Tag Archives: Facebook

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 23 MAY 2022

MML, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Instagram’s Testing a New Stories UI

Instagram has been testing a new Stories UI that essentially hides Stories posts beyond a specific frame count for the past few weeks. Some Stories now only show the first three frames, with a little ‘Show all’ prompt in the top left corner of the screen. That would be simple to overlook, which could mean that if you publish more than three frames to your Story, the latter ones are far less likely to be viewed. This will be automatically played.

Stories would be displayed with the frame count at the bottom of the screen, indicating that users can swipe left to see more — and perhaps Instagram believes that displaying too many frames will be off-putting, taking users out of the vertical swiping experience. This could be related to Instagram’s Reels-first strategy as it competes with TikTok. Instagram is also testing a new full-screen main feed with feed articles, stories, and video content for a more immersive experience.

This significant change will have an immediate influence on how social media content makers create material for the network.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagrams-testing-a-new-stories-ui-which-could-have-big-implications-for/624034/

What Can N.F.T.s Do for Dead Artists?

Museums and artist families are experimenting with putting artists’ works on the blockchain after their deaths. The British Museum has already engaged with an NFT trading platform to sell digital art by artists housed there. Because making new work by a late artist is normally frowned upon in the art world, the British Museum devised methods to generate “ultra-rare” NFTs such as artwork that was created but never printed. NFTs are also being considered by the families of great painters as a means of preserving the artist’s archive.

Link: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/what-can-nfts-do-for-dead-artists

YouTube Launches Separate Data Tabs for Videos, Shorts, Live Streams and Posts

Shorts and live streams are becoming increasingly popular among content creators and producing enormous returns, with shorts driving (30 billion views per day!). Channel managers wanted to know what kind of traffic their content creates and how it contributes to overall growth using such figures. As a result, YouTube Studio now has superior metrics for each type of material you submit.

The reach and engagement pages will be replaced by a new content tab that displays the data for videos, shorts, live streams, and posts. When you click into any of these tabs, you can simply track the specific performance of various content kinds posted, which was something that the community asked when shorts was launched. You can still see aggregated data from the ‘all’ page and should be able to access previously available metrics, albeit they may have been reorganised. Please keep in mind that if you haven’t uploaded for a specific sort of video format, you won’t see the tab. If you have never done live-streaming before, for example, the tab will not display.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-rolls-out-new-separate-data-tabs-for-videos-shorts-live-streams/624113/

TikTok Rolls Out a New ‘Friends’ Tab to More Users, Replacing the Current ‘Discover’ Tab

The Discover option on TikTok has been replaced by the Friends tab, where you are urged to connect with your friends in order to access their content on the website. It will also recommend accounts from individuals you know, with a follow button next to each name. TikTok’s decision to remove the Discover tab, which showed users a variety of content, including trending hashtags and videos, as well as a search bar, is interesting because the FYP already has a ‘Following’ tab that displays all the content from people you follow on the app, which includes your friends. While TikTok has yet to clarify its reasoning for this modification, it could be that they are attempting to transition from a viral and popular video app to an interpersonal app.

Link: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/09/tiktok-friends-tab-replacing-discover-tab/amp/?guc[…]odsi3BpTk55sCG1xd9dWqyP7se_WZKsHooUg3nTyeNqeoWnh&guccounter=2

LinkedIn Updates Professional Community Policies to Better Reflect What’s Not Allowed in the App

Summary of salient points below:

  • More people than ever are coming to LinkedIn to find opportunities, be more productive, and learn new skills.
  • Allow users to safely participate on the platform.
  • Empowering members to engage in professional discussions about topics they care about.
  • While harassment, hate speech, and other abusive content have never been allowed on LinkedIn, they’ve added what types of comments and behaviours go against  Professional Community Policies.

LinkedIn does have a specific policy against ‘sexual innuendos and unwanted advances’, which now also includes more examples of what’s not allowed.

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/137370

TikTok Is Launching In-App Mini Games to Boost User Engagement.

The games would be simple HTML5-based apps created by third-party game developers and studios such as Zynga Inc. Gaming is a significant part of online culture, and it will allow TikTok to increase its appeal among younger viewers. Tiktok has made a greater push toward gaming in order to diversify its revenue streams.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-tests-new-mini-games-with-users-in-vietnam/624104/

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 09 MAY 2022

MML, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Facebook’s Removing a Range of Location Tracking Tools as Data Regulations Continue to Evolve

According to Meta, these services will be discontinued after May 31st, 2022, at which point Meta will cease collecting the data necessary to power these elements, even if you had previously enabled them. According to Meta, all previously logged information pertaining to these functions will be destroyed on August 1st.

“While we’re deprecating some location-based features on Facebook due to low usage, people can still use Location Services to manage how their location information is collected and used.”

