Twitter is Testing a New ‘Undo’ Option for Sent Tweets

As you can see here, the new option would enable you to recall your tweet within a 5-second window, which could be enough time to quickly check over your witty observation and catch any clumsy errors before it’s unleashed.

The main usage here would be to catch errors, but an additional benefit could be that it enables users to also re-think their tweets before sending. Small elements of friction like this within the tweet process can often be enough to provide a moment of clarity and may stop users from sending offensive or unintended comments as a result.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitters-testing-a-new-undo-option-for-sent-tweets/596196/

Instagram Tests New Auto-Captions Option for Instagram Stories

• What this means for social media marketers:
• Helps to ensure Stories can be understood in the sound off scenario
• Creators might start using the tool to create videos with auto-generated captions for other platforms such as TikTok

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-new-auto-captions-option-for-instagram-stories/596409/

TikTok Adds New Comment Review Option, Providing More Control for Creators

TikTok has added a new option that gives creators more control over the comments that appear on their clips, with the capacity to filter all comments as they come through and approve or deny as you see fit.

TikTok already enables users to filter spam and offensive comments, and specific keywords of their choosing, but this new option will provide even more capacity to control what’s displayed on your video clips, which could help users have a better experience on the platform.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-adds-new-comment-review-option-providing-more-control-for-creators/596498/

NUS ad promising negotiation skills to fight Godzilla leads to application spike

Launching a new social campaign on Facebook and Instagram, the school told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it is looking to promote its “Negotiation Strategies for Success” online programme.

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/nus-ad-promising-negotiation-skills-to-fight-godzilla-leads-to-application-spike

Clubhouse is the latest trend – Telegram joins the train

According to the report from WABetaInfo, Telegram will add this voice chat channel. This means that Telegram group chat will support large conversations.

The original Clubhouse comes with strict moderations in discussions. We expect the Telegram version to also support these moderations.

https://www.gizchina.com/2021/03/14/clubhouse-is-the-latest-trend-telegram-joins-the-train/

Clubhouse Launches Creator Accelerator Program to Help Support Broadcasters in the App

Clubhouse has today announced a new Creator First accelerator program, which will see the app provide financial support and expertise to a selected group of creators, with a view to helping them build their audience, and ultimately monetize their Clubhouse efforts.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/clubhouse-launches-creator-accelerator-program-to-help-support-broadcasters/596682/

YouTube Looks to Provide More Tools to Tap into the Rise of Connected TV Viewing

Though most people view YouTube via mobile, the platform has found this fast-growing viewing experience is on TV screens. And there’s another interesting viewing behavior emerging. A new generation of viewers chooses to watch YouTube primarily on the TV screen. This trend has steadily increased over the past few years so back in 2019, YouTube added TV-screen specific targeting for marketers.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-looks-to-provide-more-tools-to-tap-into-the-rise-of-connected-tv-vi/596490/

There’s a group on LinkedIn; specifically for advertising copywriting. In this group, professional copywriters discuss industry trends, share articles helpful for copywriters, share their own experiences so if you looking to improve on your copywriting skills or just curious, here’s the link to request for yourself to be added to the group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/58585

88 Words and Phrases You Can Use to Convert [Infographic]

This breaks things down into the following sections:

• Imply exclusivity
• Imply scarcity
• Lower risk
• Power words

You can consider including these in your captions

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/88-words-and-phrases-you-can-use-to-convert-infographic/596348/

Instagram Adds New Group Livestream Feature Amid Growing Pressure From Clubhouse

Instagram is increasing its emphasis on group livestreaming as the established social media giant and its rivals seek to better compete with surging newcomer Clubhouse.

