Tag Archives: morning learnings

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 21 FEBRUARY 2022

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Instagram Adds Stories Likes to Provide Insight on Viewer Engagement

You can ‘like’ any Story in your feed with Stories Likes. You’ll notice a new heart icon at the bottom of your Stories screen in the app, which when tapped will send the creator of that Story alike. Only the creator will be able to see them, and they will not be sent as a direct message.

This might be a new approach for Instagram to rate the Stories in your feed and highlight the ones that are most likely to be of interest. This can also be used to assess engagement.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-stories-likes-to-provide-insight-on-viewer-engagement/618827/

Google Shares Privacy Sandbox Roadmap for Android and the Web

Replacing the FLoC proposal following the FLoC trials is The Privacy Sandbox, alleged to “preserve privacy while showing relevant content and ads”.  The goals of the Privacy Sandbox include:

  • Build new technology to keep your information private
  • Enable publishers and developers to keep online content free
  • Collaborate with the industry to build new internet privacy standards

Privacy Sandbox for the Web will phase out third-party cookies and limit covert tracking, also aligned with Google’s shift to the topics API, the alternative to cookie-based tracking. Key takeaways from the Topics API for marketers include

  • Focus on affinity and intent, rather than demographics
  • Higher focus on search data to determine interest
  • Change in nurture cycle as topics data is deleted every 3 weeks

This roadmap is said to be prepared in alignment with the W3C standards.

(W3C publishes documents that define Web technologies. These documents follow a process designed to promote consensus, fairness, public accountability, and quality. At the end of this process, W3C publishes Recommendations, which are considered Web standards.)

Link: https://privacysandbox.com/proposals/floc 

LinkedIn Adds New Elements to its ‘Services’ Listings to Help Freelancers Generate Business

LinkedIn has added two new aspects to its Services Pages, allowing freelancers and small businesses to list and be found for the services they provide on their LinkedIn profiles.

The additional aspects will provide you with more ways to give your services listings more legitimacy. For starters, LinkedIn will now allow users to link their LinkedIn Company Page to their Services listing. So, if your SMB or consultancy has a business page, you can now create a link between your Services display and that page.

Furthermore, LinkedIn will also allow members to include a media showcase on their services sites. The new options provide you with more methods to entice potential clients, and they could be extremely useful in advertising and presenting your expertise in new ways.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-adds-new-elements-to-its-services-listings-to-help-freelancers-g/619082/

JP Morgan becomes the first bank to join the Metaverse 

JPM set up shop in Metaverse Decentraland in Metajuku mall where their lounge features a live tiger, spiral staircase and an illuminated portrait of CEO Jamie Dimon. They have a blockchain arm which they started only in 2020 and now a virtual office in the metaverse, joining the likes of Walmart, Disney, Nike and Warner Bros. 

They estimate the metaverse economy to be worth USD1 trillion dollars in yearly revenue and predict that there will be gig workers earning income just by providing services in the metaverse alone

Link: https://fortune.com/2022/02/16/jpmorgan-first-bank-join-metaverse/

Will virtual influencers be the next big thing in K-POP?

According to a researcher at Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (KOBACO), COVID-19 has led people to look for a more entertaining digital experience.

Han Yoo Ah, a virtual influencer, just inked a contract with YG Entertainment, the same company that gave birth to Big Bang and 2NE1. Her first album is expected to be released at the end of February.

Speaking involves “natural acting motions,” which requires more advanced technology, according to the K-entertainment industry. It is also easier to programme virtual influencers to sing than it is to programme them to speak. 

If you’re interested in hearing how effectively these virtual influencers “sing,” Rozy, South Korea’s first virtual influencer, will release her first single “Who Am I” on February 22.

Link: https://www.google.com.sg/amp/s/m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.amp.asp%3fnewsIdx=323801

https://instagram.com/rozy.gram?utm_medium=copy_link

Instagram Shares New Overviews of the Key Ranking Factors for Feed Posts, Stories and Reels

As Instagram competes with TikTok, Reels has its own algorithm. The TikTok algorithm is finely tailored to user interests, and as you scroll around the app, it will swiftly adapt to show you more of what you’re interested in, similar to how Instagram’s Reels algorithm is expanding.