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebooks-removing-a-range-of-location-tracking-tools-as-data-regulations/623365/

TikTok Has A New Way For Advertisers to Reach Users

TikTok Pulse is a new advertising alternative for marketers unveiled by TikTok. This new ad option exposes brands to the top 4% of videos. More specifically, your advertising may appear alongside content in a user’s For You stream.

Additional benefits of TikTok Pulse include:

  • Drive engagement and action
  • Confidence in brand suitability measurements

Currently, TikTok will offer 12 categories of Pulse for brands to choose where to show their content. Some of the categories included are:

  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Cooking
  • Gaming

By allowing you to select the category in which your advertising appears, you may engage with the groups that are most relevant to you. TikTok will apply an in-house designed inventory filter to ensure that your advertising appears next to top content. They simply ensure that the information published on the site is validated and has the highest level of brand compatibility.

Individual producers and media publishers with at least 100,000 followers are currently eligible for the programme.

Link: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-pulse/448948/#close

LinkedIn Updates Feed Algorithm to Downrank Engagement-Baiting Posts and Polls

LinkedIn users dislike engagement baiting posts. These posts specifically request or encourage the community to interact with the material through likes or reactions. This type of content can be deceptive and frustrating for LinkedIn users, who are mostly professionals.

LinkedIn also recognises that polls are frequently utilised by social media marketers since they are straightforward and easy for the audience to engage with. To combat this, their algorithm will only display polls that are useful and relevant.

LinkedIn also published a paper titled “5 Key Ingredients for a Unified Brand,” which contained a table format outlining how marketers may assist in finding the correct story for each audience (page 15). Download the PDF here: https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/marketing-solutions/case-studies/images/pdfs/5-key-ingredients-for-a-unified-brand.pdf

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-updates-feed-algorithm-to-downrank-engagement-baiting-posts-and-po/623313/

LinkedIn Feed Algorithm Updates

LinkedIn users can now opt out of political content within the app. While it does not influence everyone, persons in political and advocacy roles may become involved, affecting platform reach and performance for select users and brands.

LinkedIn is attempting to reduce notification volume, so you will receive fewer updates from your network. Instead, it will display more targeted activity from your network, where you are more likely to participate in the conversation or interact with the post. (For example, if you don’t know that other person, you may not get much value from reading a connection’s comment on someone else’s post about a job move, thus they will show fewer such posts.)

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-updates-feed-algorithm-to-downrank-engagement-baiting-posts-and-po/623313/

Millennium Hotels & Resorts Launches M Social Decentraland

Millennium Hotels & Resorts, which debuted on May 5, 2022, is the world’s first hospitality group to run a hotel in the metaverse. M Social Decentraland is the hospitality group’s newest hotel and is positioned as a destination for those who want to learn new things and interact with like-minded people.

Guests can engage with the avatar that greets them in the foyer and will be led on a discovery tour within the hotel. Those that make it to the summit of Decentraland will be rewarded with real-world hotel delights. Millennium Hotels and Resorts is searching for like-minded partners for future partnerships, as well as adding treasures and surprises to their virtual world visits as an incentive for more visitors to explore their new hotel. 

Link: https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/m-social-decentraland/

Whatsapp launches New Communities feature

This is the first stage of the community feature announced last month:

  • Able to send files over 100MB which was the limit but now increased to 2GB
  • New admin tools, sub-groups
  • Whatsapp calls can hold up to 32 people using audio only
  • Reactions are avail in group chats and possible to add up to 512 people in a group chat! The current limit is 256 people

On the brand marketing front, this opens up new opportunities in which brands may create a loyalty group within Whatsapp itself and offer unique deals and sneak peeks to their chosen clientele.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/whatsapps-doubling-the-size-of-group-chats-in-the-app/623363/

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 14 FEBRUARY 2022

MML, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NFL Opens Snapchat Playbook for Super Bowl Sunday

The NFL is teaming up with Snapchat for a number of Super Bowl activations, including three shows that will stream on Snapchat Discover, Cameo stickers that can be used in the app, and top plays from the season that will be shared in Spotlight.

The league also collaborated with Snapchat on a National World Lens based on the company’s TV ad, which will air during halftime. The Lens will be unlocked with a Snapcode and will be promoted on the NFL’s social media channels. For the first time, the NFL is integrating Snap’s Camera Kit into its One Pass app, which gives you unique access to NFL events.

The NFL and Snapchat are attempting to increase participation during an event that is not only the year’s most-watched television broadcast but also one that is becoming increasingly dependent on mobile devices. When it comes to sports, 87% of Snapchat users prefer it to other apps, making it an important platform to watch the event on.

Link: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/nfl-opens-snapchat-playbook-for-super-bowl-sunday/618537/

Mr Beast – Video Growth Framework

Capturing attention through thumbnails, headlines and introduction.