Instagram users will now be able to use so-called Live Rooms to broadcast with as many as three other people. The new feature is meant to “open up more creative opportunities, such as starting a talk show or a podcast, hosting a jam session or co-creating with other artists, hosting more engaging Q&As . . . or just hanging out with more of their friends,” a company spokesperson says. Instagram’s previous livestream function allowed only two people to stream together.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2021/03/01/instagram-adds-new-group-livestream-feature-amid-growing-pressure-from-clubhouse/

Instagram Says That it’s Exploring Options That Would Enable Users to Hide Like Counts if They Choose

Instagram has been testing hidden Like counts for some time now, and just last week has accidentally included more users than intended to test out the new option. Instagram admits that this idea is polarising for people, so they are looking into options to enable users to choose if they want to hide or unhide their likes count on their posts. Users may also have the option to hide like counts when setting up the post or after it has been posted.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-says-that-its-exploring-options-that-would-enable-users-to-hide/596253/

Facebook Enables More Users to Switch Off Political Ads, Expanding the Option to More Than 90 Regions

What’s new:

• Now ads can be turned off entirely, previously could just reduce the frequency
• Option extended beyond the US
• Overall guidelines becoming more stringent for political content

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-enables-more-users-to-switch-off-political-ads-expanding-the-opti/596169/

Facebook Provides Tips on How to Maximize Paid Online Events

Last August, Facebook launched a new paid online events option, via Facebook Live, in order to provide another way for businesses to generate direct income amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Paid events enable businesses and creators to charge directly on Facebook for access to their online video programs, with exclusive tools and options available only to paying attendees. And recently, Facebook provided some tips on how to make best use of the process to maximize connection and opportunity, while also noting some coming features for the tool.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-provides-tips-on-how-to-maximize-paid-online-events/595906/

Twitter Looks to Get in on the eCommerce Boom with New Shopping Experiments

With eCommerce on the rise, the growing expectation is that, eventually, everything will be ‘shoppable’, with everything you see in a video on Instagram or TikTok, or every item you see in a posted image from a Facebook Page, made available for immediate purchase within a few clicks.

And Twitter’s also looking to ensure that it doesn’t miss the eCommerce boat. Last week, during its Analyst Day presentation, Twitter pointed to various new commerce options in development. And this could be the first one, with a new Twitter card type for eCommerce that adds a large ‘Shop’ CTA button, linking through to a transaction page.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitter-looks-to-get-in-on-the-ecommerce-boom-with-new-shopping-experiments/595988/

TikTok’s New TV-Connection Option Comes to US Homes

What this means for Advertisers & Marketers:

• New opportunity to target Connected TV audiences as they can view even without a TikTok account
• Translation issues – blowing up small screen clips on 4K screens
• New Content Consideration for TikTok – TV-like ad campaigns with digital ad targeting

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktoks-new-tv-connection-option-comes-to-us-homes/596002/

17 Conversion Boosting Tips for eCommerce [Infographic]

The pandemic exacerbated the already rising trend towards online browsing and buying, with analysis showing that overall eCommerce sales saw 40% year-over-year growth in 2020.

Check out the infographic in the link for more tips to enhance conversions on eCommerce pages.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/17-conversion-boosting-tips-for-ecommerce-infographic/596235/

Twitter Adds First Visual Tools in Fleets with Stickers and ‘Twemojis’

Twitter’s version of Stories – called ‘Fleets’, for ideas that are ‘fleeting’ – is pretty much the same as Instagram or Snapchat Stories, but without the additional engagement options of playful editing tools and AR effects.

The new stickers tray, which you can access by tapping on the smiley face icon in the Fleets composer, provides a search option to help users locate the right sticker for their image or video post, while the Twemoji stickers will help convey a mood when added to your Fleet frame.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitter-adds-first-visual-tools-in-fleets-with-stickers-and-twemojis/595842/

Facebook is Reportedly Developing its Own Clubhouse Clone

Facebook is reportedly now in the process of developing its own Clubhouse clone, as it looks to nullify the rapid growth of the audio social app. Clubhouse, the invite-only audio social platform, has seen a massive rise of late, going from 600,000 active users in December, to 2 million just over a month later. That’s seemingly sparked Twitter to move ahead with a similar audio Spaces feature, and now Facebook is also looking to get in on the act.

Of course, Facebook already has its video Rooms and similar meet-up tools. But it doesn’t offer the exact same functionality, and with Clubhouse’ approach generating more interest, it seems logical that Facebook would look to add similar – given that it can, as it already has the infrastructure in place, and it has the scale to provide similar tools to its audience, which could then stop them spending their time in another app.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-is-reportedly-developing-its-own-clubhouse-clone/594888/

Facebook launches New App BARS for Rappers

If you thought you have had enough of Instagram’s ‘Reels’ features, Facebook has one more similar concept for you, but with a twist.

