July Social Media Round Up – Facebook Doubles Down on Video, Instagram Search Improves, Meerkat Gets Cooler and More…

Krista Neher

Jul 31 2015

Don’t have time to follow all of the most important social media news? Who does? Check out our round-up of the biggest changes in social media from the last month.

We read all of the latest social media news so you don’t have to.

As a value add for our All Access Pass Members, we provide a monthly call where in 30 minutes we share the biggest changes in social media and importantly how they impact your social media strategy.

Facebook

• Facebook Gives Users More Control over the Newsfeed – If you hated being restricted to the existing algorithm you now have more control.
• Facebook Improves Video Publishing – Facebook announced improved video publishing options making it easier to publish videos on Facebook and giving publishers more flexibility and control.
• New Video Insights – To accompany the push for more videos, Facebook now provides greater insights around your video views.
• Video Algorithm Updates – The newsfeed algorithm for Videos has changed – people don’t often comment on or like videos, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t enjoy watching it. The new algorithm takes this behavior into account.
• Facebook Updates CPC Definition – Previously, clicks were counted as any click (a like or share counted). Now clicks are only link clicks making the metric more relevant.
• Facebook Updates Video Ad Payments – Now you can pay when your videos are viewed for at least 10 seconds.
• Facebook Tests Watch Later Button for Videos – Again, they are getting serious about video.
• Facebook Launches Creative Spotlight for Video Ads – Facebook wants to help you run better video ads. Facebook launched Creative Spotlight to show you how to create better video ads.

Twitter

• Twitter Removes Background Images – This isn’t a major change, but Twitter has removed background images that could previously be customized when viewing the site. Now you’ll just see a light grey background, which IMO reduces the clutter.
• Twitter Makes Account Management Easier with Data Dashboard – It is now easier and more transparent to control your account.
• Twitter Summary Cards Have More Detail – If you get traffic to your site from Twitter you should be using Twitter cards – which are now even more in-depth. Twitter cards show more of your content directly in the Twitter stream – check out the new features.
• Twitter Launches Safety Center – This makes it easier for people to understand how to protect themselves and report inappropriate behavior on Twitter. If you engage in spammy tactics or other offensive behavior you may find more people are reporting you.
• Twitter Launches Mobile Ad Manager – You can now manage Twitter ads on the go 😉

Instagram

• New Search and Explore – Instagram makes discovering the best photos easier with new search and explore. Make sure that you accurately tag your photos and consider adding locations to your images to maximize your visibility.
• Instagram Launches Desktop Search – Instagram announced that the search feature is now available on Desktops 😉 You can search users and hashtags from a computer now. YAY!

Pinterest

• Rolling Out Buyable Pins – Pinterest is rolling out buyable pins with select partners (if you have a Shopify store you can get them). Integrating commerce may increase sales and this is a trend we are seeing across social networks.

SlideShare

• SlideShare Announces New Lead Generation Tools – If you are in B-to-B, slideshare can be a great way to acquire new leads. Check out SlideShare’s newest lead generation tools if you want to advertise on SlideShare to drive leads.

Google+

• Google+ Begins to Dismantle – Google announced a while ago that it would start removing Google+ integrations from their other services (like YouTube, App Stores, etc). It has finally taken the first step by removing the Google+ account integration from YouTube!

YouTube

• YouTube 360 Degree Ads – If you want to explore the future of Video Ads, check out the new YouTube video format. Their new 360 Degree video ads turn video into an interactive experience where users can click to view more. Definitely worth a look.

Vine

• If you haven’t paid attention to Vine yet, you probably didn’t notice that they recently repositioned themselves. Rather than a platform focused on sharing videos, they view themselves more as a media platform where people consume videos.
• Vine Announced Recommended People to Follow – Which lets you discover accounts that are interesting to you.

SnapChat

• SnapChat Launches Video Ads – SnapChat launches video ads to reach their young and engaged audience.

YikYak

• First, if you don’t know YikYak it is a mobile micro-messaging app where you can see messages from people nearby. It is growing in popularity with teens
• YikYak added photos – This makes the platform even more robust and interesting.

Meerkat

• Meerkat Cameo Let’s Users Take Over – This multi-user approach to video allows other users to take over your Meerkat livestream for 60 seconds. Kind of cool.
• Meerkat Ads a Wordpress Plugin – Meerkat added a wordpress plugin to show your streams on your blog or website.
• Meerkat Creates Website Embeds – You can now embed your Meerkat channel directly into your website.

Periscope

• Periscope Allows 24 Hour Replays – You can now click a Periscope link and replay it within 24 hours. This makes Periscope videos more accessible.

Google

• Google Integrates E-Commerce into Search Results – If you sell online – CHECK THIS OUT – More e-commerce is integrated into search results. Google is trying to get you to buy…..

 

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