  • Mr Beast’s Squid Game It included all of the game’s key aspects, such as the life-size doll, the green and red suit, and the players’ (fear/stress) vs. guards facial expressions (happy)
  • “I played Squid Game In Real Life!” vs. “$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!” in the video title. The latter generates a sense of surprise, which leads to the next point: creating a curiosity gap.

Creating a curiosity gap by releasing information throughout the video to optimise audience retention.

  • For example, other YouTubers who created squid game videos took about 1-4 minutes to get the games started, while Mr Beast’s optimised his audience retention by taking only 16 seconds to introduce the video and then jump straight into the first game.

Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/dickiebush/status/1491945998742085651?s=21

YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8ZbGnwXjj4

The Rollout of TikTok Stories

All users of TikTok now have access to the app’s Stories feature. If you haven’t made a story yet, you’ll see a notification at the bottom of the screen prompting you to do so when you start the app. 

The Story will expire in 24 hours, just like Instagram and Snapchat Stories, but it will appear on users’ FYP in the same way as regular video content does on the app. Instead of showing up as separate stories, you can access all of the Stories published by the user on your FYP page within 24 hours.

The little tag in the top right corner distinguishes a Story from a regular post. While Stories is progressively gaining traction among content creators who want to try it out, because it’s similar to Instagram Stories, it may take some time for other users to catch on.

Twitter Tests New ‘Articles’ Option, Potentially Enabling Long-Form Posts in the App

Twitter’s currently working on a new option called ‘Articles’, which appears to provide a means to create blog posts within the app, which would then, assumably be shareable, in some form, via tweet.

It’s unclear how it would work in practice, but it’s something Twitter is working on.

Some have speculated that this will be a Twitter Blue option, or at least that this will be the case at first, with paying customers able to make long-form pieces that they can subsequently publish in the app. Of course, the true value is in the mechanics of how it works and how Twitter would display these longer postings in the app. However, it’s worth noting that Twitter hasn’t given up on the idea of longer-form writing in tweets.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitter-tests-new-articles-option-potentially-enabling-long-form-posts-i/618228/

Instagram Experiments With Stories Highlights to Reels Conversion Option, Longer Reels Clips

Instagram is currently allowing you to convert an Instagram story highlight to a reels clip. The process then enables you to synch the highlight to music, providing a whole new way to create Reels content. 

This allows you to recycle your best posts, and boost your overall Instagram engagement.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-experiments-with-stories-highlights-to-reels-conversion-option-l/618227/

Adidas’ Controversial Bare Breasts Campaign – Great Example of Why Strategy & Creative Go Hand-in-Hand

Adidas created a 24-square grid of “real” breasts to promote their new sports bra range, which comes in 43 different versions for a better fit. Consumers reacted negatively to the promotion, and marketing professionals were split on how to respond.

Customers were outraged because their children follow Adidas on social media, and they believed this was inappropriate. Marketing experts believe that this was done for shock value, given the target audience for sports bras already knows that all breasts are different and that different people require different sorts of support. As a result, the question of what this ad was aiming to achieve in terms of awareness by having bare breasts in front of the camera was raised.

Adidas claimed to be “normalising” breasts of various shapes and sizes, but this failed to materialise as breasts had to be censored on several social platforms to comply with platform guidelines, and their 43-variant sports bra range did not adequately cater to all sizes or shapes, offering only compression rather than encapsulation. For example, according to Adidas’ sizing chart, a 4x bra fits anywhere from a 46DD to a 48A.

Link: https://www.marketing-interactive.com/adidas-bare-breast-tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/02/10/adidas-bare-breast-ad/

Instagram Stories Poll Stickers Are About to Get a Major Upgrade

New poll sticker styles are being tested on Instagram Stories, allowing users to add more than just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ alternatives to the poll. New text customization capabilities and the ability to add up to four different response options are included in the new poll sticker.

This new option is not yet available to everyone, so keep an eye out for it!

Link: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-poll-stickers/

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 07 FEBRUARY 2022

MML, , , , , , , , , ,

Shake Shack partnered with DoorDash for a chicken sandwich-themed dating site

DoorDash and Shake Shack are partnering on Eat Cute, a limited-edition dating site themed around the Shack Shacks spicy buffalo chicken sandwich. The site will operate from February 3rd-15th. Customers can visit LetsEatCute.com to create a dating profile, upload a selfie and share how spicy they like their food. Upon matching with a compatible person, the customer will receive a promo code for a free sandwich as part of a qualifying order via DoorDash.

The campaign also includes Twitter sweepstakes giving customers a chance to win a $5,000 DoorDash gift card and content from TikTok influencers Rahul Rai and Courtney Parchman. Along with generating interest in Shake Shack’s new menu item, this campaign could generate valuable first-party data for the marketers.

With the Eat Cute dating site, Shake Shack and DoorDash can engage consumers looking for a quirky dating experience themed around a love for spicy food and the new menu item.