The social media giant, Facebook, has launched a new app called BARS that is being dubbed as a ‘TikTok look-alike’ but with a more concentrated audience and slight change.

https://www.wionews.com/technology/tiktok-look-alike-facebook-launches-new-app-bars-for-rappers-366736

Facebook Launches New, SMB-Focused Ad Campaign to Counter Apple’s Coming IDFA Change

With Apple’s IDFA changes set to roll out soon, Facebook launched a new ad campaign to explain why personalised ad targeting is a good thing, and justifies the need for data tracking so that people would not change their settings when they receive the new Apple prompts. In addition to this new ad approach, they have provided SMB other ways to help them out like simplifying Ads Manager to make it easier to get started and a new mini-site to promote this new push as they see this change will reduce effectiveness of ads; which may result in increase outreach costs for SMBs.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-launches-new-smb-focused-ad-campaign-to-counter-apples-coming-id/595737/

LinkedIn adds new features to boost employee engagement

LinkedIn is tackling the challenges of the virtual workplace with new features that will help businesses and employees connect in more meaningful ways.

The platform updated the “My Company” tab to help employers curate the employee engagement experience with their page. Employees can recommend and share content from their company and other coworkers and can recommend trending articles. Content reach and impact is easily measured with LinkedIn analytics.

https://www.benefitnews.com/news/linkedin-adds-new-features-to-boost-employee-engagement

Opinion: How do you find the sweet Spot(ify) in marketing?

The rise of Spotify as an advertising platform by brands isn’t new but the use of it in different ways is definitely interesting and most certainly worth exploring, especially when most marketers’ choice of social media strategy still remains Facebook and Instagram (with TikTok thrown in here and there). Globally, Spotify is being leveraged in several interesting ways, making the marketing mix a lot less conventional – and a lot more engaging. There are four broad buckets that define the usage of Spotify by brands: Quintessential Brand Advertisement, Making the World of Brand Come Alive, Using Spotify to Establish a Brand’s Utility, Using Spotify Podcast to Build Community

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/opinion-how-do-you-find-the-sweet-spotify-in-marketing

Would People Pay to Read Your Tweets? Considering the Potential of ‘Super Followers’ on Twitter

Twitter provided an overview of its in development ‘Super Follow’ option this week.  As a ‘Super’ follower of someone on Twitter, people could theoretically pay $4.99 per month to get things like a supporter badge, subscriber-only newsletters, exclusive content, deals and discounts, community access. Users would be able to run Twitter Spaces which only their super followers could join, post tweets that only their super followers could read and reply to, and share Fleets with their paying audience exclusively. The newsletter subscription element would be built into Twitter’s new Revue integration.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/would-people-pay-to-read-your-tweets-considering-the-potential-of-super-f/595767/

8 Types of High-Performing Video Content to Upgrade Your Marketing Strategy [Infographic]

It highlights the different components into the following parts of the marketing process:

• Attract interest
• Educate prospects
• Convert customers
• Retain clients

Check out the infographic in the article.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/8-types-of-high-performing-video-content-to-upgrade-your-marketing-strategy/595408/

TikTok is Slowly Moving Towards Affiliate Marketing

TikTok is planning new features akin to Instagram and Facebook, including self-service advertising, affiliate links (influencers make money on brands they promote), and in-app brand catalogues.

https://www.voguebusiness.com/companies/tiktok-e-commerce-could-harness-hyper-engaged-gen-z

TikTok Adds New Recipe Integration, Pointing to the Next Stage for the App

TikTok has started rolling out a new integration with recipe app Whisk, which enables creators of food videos to post a link to the relevant recipe, which is then overlaid on the video clip via a ‘See full recipe’ CTA.

This isn’t the first time that TikTok has enabled the addition of external links from videos.