The focus elements have been re-ordered for Reels, so that your participation in the Reels stream took priority above information about the post and its author, as it does in the main feed.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-shares-new-overviews-of-the-key-ranking-factors-for-feed-posts-s/619076/ 

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 14 FEBRUARY 2022

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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

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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 – 24 JANUARY 2022

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BBC and The Guardian Chinese dish recipes showcased with a side of joss paper and funeral envelopes

Meanwhile, The Guardian’s “Pork and crab dumplings with spicy sour sauce” dish featured a side of longevity joss paper for decorative purposes. Joss paper is traditionally burnt by the Chinese to pay respects to the departed and for ancestral worship. They can also be used during the worship of deities in Chinese folk religion. The feature has also caught the attention of the Twitter verse, with Vivienne Chow, a correspondent for the art market website, Artnet, tweeting about it.

BBC Food has since responded to Chow on Twitter, saying it is “very sorry for this error”. “We have taken down the image and will investigate the situation further and review our processes to put more rigorous checks in for styling,” the media outlet said.

Link: https://www.marketing-interactive.com/bbc-guardian-cny-dishes-mistakes?utm_source=newslette[…]m=email&utm_campaign=20220118_singapore_daily_bulletin

Instagram Expands Video Remix Option to All Videos, Not Just Reels Clips

Instagram is allowing users to remix all videos that are posted in the app, not only Reels, expanding your creative response and engagement choices. The remix functions, she believes, allow you to reply to/provide a different take on someone else’s video. We’ve seen IG embrace a lot of TikTok-like features, so there’s a good chance we’ll see more.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-expands-video-remix-option-to-all-videos-not-just-reels-clips/617465/ 

Twitter debuts hexagon-shaped NFT profile pictures

NFT profile pictures are displayed as hexagons on Twitter, which distinguishes them from the conventional circles available to other users. When you tap on the images, information about the art and who owns it appears. Only Twitter Blue subscribers have access to this feature right now.

Twitter, like other tech businesses, is scrambling to capitalise on crypto developments like NFTs, a sort of speculative asset that authenticates digital objects such as photographs, videos, and virtual world land.

Last year, the social media site offered the ability for members to send and receive Bitcoin.

Link: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/twitter-hexagon-nft-profile-pictures-launch-2449941

TikTok and Instagram to test letting creators charge subscriptions

In certain areas, including India, France, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates, Facebook debuted ‘Subscriptions’ in 2020, allowing creators to earn money via monthly subscriptions. 

TikTok and Instagram producers may soon have another money stream, as both companies are investigating ways for creators to charge customers for access to their unique content and live streams via paid subscriptions.

TikTok’s premium subscription test comes after Instagram announced that it, too, is testing paid subscriptions with a small group of creators and influencers. The various tiers will range in price from $0.99 to $99.99 per month, depending on what the creator decides to charge, and a purple badge will be displayed in the comments section to indicate a subscriber’s status to the creator/influencer. 

Meta-owned Instagram has stated that it will not take a portion of creators’ subscription revenue until next year at the earliest.

Link: https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/20/22893954/tiktok-testing-paid-subscriptions-creators

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/instagram-subscriptions-content-creators-2446816

Spotify Introduces Call-to-Action Cards for Podcast Ads

Spotify recently announced the launch of call-to-action (CTA) cards, a new ad experience that will be available across podcasts. CTA cards will display in the Spotify app as soon as a podcast ad starts playing, and will reappear later while you’re browsing the app, making it easy to learn more about the brand, product, or service you heard about while listening. The CTA cards will make it easy for you to find the items and services you’re looking for without having to remember a complicated promo code or a vanity URL.

Spotify is making podcast advertisements interactive for the first time with the launch of this new ad experience, converting the format from something you can only hear into something you can see – and, most importantly, click.