Link: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/shake-shack-hooks-up-with-doordash-for-chicken-sandwich-themed-dating-site/618166/  

Twitter expands downvote test worldwide

Twitter tested this feature last year, and it is now available to all users worldwide. Unlike Reddit, which has a downvote option, Twitter’s total tallies for upvote and downvote aren’t visible to the public but are used behind the scenes to see what users find offensive or irrelevant. 

They discovered that the downvote tool is more frequently utilised to mark stuff that they don’t want to view. The goal is that these findings will aid Twitter in improving its algorithms so that the best answers are displayed beneath each tweet.

While this tool aids Twitter in determining what types of content are most likely to be flagged by users, it might be abused for hate campaigns or used to “shadowban” replies as a result of downvotes.

While the downvotes aren’t on general tweets, but rather replies, the overall impact is reduced. However, Twitter may decide to use what it learns from the test in its overall tweet ranking algorithm, which might have an influence on all tweets.

Link: https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/4/22917511/twitter-downvotes-test-experiment-feature-relevant-replies 

Meta Launches Improved 3D Avatars, Expands Avatar Use to Instagram

The method for creating 3D avatars on Facebook has been revised, and these avatars will gradually be available for usage on IG stories and DM as well. Things like 3D, virtual reality, and the opportunity to create and personalise according to your own taste and preferences have been more prominent since Facebook began moving its focus to Meta.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-launches-improved-3d-avatars-expands-avatar-use-to-instagram/617987/ 

HDB, SCDF add a dash of humour to New York Times ‘Singaporean curry’ furore

Even government organisations are joining in on the debate over The New York Times’ recent video, which depicted the creation of a “Singaporean chicken curry” that viewers said looked nothing like it – or any form of curry for that matter.

Over the last week, social media users have voiced scorn and fury over an Instagram Reel posted on the New York Times’ Food page in which journalist Clarissa Wei prepares a curry that one user described as “drain water.”

Link: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/dining/new-york-times-singaporean-chicken-curry-brands-hdb-scdf-301091 

Understanding wash trading and how it affects NFT prices

Some people sell their own NFTs over and over again in an attempt to artificially raise their pricing. It has to be seen whether this is a good approach or not, as the gas fees required on each transaction reduce the profit margins from a sale.

According to research, wash trading generated roughly $9 million (which is a drop in the bucket considering $44.2 billion worth of bitcoin was sent to ERC-721 and ERC-1155 contracts in 2021), but it highlights the vulnerabilities of NFTs, which is a setback when it comes to garnering trust. Money laundering through art is not new, but because of the transparency of the blockchain, these trades are plain to see, and any legal/tax investigations conducted against individuals may prevent others in the future.

Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/nft-sales-show-evidence-wash-trading-researchers-say-rcna14535 

Snapchat Sees Recovery From Apple’s Ad Tracking Policy, Beating Out Meta In Q1 Profits

Snapchat’s revenue surpassed experts’ estimates, and its stock price soared, demonstrating that, unlike Meta, it has weathered Apple’s Transparency Tracking system, which was adopted last year.

Snapchat was able to weather this storm by leveraging AR, which is appealing to marketers, and shifting advertisers’ attention to mid-funnel goals like instals and link clicks rather than end-funnel goals like conversions.

Link: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/370907/snap-sees-first-quarterly-profit-ad-biz-rebounds.html 

TikTok tests Twitter-like Repost feature for sharing content

Tiktok is now testing a repost functionality with a restricted group of users, similar to Twitter’s retweet service. The report option can be found on TikTok’s share page, where you can share your favourite videos via messaging apps, emails, and social media, and content can be posted directly to your Tiktok followers’ ‘For you’ feed.

There are, however, some limitations. You won’t be able to find the repost function in ‘Discover’ or via a friend’s share in your Tiktok inbox; it only appears in your ‘For You’ feed. Basically, Tiktok’s algorithm decides what you can boost based on your previous content interactions.

The reason for reposting the article must also be typed out. The message will not appear in the usual comments section, but will instead be hidden behind a “reposted” label that friends can press to learn more about what you wrote.

Link: https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/tiktok-tests-twitter-like-retweet-feature-for-sharing-videos/ 

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 20 DECEMBER 2021

Blog, MML, , , , , , , , , ,

Instagram Adds New Option to Embed User Profiles on Third-Party Websites

Instagram launched a new “Profile Embed” feature that allows users to embed a mini-version of their profile on a website. Users will be able to better integrate their Instagram profiles with websites such as blogs and portfolios using the new capability. 

According to Facebook, the feature is presently only available in the United States. In a video shared to Twitter, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced the launch of the new feature.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-new-option-to-embed-user-profiles-on-third-party-websites/611677/

Instagram Publishes 2022 Predictive Trends Report

Instagram has released a new 2022 predicted trends report that covers a variety of growing movements across many categories in order to help brands and marketers better grasp key shifts. 