Back in October 2019, TikTok added the option for users to include Wikipedia links on their clips, adding more contextual info, while it tested a further expansion of that functionality to include links to Yelp and TripAdvisor last March.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-adds-new-recipe-integration-pointing-to-the-next-stage-for-the-app/594976/

TikTok Launches New Seller University as it Looks to Expand its eCommerce Push

TikTok is working quickly to provide more monetization options for creators, with new eCommerce and in-stream selling tools that users will eventually be able to incorporate into their profiles, videos and live-streams. Following its partnership with Shopify, is a new education portal called TikTok Shop: Seller University, which they are currently testing in Indonesia. Users will eventually be able to sign-up for the program to sell products in a range of ways. This is currently still in development, but there are speculations that this feature might be added to the app very soon.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-launches-new-seller-university-as-it-looks-to-expand-its-ecommerce-p/595151/

15 TikTok Tips to Maximize Your Branded Content Efforts [Infographic]

Worth noting for your TikTok approach. Check out the long-form infographic in the article for more info.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/15-tiktok-tips-to-maximize-your-branded-content-efforts-infographic/595404/

BMW SG finds itself in unfortunate ad placement woe this CNY weekend

The ad seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, on the morning of 16 February 2021, was located midway through the article and had a video promoting the purchase of BMW vehicles from a behind-the-scenes point of view.

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/bmw-sg-finds-itself-in-unfortunate-ad-placement-woe-this-cny-weekend

YouTube to expand Shorts to the US, add 4K and offline DVR to YouTube TV, launch in-video shopping and more in 2021

Here’s a TL:DR of everything YouTube announced today for its 2021 roadmap:

• Expansion of its in-video e-commerce shopping experience beyond the current limited beta
• Expansion of Applause tipping feature
• YouTube Shorts launching in the U.S.
• Adding the ability for parents to specify individual channels and videos for their kids to be able to watch on YouTube Kids
• New features for user playlists on YouTube Music, and making those playlists more discoverable to others
• A new paid add-on coming to YouTube TV that offers 4K streaming, DVR for off-line playback and unlimited simultaneous in-home streams
• Automatic video chaptering for some videos that don’t have creator-defined ones
• A redesigned YouTube VR experience focused on accessibility, search and better navigation

YouTube to expand Shorts to the US, add 4K and offline DVR to YouTube TV, launch in-video shopping and more in 2021

Mcdonald unveils global packaging redesign with a focus on graphics

Creative agency Pearlfisher has partnered with McDonald’s to redesign the fast-food giant’s global packaging system. the renewed design brings a sense of joy and ease to the brand through its bold graphics. transitioning from a design system with prominent on-pack messaging, the graphic representations of menu items help make each of the structures more connected and evocative of McDonald’s playful point-of-view.

mcdonalds unveils global packaging redesign with a focus on graphics

Snapchat Shares New Insights into Gen Z Consumption and Engagement Trends

Key insights around Gen-Z’s spending and shopping behavior

https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/blog/with-4.4-trillion-dollars-in-spending-power-the-snapchat-generation-is-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with

LinkedIn’s Developing a New Freelance Marketplace Platform to Facilitate New Opportunities

LinkedIn is reportedly developing a new freelance marketplace platform that will enable businesses to find, connect with, and pay freelancers all on the platform. That could open up a range of new opportunities. One of the elements of the rising WFH shift is that businesses can now employ people from anywhere, they’re no longer restricted by locality. It could also boost engagement, and add more advertising opportunities, by giving freelancers the means to pay to promote their services on the marketplace. 

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedins-developing-a-new-freelance-marketplace-platform-to-facilitate-ne/595397/

Facebook May Soon Enable Users to Share their Instagram Reels to Facebook Watch

Facebook has begun testing a new option that enables Instagram Reels creators to share their Reels clips into Facebook News Feed and Facebook Watch. This test appears to currently be being pushed in India, where Instagram initially launched Reels as a replacement for the banned TikTok.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-may-soon-enable-users-to-share-their-instagram-reels-to-facebook-w/594590/

Instagram Tests Removing the Option to Share Feed Posts Within Stories

That, interestingly, means that you can now share tweets in your IG Stories, but you can’t share Instagram posts, while you can also share IGTV previews, but not normal feed updates.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-removing-the-option-to-share-feed-posts-within-stories/594255/

Instagram Likely To Launch Vertical Stories Feature: Here’s How It Will Work

The social media giant is reportedly working on a ‘Vertical Stories’ feed that will allow users to scroll through posts vertically instead of horizontally. The feature was recently spotted under development by a technocrat on Twitter. However, it is still undergoing the testing phase and may not be released anytime soon.

