter that shows up in search results. The feature showcases Pinners related to certain search terms, so users can identify new people to follow who match their interests.

In what promises to be an eventful year of changes and new features, Instagram is coming in hot out the gate, testing an option that will allow users to rearrange their grid post photos and videos. This would be a welcome addition for content creators on the platform, giving more control over the first posts people see when they visit your profile. Instagram has also teased the possibility of a "pinned post" to come later this year.

A new privacy center is now available on Facebook, describing in fuller detail how Meta gathers and uses data, with more control for users to decide what they want to share. There are five different sections where people can find more information about privacy: Security, Sharing, Collection, Use, and Ads. Currently the new center is only available to US users on desktop, with plans to roll it out to a wider base soon.

Given the popularity of video and reaction-posts on platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok, it was only a matter of time before Twitter tried to get in on the action. They are currently testing a new "live reactions" feature as an additional sharing option. The feature allows users to quote-Tweet with a full screen video response with the quoted Tweet visible.

Update from December 14th

Instagram is continuing its race to keep up with TikTok, adding a new feature that allows users to reply to photo or video comments with an Instagram Reel. This functionality is already available on TikTok, so it's clear that Instagram wants to make sure its users have access to the same types of features as its biggest rival. The further integration of short-form video as replies will boost engagement and encourage content creators to make more Reels (we'll likely start to see a subculture of "response Reels" before long!).

Audio features are set to be a continuing social media trend and WhatsApp is getting in on the action with a new feature enabling users to preview voice messages before sending. In an age where leaving a voicemail causes anxiety for an entire generation, this update is a welcome and useful option. You can play your message back and make sure it sounds the way you intended before sending. No more off-the-cuff rambling or robotic script reading!

In an intriguing update for YouTube creators, the video platform recently launched "Places Mentioned". This is a new feature where any places mentioned in your video will show up visually in the video description box, so viewers can easily get more information about locations highlighted in your content. The feature essentially lessens the manual work on creators to add links, making it a more seamless and easy process. It's unclear at this juncture if the feature is only available on mobile devices.

It's considered best practice these days to always include captions on videos. Not only are they helpful for deaf & hard of hearing viewers, they also helps clarify what's said if the audio is muffled, and additionally most videos play without sound by default so they are an easy ways for viewers to decide whether or not they'd like to engage further with the video by turning the sound on. Auto-captions will now be available for Twitter videos, automatically turned on for all videos uploaded on iOS and Android, while desktop users can switch them on and off manually. Currently Twitter video captions are available in 37 languages.

Update from December 7th

In a bid to join other top social platforms like Instagram and TikTok in a "video first" mentality, Pinterest recently announced that it would be acquiring video editing app, Vochi. According to Vochi CEO & Founder: "The Vochi app gives creators the ability to apply high quality effects based on computer vision on objects in a video instantly...These technologies are unique in the industry, and we're excited to bring them to an even larger audience as a part of the Pinterest team."

Although the old roundup style from YouTube is still on ice due to negative feedback in recent years, YouTube has still provided those who are curious with some top trends and YouTube creators from the past year. The selections are divided into 5 sections: Trending Videos, Music Videos, Top Creators, Breakout Creators, Shorts Creators, plus an additional section highlighting featured creators from a Livestream event Escape2021. From the results, it's clear that gaming, music, and vlogging remain popular, but the TikTok format is also becoming more popular in the YouTube Shorts community.

New features are now available to users on LinkedIn using Creator Mode, including Live Videos and Newsletters. Creator mode is an option for LinkedIn users who use the platform beyond core networking. Per LinkedIn: "LinkedIn creators are members who regularly share content with their professional community to demonstrate their expertise, ignite conversations about ideas and experiences, and build communities around common interests." These power users and thought leaders now have access to create LinkedIn Lives and authoring Newsletters that get seen by your followers through automated emails. These features are already available to business pages with 150+ followers.

Messenger has been making some significant updates and changes throughout the year to elevate it's experience for users. Their most recent addition includes AR features, new sound-mojis, including one from Taylor Swift and one celebrating popular Netflix series Stranger Things. Most notably however, is a Venmo-esque payment option that Messenger is testing called "Split Payments."

Original post:
Social Media News: The 5 Biggest Stories of the Week - marketscreener.com