The 13-page report covers a variety of topics, including cuisine, wellness, memes, and fashion and beauty.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-publishes-2022-predictive-trends-report/611438/

Twitter Tests New Creative Tweet Options as it Looks to Move In-Line with User Trends

Twitter is testing a new option for adding a reaction to a tweet called “Quote Tweet with Reaction,” which allows users to capture a response to a tweet using the full-screen camera mode.

By attaching the original tweet as a sticker to your taken image or video, you can replace the current Twitter reaction with a direct and visual engagement.

Twitter is also experimenting with an updated text editor option tweets that would allow you to add more colour and make comments more visually appealing.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitter-tests-new-creative-tweet-options-as-it-looks-to-move-in-line-with-u/611596/

Changes to Objectives in Ads Manager – Full list shared

You’ll be able to choose from six new objectives when you start a new campaign. Campaigns created prior to the publication of our new objectives will stay active, and there will be no need to make any modifications to them. Until the end of 2021, you’ll be able to edit and duplicate your existing campaigns.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/325793898950394

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 15 NOVEMBER 2021

Blog, MML, , , , , , , , ,

TikTok Launches ‘Creative Exchange’ Platform to Connect Brands with Top Creators

With the advent of a new ‘Creative Exchange’ platform, brands may pitch a campaign brief to a selection of the greatest TikTok creative partners in the industry, this new option encourages collaboration between creators and brands. These content tailoring and personalization professionals can increase ad performance and drive results by tailoring and personalising content. Sign up for the Creative Exchange platform if you have a verified profile and want to give an overview of the campaign brief with a variety of pitching alternatives and determine how you want to explain your intended project.

From the initial setup, the platform provides a variety of campaign categories, such as “Story” or “Screen Recording,” to provide producers with a better idea of what they require. After you’ve filled out all of the information, you’ll fill out a form with your contact information and a brand storey or product description for creators to review before they take on the brief. Relevant creators who suit the project’s profile will be contacted, and they will have the option to accept the project and communicate directly with the client. In a word, this platform facilitates collaboration by allowing both parties to communicate and connect with ease.

TikTok’s success is partly due to content creators, and the platform recognises this by providing tools and assistance to advertisers and creators in order to maximise revenue potential and prevent them from switching to other platforms. Instead of sourcing on your own and not knowing if the artists you have in mind are genuinely fit, it may be easier for us to receive a list of creators suitable for the campaign through the Creative Exchange platform. As a result, this platform is currently in beta testing with a select group of advertisers and producers.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-launches-creative-exchange-platform-to-connect-brands-with-top-cre/609922/

Facebook Launches ‘Creative App Platform’ to Expand Stories Functionality

As we’ve seen in the past, Facebook is developing functions that are comparable to those of its competitors. They’ve included a “new” feature this time that allows creative creators to promote their apps in Facebook stories. This feature is comparable to Snapchat Minis, which allows artists to provide people access to a stripped-down version of their creative app. Facebook has taken this route in order to win back the younger audiences from TikTok.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-launches-creative-app-platform-to-expand-stories-functionality/609945/

Shopping on Facebook Groups

Facebook is releasing new features to its apps that will improve shopping and purchasing. The goal of this initiative is to provide consumers with feedback and information from other shoppers, allowing them to make more educated purchasing decisions.

  • Shops in Groups allows you to support the communities you care about by purchasing their goods.
  • When you ask for advice in a group, Product Recommendations in Groups will display the products that members recommend.
  • Top Product Mentions in News Feed is a feature that allows you to find products that have been recommended by peers in groups to which you belong.

Link: https://about.fb.com/news/2021/11/shop-with-groups-creators-and-friends/ 

Removal of Targeting Options for Sensitive Topics

Starting January 19, 2022, we will remove Detailed Targeting options that reference causes, organisations, or public figures that are related to health, race or ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, or sexual orientation, as well as options referencing causes, organisations, or public figures that are related to health, race or ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, or sexual orientation.

You won’t be able to target your advertising based on issues like “World Diabetes Day” or other health concerns, nor will you be able to target people based on their sexual orientation, political beliefs, or other personal characteristics. According to many surveys, young people are more likely to buy from firms that support causes and movements with which they agree. In this regard, the elimination of certain targeted features may have an impact.

Continuing to Reach your Audience

In addition to broad targeting such as gender and age, below are some of our top tips and example use cases for our partners:

Instagram Tests New ‘Take a Break’ Feature to Encourage Users to Limit Time in the App

This break function has been implemented in a number of social networking apps. You can mute push alerts for a set amount of time with Instagram’s Take a Break function. On Facebook, the same option is available. Similarly, on DouYin, children under the age of 14 are limited to 40 minutes of app use every day, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-new-take-a-break-feature-to-encourage-users-to-limit-time/609854/

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 01 NOVEMBER 2021

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Instagram Makes Links in Stories Available to All Accounts

It’s been a long time coming, but Instagram Stories links are now available to all accounts, regardless of follower count or verification status. From August 2021, anyone can use the link sticker instead of the Swipe up links on their Stories.