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/entertainment-news-what-is-vertical-stories-feed-heres-all-you-need-to-know-about-new-instagram-features/373493

Instagram Adds ‘Recently Deleted’ Folder to Safeguard Against Mistaken Post Removal

This will make many Instagrammers very happy – the platform is today adding a new ‘Recently Deleted’ folder which will enable users to restore any feed posts that they’ve deleted for 30 days after the fact.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-recently-deleted-folder-to-safeguard-against-mistaken-post/594330/

Instagram Tests Removing the Option to Share Feed Posts Within Stories

Instagram is now conducting a test that stops some users from sharing feed posts within their Stories. That, interestingly, means that you can now share tweets in your IG Stories, but you can’t share Instagram posts, while you can also share IGTV previews, but not normal feed updates.

This is to prompt users to create content specifically dedicated to each stream. More specific content equals a better user experience – but how much, if this change is rolled out more broadly, will this impact overall Stories sharing? You would assume that a lot of Stories updates are re-shared feed posts. The fact that Instagram is willing to reduce this seems like a positive sign for its development focus – but it might also indicate that people are viewing Stories less as a result of such shares, which has prompted Instagram to take action.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-removing-the-option-to-share-feed-posts-within-stories/594255/

Tiktok has Launched a Share to IG Stories Option

Previously, TikTok allowed users to share to Instagram feed only, and for those that had to share to Instagram stories, they had to do so natively by downloading the video and resharing – the overall look of which was rather messy due to the fact that TikTok’s watermarks conflicted with Instagram’s UI. Now, with the TikTok to IG Stories option, the watermark appears on the side and the sharing is much more seamless.

TikTok Adds New Q&A Option Which Enables Fans to Post Questions for Creators

TikTok is looking to prompt more engagement between creators and their fans with the launch of a new Q and A option which enables users to pose questions to creators that can then be answered in future video clips.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-adds-new-q-and-a-option-which-enables-fans-to-post-questions-for-cre/593593/

6 Tips for Measuring LinkedIn Campaign Performance

LinkedIn has shared a downloadable six-step checklist to help marketers with their LinkedIn ad campaigns. Check out the infographic in the article link.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/6-tips-for-measuring-linkedin-campaign-performance-infographic/594186/

Lessons from UGC in 2020 – and How it Can Help You in 2021

As consumers battled to get used to the “new normal” in 2020, brands were also faced with finding new ways to stay connected with their audience. Not only that, but the last twelve months have completely destroyed the concept behind big advertising campaigns. Social distancing meant camera crews weren’t able to gather, while many brands faced content production limitations.

But there was one type of content that was particularly pandemic-friendly: user-generated content (UGC). Read on to find out how brands have used UGC for their brand campaigns & how to integrate it into your 2021 marketing plans.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/lessons-from-ugc-in-2020-and-how-it-can-help-you-in-2021/593678/

YouTube’s new “Clips” feature lets users share 60-second clips of videos

YouTube is testing a feature popular from live stream platforms like Twitch: the ability for viewers and creators to make clips of longer videos, allowing for the sharing of short, bite-sized clips of a video. The feature is currently “in testing” with a small group of channels while YouTube gathers feedback.

Clips have a max of 60 seconds and can be created by pressing a new “Share Clip” button. From there, users will get a draggable timeline editor to make a clip, name it, and share it via a new URL. For now, the feature only works on a desktop browser, but Android and iOS support is coming “soon.”

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/01/youtubes-new-clips-feature-lets-users-share-60-second-clips-of-videos/

Here’s What Happens When You Change Google Ads Attribution Models

This article shares how changing Google Ads attribution models won’t affect how many conversions are recorded in Google Ads. You’re dealing with the same amount of Google Ads conversions, and just changing how credit is assigned across dimensions like keywords or campaigns. An attribution model is not a precise measurement tool.

It’s a framework to help you better understand how multiple Google Ads clicks contribute to a conversion. Treat it as a guideline, and use the insights to optimize your account for better performance.

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/changing-google-ads-attribution-model/393451/?ver=393451X3

How will GameStop affect social media communities moving forward?

The GameStop Saga, the struggle between two drastically different groups of investors, has left a lot to unpack for social media platforms and apps.

