Social Media Roundup – August, 2017

Welcome to the Social Media Roundup, where we countdown this month’s top social media stories and news! Find out what’s on the up and up in the world of social media, and what’s on its way out. Let’s go!

 

• Facebook Better Facilitates Influencer Marketing

  • Previously, marketers could only boost a creator’s post by sharing it first. Now Facebook is adding the ability to directly boost the post as it appears on the creator’s Page.

    Marketers can use Facebook targeting and custom audiences to reach the right people and drive business results. The creator simply needs to give the marketer permission to boost the post when they compose their message and tag the Page using the branded content tool. In order to ensure their affiliations are properly represented, marketers can now choose to authorize which creators can tag them in a branded content post in their Page Settings.This is just another testament to the rise of the influencer in product marketing. Check out more on the social media influencer takeover in this great Forbes article.

    

 

• Facebook Announces ‘Watch’ Their New, Original Video Content Platform

  • Touted as “a New Platform For Shows On Facebook” we have to wonder if Facebook is coming for content providers such as Netflix. In their own words, “We’re introducing Watch, a new platform for shows on Facebook. Watch will be available on mobile, on desktop and laptop, and in our TV apps. Shows are made up of episodes — live or recorded — and follow a theme or storyline. To help you keep up with the shows you follow, Watch has a Watchlist so you never miss out on the latest episodes.”

• Pinterest Adds Pinch to Zoom, Updated Visual Search

  • Pinterest users can now zoom in on pins when using the mobile app. Pinterest has also made the option to search individual objects within a pin more obvious and opened up its Chrome browser extension to people who don’t have a Pinterest account. Additionally, Pinterest has simplified the icon to show a viewfinder and moved it from the top right corner to the bottom right corner of the pin. Pinterest said that, in testing, the new icon has increased the number of people using visual search by nearly 70 percent.

• LinkedIn Adds ‘Active Status’ to Alert Your Connections When You’re Online… by Default

  • LinkedIn has added another new feature to boost on-platform messaging – and given the app has seen some 240% growth in messages sent since the launch of their revamped mobile app, the focus on messaging makes sense. Their latest messaging addition is called ‘Active Status’ and is currently being rolled out to all users. The feature is on by default – an increasingly common feature roll-out trick to game sign-up/engagement numbers – although users can easily turn it off in the settings. While this is unlikely to make anyone at Facebook and Google lose sleep, Forbes notes that it is a clear sign of intent by Microsoft to push LinkedIn more into the daily lives of +500m users.

• Instagram Adds New Guest Option to Live

  • Instagram will now let you go live with a friend, their latest upgrade for live-streaming on the platform, which is designed to tap into rising usage trends. In Instagram’s own words, “Live video helps you share in an authentic way, but sometimes it can be intimidating when you’re on your own. It’s easy to add a guest while you’re broadcasting. Simply tap the new icon on the bottom right and tap “Add” to invite anyone who’s currently watching. Once they join, you’ll see the screen split into two and your friend pop up right below you. Your viewers can still Like and comment as they follow along.” We predict this will be a great way for influencers in different areas of the world or even city to collaborate and reach a similar fan base. Plenty to be done with this new update!

• Instagram Adds New Ways to Share Content in Direct Messages, Catering to Increased Interest

  • According to Social Media Today, Instagram reported in May that the number of people using DMs on their platform had increased by 75 million in six months, with more than half of their 700 million monthly active users now also using DMs. With that knowledge in hand it’s not surprising that Instagram has expedited all of these new story and DM updates. So what’s the latest? Now you can reply with a photo or video to specific photos, videos, and reshared posts in Direct. Your reply will automatically include a sticker of what you’re replying to. Just hit “Reply” to open the camera, take a selfie, and send. You also have the option to send a split-screen reply by tapping on the sticker. Add your own perspective by drawing on the sticker, whether you’re painting a mustache on your friend’s selfie or doodling on a beach photo.

 

Did we miss any major social media news or updates in our social media roundup? Be sure to share in the comments, oh and check out our other blog posts for the latest on data-driven marketing!