Instagram announced that they’ll be working on ways to customise the sticker so that users know what they’ll see when they click the link. With changes focusing on Reels and Stories, the platform appears to be putting more emphasis on pushing video creation, in accordance with Facebook’s shift in priorities for Instagram to be more like TikTok in July 2021.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-makes-links-in-stories-available-to-all-accounts/609021/ 

LinkedIn Launches New Freelancer Connection Tools to Lean into the Rising Gig Economy

With the global extension of LinkedIn’s Services Marketplace options, the company hopes to provide more ways for freelancers to discover and connect with one another, as well as maximise opportunities.

Advanced discovery is now available to users who add a Services listing to their profile, with additional suggestion tools, search filters, and other features that will assist business owners to hone in on what they need from freelancing providers. LinkedIn has also simplified the freelancer connection process by allowing users to place a request for services directly from your service page without having to connect or follow you. 

LinkedIn has also included a new dashboard for service providers, which will help them keep track of their numerous issues and requests. Users will be able to manage the customer reviews that appear on their services page through the new dashboard’s ‘Reviews status’ element.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-launches-new-freelancer-connection-tools-to-lean-into-the-rising-g/609016/ 

Twitter Previews Coming NFT Display Options for Profile Images

Users will be able to display their NFT assets on Twitter in the future. This might be the beginning of other social media sites incorporating similar features for users in order to attract and retain a wider following.

Because of the regular exchanges between big personalities like Elon Musk, Twitter and Reddit have become one of the go-to venues for news connected to Cryptocurrencies.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitter-previews-coming-nft-display-options-for-profile-images/609123/ 

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 11 OCTOBER 2021

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

Introducing Instagram Video

Instagram has unified IGTV and feed videos into one format, Instagram Video, starting on October 5th. This means you’ll have a new video tab on your Instagram profile, where you can access all of your IGTV and feed videos in one spot. This new upgrade, according to Instagram, is designed to make it easier for people to discover new video content because the video is such a popular format among users, both watchers and creators, making it easier to create and discover videos on the site.

Video dimensions have changed as well. You can now post a video up to 9:16; same as Stories or in landscape. When you go through the stream, the videos will appear as they always have, but when you press on one, it will expand to the 9:16 view, where you may pause, fast forward, or rewind the clip. You have the option to keep scrolling, similar to TikTok’s interface, to discover additional video content from content you might be interested in. Under advanced options, you may also trim the video in-app, add a cover photo, and add captions.

Unlike a video post, if you include a video in carousel style, it will seem different. It will not appear in the Video tab, and it will not expand like the other video formats when you tap on it. In addition, IGTV Ads are now called Instagram In-Stream video ads. Long-form video creators may still monetize their work, and businesses can target audiences that are interested in long-form video. Videos must be no longer than 60 seconds in duration if businesses want to increase the number of people who see them.

Link: https://business.instagram.com/blog/introducing-instagram-video-combining-igtv-and-instagram-feed

TikTok Tests New Option to Pin Selected Video Clips to the Top of Your Profile

TikTok is currently testing a feature that allows users to pin specific movies to the top of their profile display, allowing them to highlight specific pieces to visitors.

You can pin up to three clips in its present test form, taking up the entire top line in your display, which provides another strategic opportunity to help increase your audience and maximise engagement by casting the spotlight on your chosen work.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-tests-new-option-to-pin-selected-video-clips-to-the-top-of-your-prof/606871/

Internal Documents Show Facebook Usage Among Young Users is in Steep Decline

The recent whistleblower case within FB helps to shade more light on how FB has been manipulating the data of users to their own benefit.

Many social media platforms, however, tend to skew their data for their own publications. The metrics were further manipulated in recent years due to how popular Tiktok has been growing.  As a result, they’ve become yet another potential Friend/MySpace that Facebook “killed” when they first launched.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/internal-documents-show-facebook-usage-among-young-users-is-in-steep-declin/607708/

YouTube Adds New Caption Options, Including the Expansion of Automatic Captions for Live Streams

YouTube has made some improvements to its video captioning tools, making it easier for more channels to add caption text to their videos. These advances include: 

  • Automatic captions for live streams, in English language, available for all creators (previously only for those with over 1k subscribers)
  • Expanding its subtitle translation options to mobile (currently available only on desktop)
  • Making video transcripts searchable, enabling viewers to find specific segments of video clips based on the caption text

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-adds-new-caption-options-including-the-expansion-of-automatic-capt/607963/