It started on Reddit, with Redditers artificially driving up the price of GameStop stock that they perceived as being undervalued due to Wall Streeters shorting it, but finished on The RobinHood, the free trading app favored by millions of amateur investors which suspended trading of GameStop shares, dropping the price down artificially. As a result, a class action has been filed against The RobinHood, alleging deliberate manipulation of the stock price.

The outcome? Likely –

• Updates to community guidelines
• Increased digital regulations for certain industries (for instance BFSI)

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/30/business/gamestop-reddit-rebellion-explained/index.html

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/28/investing/lawsuit-robinhood-gamestop-wallstreetbets/index.html

https://screenrant.com/gamestop-stock-restriction-class-action-lawsuit-robinhood/

Instagram Launches Professional Dashboard

Instagram announced the launch of Professional Dashboard, a central destination to track performance, access and discover professional tools, and explore educational information curated by Instagram.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-launches-professional-dashboard-helping-creators-make-a-living/594147/

Pinterest Adds New AR ‘Try-On’ Tools for Eyeshadow, Expands Product Tagging Within Pins

With eCommerce on the rise, Pinterest is looking to facilitate more capability in assessing and comparing products, with the expansion of its AR ‘Try On’ tools to better replicate the in-store shopping experience.

After launching its lipstick Try on Pins with selected brands early last year, Pinterest is now expanding its AR overlays into eyeshadow as well, with new, shoppable eyeshadow Pins showcasing products from Lancome, YSL, Urban Decay, and NYX Cosmetics.

“Pinners try on an average of six lipstick shades and are 5x more likely to show purchase intent on Try on-enabled Pins than standard Pins.”

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/pinterest-adds-new-ar-try-on-tools-for-eyeshadow-expands-product-tagging/593703/

YouTube Launches Hashtag Landing Pages to All Users

YouTube is embracing the hashtag. The company has been quietly working on a new feature that allows users to better discover content using hashtags — either by clicking on a hashtag on YouTube or by typing in a hashtag link directly. Before, these actions would return a mix of content related to the hashtag, but not only those videos where the hashtag had been directly used. Now that’s changing, as YouTube has fully rolled out its new “hashtag landing pages.”

Going forward, when you click on a hashtag on YouTube, you’ll be taken to a dedicated landing page that contains only videos that are using the hashtag. This page is also sorted to keep the “best” videos at the top, YouTube claimed.

YouTube launches hashtag landing pages to all users

YouTube Outlines How ‘Shorts’ Views and Counted, and How They’ll Impact Channel Analytics

The platform’s TikTok-esque ‘Shorts’ video feed is in the process of being fully rolled out, with only users in India currently able to access the full Shorts functionality, including the Shorts Camera upload option. But all users are able to upload Shorts clips right now, by sharing short vertical videos (up to 60 seconds in length) and including #Shorts within the title or description.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-outlines-how-shorts-views-and-counted-and-how-theyll-impact-cha/593536/

Dating firm Lunch Actually taps on Lazada’s Live Streaming Prowess Ahead of Valentine’s Day

Through the interactive matchmaking series, Lunch Actually and Lazada will feature the journey of two singles who are trying to find a match, and viewers can either follow their dating journey, or submit their own profiles to be matchmade with the featured bachelor and bachelorette.

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/dating-firm-lunch-actually-taps-on-lazada-s-livestreaming-prowess-ahead-of-valentines-day

TikTok Provides New Video Overview of How to Set Up a TikTok Ad Campaign

This week, TikTok has shared a new overview of its ad platform, which includes a full rundown of the campaign set up process. It’s a simple, helpful guide to the TikTok ads platform, which could be of benefit in your planning process. If you’re already familiar with setting up campaigns on other social platforms, the controls and options will likely be familiar, while TikTok also provides handy templates and tools to build out your campaigns.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-provides-new-video-overview-of-how-to-set-up-a-tiktok-ad-campaign/593769/

Is WhatsApp’s privacy policy update new?

WhatsApp has allegedly already been sharing user data with the Facebook suite since 2016. Previously the data policy had a little-used opt-out setting that has been removed in the latest change.

https://www.wired.com/story/whatsapp-facebook-data-share-notification

Instagram Tests New Stories Layout on Desktop

Instagram is testing out a new format for the display of Stories on the desktop version of the platform, which is designed to make it easier to scroll through the various Stories from the profiles you follow on the bigger screen.

