Social Media News – Week of 5/18
In today’s modern world people are constantly connected and digital marketing permeates our lives. Thanks to this, it’s easier than ever to reach your brand’s audience, and having a social media strategy is an essential aspect of this. To ensure that your company isn’t making any mistakes, you should always stay on top of the latest social media updates. Here at Torx, we research what’s changing each week to make it easier for you to stay in the loop with these changes. Find out what’s new this week:
1. Your News Feed will soon become a real live “news” feed. The newest feature on this platform, called “Instant Articles” will allow publishers to share breaking news articles directly on Facebook. Previously, you could only link to an article or write a post; Instant Articles will allow users to publish stories directly into News Feeds. To learn more, read about Instant Articles here.
2. Speaking of News Feeds, Facebook is testing out a new feature that will give users much more control over their personal feeds. With this feature, users can select their favorite friends and pages so that the user can see posts from these selections at the top of their News Feed every time they log in. Marketers take note – this is a good time to start making personal connections with your brand fans; when this feature is released to the public, you’ll want as many users as possible to select your brand as their favorite.
3. Do you advertise on Facebook? If so, you know that Facebook ads are incredibly customizable, making it very easy to reach your desired audience. However, until recently, advertisers have been limited on the calls to action that they can share in these ads. Now, Facebook is giving local brands the option to allow users to get directions or even call the company directly from an ad. We’re looking forward to seeing how this boosts the conversion rates of Facebook ads.
1. If you own an iPhone, prepare to start seeing a lot more tweets. Twitter and Apple are partnering to show tweets within Spotlight, Apple’s built-in search feature. This just goes to show how important having a social media presence is becoming. If your brand isn’t on Twitter already, now’s the time to sign up.
2. We want to preface this particular news item by noting that we have yet to see it in our feeds, but according to multiple sources, Twitter is changing the way that promoted tweets look to help them blend in with regular tweets. Previously, promoted tweets were marked with a yellow arrow, which will be removed soon. To see what the new promoted tweets will look like, check them out here.
1. Instagram has teamed up with Google and Facebook to create an algorithm that will create a stronger search feature on the platform. Currently, the company hasn’t revealed too much information about this, but it has plans to join the ranks of Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as a breaking news powerhouse.
Collections, the latest Google+ feature, is very similar to Pinterest.
Google+
1. In a very strange move on Google+’s part, the company has sent out its first tweet… four years after signing up for Twitter. Why? At first, no one was really sure; however, on May 4th, G+ used its Twitter account to promote its newest feature, Collections.
2. What is Collections, you ask? You can see it here. It appears that Google+ is attempting to take on Pinterest with this new feature. A “Collection” is very similar to a Pinterest board. You can follow Collections, share items from Collections, and create your own Collections as well. Will this help the struggling platform find success? Only time will tell.
Snapchat
1. Snapchat’s “Discover” feature has not been the breaking news force that the platform had hoped it would be. This likely explains the newest “Discover” feature – sharing with your friends. Now users can tap on a “Discover” story and share it with their friends. We’re interested to see if this new development increases “Discover” users.
1. Pinterest has introduced a new type of ad, which the company is calling a Cinematic Pin. When scrolling through their feed, users will be delighted to see that these new Pins move just like a gif would. Keep an eye out for these new Pins in your feed.
Periscope
1. Many people have complained about the barrier to entry for Periscope. Previously, users had to have a Twitter account to create a Periscope account. In the past week, however, Periscope has changed this to allow anyone to sign up using a phone number. This is a smart move on the platform’s behalf, as more users are likely to join now.
It’s been a very busy week for social media! As you can see from this post, almost every social media platform is rolling out new features. The world of social media is always changing, so be sure to check our blog or social media platforms to read our weekly social media roundup!