Link: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-01-06/spotify-introduces-call-to-action-cards-for-podcast-ads/

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 10 JANUARY 2022

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8 Emerging Visual Trends for 2022 [Infographic]

Depositphotos enlisted the help of a number of digital marketing gurus to get their take on the newest trends, which they then matched with their own data to get a sense of where people are looking and what’s attracting their attention in their social feeds. It’s something to think about for your strategic plan.

Here are some visual trends to look out for in 2022:

1. The Metaverse
2. Psychedelic Art
3. AI-Generated Music
4. Y2K Aesthetics
5. Science Non-Fiction
6. Acts of Self Love
7. The Art of Storytelling
8. Immersive Everything

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/8-emerging-visual-trends-for-2022-infographic/616580/

TikTok Shares New Insights into the Importance of Audio in Brand Marketing

TikTok has started a new insights series that will look into the significance of sound in clips. Sound is considered essential to the TikTok experienced by 9 out of 10 users. When distinctive brand sounds are used in advertising, brand connection and recall rise by over 8x when compared to other elements such as slogans and logos. Shoppee

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-shares-new-insights-into-the-importance-of-audio-in-brand-marketing/616633/

Facebook Adds New Features to Creator Studio, Including Stories Highlights and Timeline View for Posts

To celebrate the new year, Facebook has updated Creator Studio with new features such as a Stories preview option for video uploads and a new way to sample how your submitted material appears in-stream.

Highlight clips for video uploads in stories – A 20-second clip from the whole video to share on Facebook and Instagram Stories. To produce the preview, Creator Studio will automatically highlight a 20-second cut from the whole video, but you won’t be able to tweak and create the exact preview you want.

Timeline view for published posts – This illustrates how your posts would appear in user feeds on Facebook and Instagram. This is a popular feature on third-party posting tools, so having it available on Creator Studio would be easier for social media administrators.

Finally, certain tools have been relocated or renamed.

These enhancements provide more ways to use Creator Studio as a critical tool for post-production and improve user experience.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-adds-new-features-to-creator-studio-including-stories-highlights/616718/

TikTok Launches Test of ‘TikTok Stories’

Tiktok has begun a small pilot test of TikTok Stories in a number of locations outside of the United States. 

This new feature looks to function similarly to existing stories features on applications such as Instagram and Snapchat. Stories are housed in a new slide-over sidebar, where you may view stories uploaded by accounts you follow on TikTok for 24 hours before they’re automatically erased. Other people will be able to remark and react to your tale as well. 

You’ll be able to load a story by tapping on a user’s profile image, much like you can on Instagram and other sites. 

The app’s feature is described as “a new way to communicate with your fans” by TikTok. Users can start a new tale by hitting the “create” button in the sidebar and then filling in the blanks with captions, music, and text. Because TikTok is a video-first platform, it appears that stories must be videos rather than static photographs.

However, TikTok is still in the experimental phase, so this may not become a permanent feature.

Link: https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/4/22610011/tiktok-stories-snapchat-feature-social-media  

Blockchain Gaming: 2022 forecast

In terms of user popularity, GameFi applications have exceeded DeFi. In November, nearly half of all active cryptocurrency wallets connected to decentralised applications were used to play games.

 After months of being the most popular dapp use case, the percentage of wallets linked to decentralised finance, or DeFi, dapps plummeted to 45% within the same time period.

Play-to-earn (P2E) game on the blockchain Axie infinite exploded in popularity, igniting a gaming craze that is predicted to last until 2022. P2E blockchain-based games have high expectations from crypto analysts and gaming supporters, and there are certain to be a few sleeping giants that will rule the field.

Link: https://cointelegraph.com/news/5-nft-based-blockchain-games-that-could-soar-in-2022

5 Social Media Trends That CMOs Must Know in 2022 [Infographic]

Grazitti Interactive published an infographic highlighting five social media trends that every CMO and marketing professional should be aware of.

Companies have increased their marketing ad budgets to compete and attract the attention of their customers as a result of the epidemic, resulting in a 92.3% increase in social media ad spending year over year.