Which is likely in-line with usage trends. Over time, Stories have become increasingly popular, even superseding the regular news feed in terms of engagement. As such, it seems likely that, at some stage, Instagram will put more focus on Stories over the main feed, at least as an option, which could eventually see the app open to Stories, like TikTok does with its full-screen feed of video clips, making it the key function of the app.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-new-stories-layout-on-desktop/592855/

Burger King Rolls Out Its First Rebrand In More Than 20 Years

The visual plays on the chain’s legacy, with a throwback logo and colors and frequent reminders that the brand has been “Flame Grilling Since 1954.” The elements are reminiscent of the 1980s burger wars yet appeal to younger consumers who crave vintage designs. For now, the rebrand is rolling out in the U.S. system but will make its way into the global system throughout the next few years.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciakelso/2021/01/07/burger-king-rolls-out-its-first-rebrand-in-more-than-20-years/

Analysis: ‘Whitewashing’ of the traditional mahjong game causes furor online

Dallas-based company The Mahjong Line came under fire earlier this week for cultural appropriation when it refreshed the centuries-old Chinese game of mahjong to engage with the new generation of American mahjong players.

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/analysis-whitewashing-of-the-traditional-mahjong-game-causes-furore-online

Backlinks Remain a Critical Consideration for SEO

SEO is always changing, with Google making thousands of changes yearly to its ranking algorithm, which determines the order in which search results are displayed for any given query. Backlinks are one of the most important criteria for your ranking efforts. The long-form infographic has more important info for your detailed consumption.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/backlinks-remain-a-critical-consideration-for-seo-infographic/592734/

TikTok Launches First LiDAR-Enabled AR Effect for iPhone 12

AR is set to get a lot more focus in 2021, as technological advances, including new wearable devices, come to market, and push the development of digital overlays and tools to the next level.

And recently, TikTok took another step with its AR tools by adding a new LiDAR-enabled effect to ring in the new year. As seen in the link example, the new LiDAR technology responds to the real-world environment, so the glitter falls onto the couch, the floor and the person within the frame. When he moves out of the scene, the glitter from his head and shoulders then falls away in his place.

As noted, AR is set to gain significant momentum in 2021, based on usage trends before and throughout the pandemic, and tools like LiDAR will enable advanced object recognition and responsive options, which could have specific benefits in applications like eCommerce.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-launches-first-lidar-enabled-ar-effect-for-iphone-12/593016/

Google adds ‘Stories’ to its search app for iOS and Android

As Stories get increasingly more popular, Google has finally introduced the Stories feature also known as web stories on its app. Web Stories (formerly known as ‘AMP stories’) are a web-based version of the popular “Stories” format that blends video, audio, images, animation and text to create a dynamic consumption experience. Web Stories can appear on Google across Search, Google Discover, and Google Images. The format is designed to show off visual content in a similar vein to Snapchat and Instagram Stories.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/google-adds-stories-search-app-164643931.html

Facebook Tests New Post Composer to More Easily Add Recent Photos

More to the point, what we can deduce from this update is Facebook’s push to allow users to quickly share more static and videos on the platform. Instagram already had it from the beginning.

It could be Facebook encouraging users to share more personalised content, being a contributor rather than using the platform as a phantom user. It could also be that they realised, more users are interacting with established brands overwatch, publishers and ads, that person-to-person engagement is almost dead.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-tests-new-post-composer-to-more-easily-add-recent-photos/593009/

Facebook removes the ‘Like’ button for Pages and rolls out new features

Facebook recently announced the redesigned Facebook Pages to make it simpler for creators to build their community and achieve their business objectives. A significant change to the Facebook Page experience is the removal of the ‘Like’ button, which will put the focus on Followers and simplify the way people connect with their favourite Pages. “Unlike Likes, Followers of a Page represent the people who can receive updates from Pages, which helps give public figures a stronger indication of their fan base,” Facebook says. The changes will give creators a better indication of how many people receive updates from their Pages.

https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/news/facebook-removes-the-like-button-for-pages-and-rolls-out-new-features-010721

Friso Singapore Takes A Dump on Marketing Clutter with ‘Poop’ Talk

Titled “Good poop matters, baby!“, the nationwide campaign aimed to use the topic of feces (or “poop”) to educate and empower parents to help their children achieve good gut health.