YouTube Tests New ‘Engagement Graph’ Insights on Videos, Adds New Member Acknowledgement Feature

YouTube is adding a new engagement graph where you can see the peaks and troughs in engagement activity when you scrub through the clip. Facebook did something similar in 2016, when they used reactions and comments as a signal. YouTube’s engagement graph, on the other hand, will be based only on interest, not on whether or not that particular cut of the video is controversial or engagement-baited.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-tests-new-engagement-graph-insights-on-videos-adds-new-member-ac/607819/

Tiktok has new mental health resources for its users

TikTok announced last week that it would be implementing new resources for those who were struggling with suicidal ideations. The new tools include An in-app resource list of crisis hotlines around the world to help users in every region; information on how to engage safely with someone who may be in crisis; resources, including the Crisis Text Line helpline, whenever someone searches for a term such as #suicide

Since the pandemic, as the community struggled with loneliness and restrictions, the hashtag Mentalhealth and Mentalhealthmatters was viewed 16.4 billion times and 13.5 billion times respectively, underscoring demand for such resources and support.

Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/tiktok-has-new-mental-health-resources-its-users-some-experts-n1279944

NFT Museum is on the market

The Museum of Digital Life (MoDaL) has come up with a self-contained metaverse featuring everything from 2D images and 3D experiences. It is essentially a digital museum in the form of an NFT and is on sale. 

It contains 12 art pieces varying from 2D images and videos and 3D interactive objects and experiences. It works like a normal museum where you can explore and even interact with guests there. The intention for this idea is to be a ‘growing’ space where there will be new features of art, animations and environments

Link: https://sea.mashable.com/tech/17798/an-entire-nft-museum-is-on-the-market

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 04 OCTOBER 2021

MML, , , ,

Facebook Updates Ad Reach Estimates, Moving Away from Specific Audience Projections

As of late last week, Facebook will provide estimated audience reach for ads instead of specific reach estimates to generalised potential reach categories. This means that when you create a Facebook ad, you’ll be given a range of people who are likely to see your campaign based on the target audience you choose, and they’ve changed the name from Potential Reach to Estimated Audience Size. This would give advertisers a broader display of potential reach estimates. Another point on estimating potential reach is when a person has connected their Facebook and Instagram accounts in Accounts Center, their accounts will be considered as a single account for ads estimation. However, if they have not connected both Facebook and Instagram accounts, they will be considered as multiple accounts for ads estimation purposes.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-updates-ad-reach-estimates-moving-away-from-specific-audience-pro/607490/

Facebook Launches Reels on Facebook to US Users

Just days after TikTok revealed that it had hit a billion active users, Facebook has now launched Reels on Facebook for all Facebook users in the United States, bringing its short-form video competitor to a much larger audience.

Reels on Facebook can consist of music, audio, effects and more. You can find them on your News Feed or in Groups, and you can quickly follow the creator directly from the video, like and comment on it, or share it with friends when viewing a reel on Facebook.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-launches-reels-on-facebook-to-us-users/607402/

Facebook Experiments with Additional Business Context Elements in Ad Display

This new feature allows audiences to understand more about the business from the location, the number of followers and other details to be offered in future. This feature comes in handy to validate the legitimacy of the ad they are seeing as we know there has been a number of potential scam ads on going on FB at the moment. This provides more information to the viewer to help them understand why they are seeing specific ads and how they are being targeted. 

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-experiments-with-additional-business-context-elements-in-ad-displa/607260/

Facebook Adds Cross-App Group Chat Functionality in Messenger and Instagram Direct, New Chat Tools

Facebook has announced a raft of new Messenger and Instagram Direct features, including cross-app group chats, which allow you to participate in group discussions across the two apps, new group typing indicators to increase participation, and polls in your IG DMs.

It’s another step in Facebook’s bigger messaging integration strategy, which will eventually encompass WhatsApp, allowing users of each platform to communicate with each other on whatever app they want.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-adds-cross-app-group-chat-functionality-in-messenger-and-instagram/607429/

Social Platforms Jump on NFT Craze

Twitter and Instagram are looking for ways to integrate NFT display with their profile. Meanwhile, TikTok has launched a new spin on the NFT trend.

What are NFTs?

Basically, NFTs are digital artworks that can be owned by a single entity, with ownership data kept on the Ethereum blockchain (most frequently via Immutable X) and a unique identity for each piece that governs usage.

Why is TikTok’s NFT different?

TikTok launched ‘Top Moments’ to sell NFTs, but re-angled it as a creator monetization option. TikTok’s platform allows creators to easily transfer their best TikTok clips into sellable NFTs, adding more options for them to generate income from their efforts.

Why would people buy or sell a TikTok clip?

Some TikTok clips have become a part of web pop culture (for instance, couchguy).