Other trends to take note of:

  • Video Content – Live Streaming
  • Influencer Marketing – Micro-influencers
  • Shopping capabilities  on Social Media Platform
  • Customer relations

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/5-social-media-trends-that-cmos-must-know-in-2022-infographic/616779/

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 03 JANUARY 2022

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Instagram’s Chief Outlines the Key Areas of Focus for the App in 2022

Throughout 2021, we saw Instagram copy virtually everything that TikTok has to offer, and according to Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, you can anticipate even more of the same in 2022, as the platform focuses on its main areas of growth, including streamlining its video formats to enhance interaction.

1. Reels will remain the key focus – all video formats will be round Reels.

2. Instagram will be looking to make messaging a bigger focus in the app, which is now ‘the primary way that people connect online’, while it will also be looking to add more monetization tools for creators in the app.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagrams-chief-outlines-the-key-areas-of-focus-for-the-app-in-2022/616571/ 

Tiktok Tests a New ‘re-post’ Option to Boost the Distribution of Clips

Tiktok is currently testing this feature with a small group of users, which allows them to re-share clips to their connections’ feeds under the ‘For you’ and ‘Following’ tabs without having to share the clip with each person individually, making it easier to distribute content.

On the other hand, making it easy to distribute messages could have the unintended consequence of spreading disinformation and hoaxes. At the moment, however, it is unclear whether this will become a standard feature.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-tests-new-re-post-option-to-boost-distribution-of-clips/616446/ 

Navigating the Metaverse With PFPs

It remains to be seen whether NFT-based profile pictures (PFPs) and avatars will scale up in the long run. PFPs, on the other hand, is gaining popularity among NFTs at the moment. Read more about PFPs here and on the top PFP artists here. Additionally, read more on the 2021 updates to the Metaverse here. 

Tiktok Now Has Live-stream Intros to Help With Engagement

This is a minor but potentially useful addition to your TikTok live-stream broadcasts. TikTok has added a new ‘LIVE intro’ option, according to user Jonah Manzano, which allows you to write a short written explanation to welcome new viewers as they come across your broadcast.

When this new LIVE Intro option is enabled, viewers will see a brief explainer when they join your stream.  That could be a simple method to greet viewers and explain what your broadcast is all about, as well as what you want them to do as viewers.

TikTok is steadily expanding its boundaries beyond short video snippets, and live-streaming is becoming a bigger part of it.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-adds-live-stream-intros-to-better-facilitate-engagement/616444/ 

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 13 DECEMBER 2021

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Instagram’s Latest Update to Reels

When you click into a video in your main feed, it expands to a 16:9 aspect ratio. If you watch the video long enough, you’ll forget you’re scrolling through your main feed looking at posts from people you follow, and Instagram will now give you Reels from anyone who has the content you might be interested in.

This update gives creators more options for organic reach, so they don’t have to rely on ads or get people to follow their accounts to see their content. 

In some ways, it’s comparable to TikTok’s FYP, where you’re presented material based on what you’ve watched and what the app thinks you’ll enjoy.

Instagram Adds Reels Replies, Providing Another Way to Tap Into Short-Form Video

It’s been in testing for a while, but Instagram has now announced that users can now reply to post comments with Reels. Users may now reply to post comments using Reels, which is another method to integrate Reels into the Instagram process. 

It’s yet another opportunity for Instagram to enhance engagement while also capitalising on the short-form video boom. It’s also, unsurprisingly, nearly identical to a function TikTok introduced in June of last year.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-reels-replies-providing-another-way-to-tap-into-short-form/611364/

Instagram rolling out delete image feature for grid carousels

We will soon be able to delete an image from a previously published carousel, thanks to an update that has been rolling out since mid-November (in case of errors or repeats). Additionally, deleting images and restoring them in the order we want them to display in the grid carousel is a solution for re-ordering a carousel.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-option-to-delete-individual-posts-from-carousels-shake-to-r/610244/ 

Facebook Announces New Comment Moderation and Support Features, Including Live Chat for Some Account Issues

Facebook has enhanced its moderation tools as part of its ongoing effort to protect the community against spam and malicious comments. We used to be able to hide or delete comments on posts; this new feature allows us to do so again, but the person whose remark was hidden will still be able to see it. This reduces the likelihood of their posting on the same thread multiple times.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-announces-new-comment-moderation-and-support-features-including-l/611350/

With the Expansion of Horizon Worlds, Meta Takes the Next Step Toward VR Social

What exactly does this imply?