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/breaking-through-the-clutter-friso-singapore-gets-parents-talking-about-poop-in-targeted-campaign

3 Ways to Use Instagram’s New Keyword Search Option to Grow Your Business

1. Enables you to find brand mentions that you may have missed before because your customer didn’t tag you or use your brand’s hashtag.
2. With Instagram’s keyword search tool, you’ll now be able to look up your competitor’s keywords and see what their audience has to say about them. You’ll also be able to see if your customers speak about pain points, which you can help solve with your product or service.
3. Instagram keyword search can help your business grow on social media because it can make it easier for customers to find you.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/3-ways-to-use-instagrams-new-keyword-search-option-to-grow-your-business/592666/

2021 Social Media Cal

Will be useful for those who are doing content cal planning for their clients. Do note that this is more US-centric but it is a good base to refer from if you are doing content creation. e.g. International Bear Day on 6 Aug 2021 – will be ideal for WRS

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-marketing-calendar-for-2021-infographic/592497/

TikTok Trends That Went Viral in 2020

These are good references for creating content even outside of TikTok. Inclusive of trends such as the renegade, POV and manifestation. This article also touches on strategic changes – such as how TikTok shaped shopping behaviour.

https://www.google.com.sg/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/style/tiktok-trends-2020.amp.html%3f0p19G=0232

Compile your Instagram Top 9 posts of 2020!

There are two main services that’ll pull your nine most-liked posts together for you: Top Nine and Best Nine. They’re very similar to each other, but there are a couple of key differences.

Top Nine functions as both a website and an app. If you choose the app route, you can actually opt out of handing over your email address in the process, whereas the desktop version doesn’t allow this. It can also search both private and public accounts. Best Nine doesn’t ask for an email at all, but it does seem to run quite a bit slower than Top Nine, and it can only search public accounts. Both promise not to sell your data to any third parties within their privacy policies.

https://sea.mashable.com/tech/13856/how-to-get-your-instagram-top-9

Google Search testing new “Short video” results from Instagram and TikTok

The latest beta feature in Google Search shows video results from social media platforms Instagram and TikTok. You will soon be able to watch video content from those two platforms directly from the Search app without the need to open the standalone Instagram or TikTok apps.

Google pilots a search feature that aggregates short-form videos from TikTok and Instagram

Facebook’s Testing an Instagram Content Calendar in its Creator Studio Tool

The calendar displays a listing of all of your Instagram posts, with separate icons for single image updates, carousels and more.

That could make it much easier to map out your Instagram strategy – within Creator Studio, you can schedule your Instagram feed and IGTV posts up to six months in advance, and having the capacity to see them planned out like this could help in ensuring optimal coverage ahead of time: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebooks-testing-an-instagram-content-calendar-in-its-creator-studio-tool/591936/

LinkedIn roles out additional roles, specific for Page Admins and Paid Media Roles. This is somewhat similar to what Facebook is already doing, but LinkedIn has been late to get to it.

This new permission structure allows brands to define permission better by function, such as a  super admin, content admin, curator or simply an analyst who needs to report.

One thing to note about curators is the possible usage, where we see more employee branding happening, and the function seeks to get employees to promote content on behalf of their organisation.

For Paid Media Roles, we have three roles, and the most important of which is actually the Lead Gen Forms Manager, where concerns about data privacy and those who have access to it would be limited. With this, the brand manager can assign rights for specific partners/agencies to access it and process for them: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-adds-new-company-page-roles-to-provide-more-management-options/592012/

LinkedIn Begins Testing Ads in LinkedIn Stories

LinkedIn has announced that it’s launched an initial test of ads in LinkedIn Stories, after rolling out Stories to all users back in September: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-begins-testing-ads-in-linkedin-stories/592070/

Twitter Announces New Integration to Share Tweets in Snapchat Stories, with Instagram Coming Soon

This is a significant update – Twitter had today announced that iOS users will now be able to add tweets directly into their Snapchat snaps, providing more options for sharing tweet conversations: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitter-announces-new-integration-to-share-tweets-in-snapchat-stories-with/592015/