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitter-shares-first-look-at-coming-nft-integration-for-profile-images/607425/ 

Facebook announces new business products for personalized messaging.

Facebook recently announced new business tools to help brands connect directly with their leads and prospects using personalised messaging. This is a way for brands to personalise the experience they provide without having to rely on targeted advertising. Businesses can choose whether to use Messenger, Instagram Direct, or WhatsApp as their primary app for click-to-message ads.

Link: https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/industry-updates/social-media-updates/5-social-media-news-stories/

https://www.adexchanger.com/platforms/facebook-intros-products-to-get-personal-without-personalized-ads/

Monday Morning Learning – 28 September 2020

Blog, ,

Facebook Expands Test of New Hashtag Use Metrics Within Post Composer

Facebook appears to be expanding the test of its new listings of hashtag usage stats within the post composer when recommending relevant tags to add to your post. The recommended tag listings show not only the top tags based on predictive text but also a listing of how many posts are already on Facebook using that tag. It’s similar to Instagram’s Explore listings, which display hashtag usage within the search suggestions.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-expands-test-of-new-hashtag-use-metrics-within-post-composer/585629/

Facebook Threatens to Leave Europe Due to Proposed New Data-Sharing Regulations

Earlier this month, the European Union privacy regulator sent a preliminary order to Facebook which called for it to suspend data transfers about its EU users back to the US. According to the order, EU officials are increasingly concerned about potential surveillance practices by the US Government and are now looking to limit such by restricting the flow of user information.

Facebook has issued an official response, saying that, if such rules are implemented, it may be forced to stop operating both Facebook and Instagram in Europe.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-threatens-to-leave-europe-due-to-proposed-new-data-sharing-regulat/585619/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20Weekly%20Roundup:%20Social%20Media%20Today%2009-26-2020&utm_term=Social%20Media%20Today%20Weekender

IKEA Releases “Tomorrow Starts Today” Campaign

IKEA released their latest Sleep campaign, titled ‘Tomorrow Starts Tonight’, with an interesting execution unique for TVC and digital, and another for print.

In the print version, they toyed with the idea that sleep is a boost that every person needs, and they take it in the form of energy drinks, vitamin pills, and even beauty creams. Using these ideas, they’ve smartly incorporated their range of sleep products to the creatives. Their TVC and digital campaign use the hare and tortoise story that we are all used to, to reinforce how sleep is important to win the race.

Facebook Provides Tips on Utilizing Video Playlists and Series Collections

Aside from helping to guide viewers through your series’ and sets in sequential order, Facebook also notes that grouping your content can increase engagement by keeping people looking through more content that you’ve created. In addition to this, Facebook notes that when you organize your content into themes and topics, you increase your chances of being found in related searches.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-provides-tips-on-utilizing-video-playlists-and-series-collections/585951/

#PRAwards highlight: How Watsons rose to top of minds with micro-influencers

Through its “Watsons Wellness Campaign”, the beauty brand tapped on micro-influencers to position itself as the go-to brand when it comes to adopting a healthier lifestyle choice.

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/prawards-highlight-how-watsons-rose-to-top-of-minds-with-micro-influencers.

Facebook removes the Text Overlay Tool

In line with their announcement regarding deprecating the 20% rule for boosted posts and ads, Facebook has removed the Text Overlay Tool. While the ad text rule removal is slowly being rolled out in the various markets, we still need to be mindful to ensure that content is not penalized for being heavy in text.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebooks-removing-its-restrictions-on-text-content-in-facebook-ad-images/585705/

4 Trends Changing the Marketing Landscape in 2020 & Beyond [Infographic]

Maryville University shares the marketing technology trends they think you should look out for in this infographic (found in the link below).

Here’s what makes their list:

  • Marketing Automation
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Experiential Marketing
  • Executive Branding

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/4-trends-changing-the-marketing-landscape-in-2020-beyond-infographic/585878/

Reddit Launches Ad Inventory Types to Give Advertisers More Control Over Their Campaigns (to not make their ad appear next to questionable content)

  • Expanded Inventory – This category enables advertisers to access Reddit’s maximum inventory pool, and appear next to the broadest range of content.
  • Standard Inventory – This option provides “balanced reach and protection” to fit the needs of most advertisers. In other words, the more controversial subreddits are not included, ensuring brand safety.
  • Limited Inventory – This option provides optimal brand safety via a partnership with Oracle Data Cloud’s contextual intelligence tool, adding an extra stage of verification to ensure your ads don’t appear alongside questionable content.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/reddit-launches-ad-inventory-types-to-give-advertisers-more-control-over-th/585855/

Instagram Launches New Reels Updates, Including Longer Clips and Improved Trimming

The updates include: now the videos can be up to 30 seconds and there are new editing tools (trimming, deleting)

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-launches-new-reels-updates-including-longer-clips-and-improved-t/585777/