  • Our target audiences will become even more scattered, forcing marketers to compete even harder for their audience’s attention. If brands want to stay relevant, they’ll have to establish their own VR area at any given time.
  • With the launch of Horizon Worlds to the US and Canadian audiences for Christmas this year, Facebook has taken its first steps into the future.

When these new realities are implemented, e-commerce will be severely impacted owing to the introduction of NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens), where purchases are done using these tokens or cryptocurrency rather than our present cash/card payment system.

China also announced this week the formation of a new committee to advance the AR/VR sector, so we can anticipate TikTok to adapt to the new arena as well.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-takes-next-steps-towards-vr-social-with-the-expansion-of-horizon-world/611305/

Pinterest Invests in Creative Tools by Acquiring Vochi, a Video Creation and Editing App

Pinterest is now seeing its users contributing pins in video format rather than photographs in an effort to move away from being solely an imageboard.

Pinterest sees the need to stay relevant in the wake of Tiktok, Instagram, and the rise of video consumption by providing more video creation options, in addition to the recently launched video-first feature Idea Pins and Creator Originals, where creators can make sales by tagging the items they want to sell like brand partnerships.

Link: https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/06/pinterest-invests-in-creator-tools-with-acquisition-of-video-creation-and-editing-app-vochi/

MONDAY MORNING LEARNING – 06 DECEMBER 2021

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Facebook Adds New Trend Insights in Creator Studio, Which Could Help Shape Your Posting Strategy

Facebook’s Creator Studio now includes new Trend Insights, which may aid in the development of your posting strategy. Trending content and hashtags within categories connected to your Business Page are highlighted in the new ‘Inspiration Hub’ part. In Creator Studio, you’ll see the first of the new insights, which includes hot hashtags and videos made by Pages similar to yours in the recent 24 hours.

Examine several forms of trending content on Facebook to see what users are responding to and what individuals in your target market are engaged in. Although this type of data is available on CrowdTangles, not everyone has access to it, making this feature a welcome one for marketers.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-adds-new-trend-insights-in-creator-studio-which-could-help-shape/610823/

Meta Partners with Industry Experts on New Process to Detect and Remove ‘Revenge Porn’

As the title suggests, they can now detect inappropriate photos or videos from the internet using their technology. It isn’t entirely new, as YouTube already has a comparable technique for detecting copyright music. Previously, the photographs on Facebook and Instagram were not encrypted, allowing images of people to be easily accessed using Google’s reverse image search. Certain photographs from social networking networks are now undetectable by the reverse image search tool.

Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-partners-with-industry-experts-on-new-process-to-detect-and-remove-re/610909/

LinkedIn Adds New Tools to ‘Creator Mode’

LinkedIn’s ‘Creator Mode‘ capabilities have been enhanced with the addition of LinkedIn Live access for those who have turned on the function, as well as a new newsletter option for creators to keep in touch with their audience. LinkedIn is working on more tools to recognise great producers and better align them with the app, so they can post more frequently and keep their audiences coming back for their views and insights.

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/update-creator-mode-now-offers-access-linkedin-live-newsletters-/?trackingId=%2BVEj%2BDFDbL9ZroITqfaV3Q%3D%3D

TikTok Tests New Option to Tag Other Profiles in Your Video Clips

TikTok is experimenting with a new feature that allows you to tag profiles in your video clips. You can currently tag others in the video caption, but you can now tag them directly in the video. This is done as a way to connect creators, which may aid in the promotion of both their own and other people’s presence.
Link: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-tests-new-option-to-tag-other-profiles-in-your-video-clips/610675/