Check out our round-up of the biggest changes in social media and digital marketing from the last month. Let us do the work for you, we gather the updates, you reap the benefit of having all of them in one place!
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 and 30 minutes of open Q&A where we answer questions from our members!
The top news in social media that we covered this month includes:
Facebook
Facebook personalizes their search: With over 1.5 billion searches per day, Facebook recognizes the importance for user experience to make sure their search makes it easy to find what you’re looking for on Facebook. They’ve made it easier to stay up to date on what’s trending by not only sharing those results but also including individuals’ posts, conversations, and articles.
Facebook launches Instant Articles on iPhone: Users of the Facebook iPhone app will now have access to Instant Articles every day in their Newsfeed-grab your audiences attention with visuals to share your story.
Facebook rolls out better GIF support for Pages: Prior to this update, businesses were having trouble sharing those viral GIFs and animated photos, now they appear to be working which is great for businesses looking to generate appeal and increase their engagement with a funny/interesting/share-worthy GIFs.
Facebook tests new mobile selling experiences with canvas: With mobile purchasing becoming more of the norm, Facebook is making it easier for businesses who are not mobile optimized to sell online (or at least less frustrating for their customers). By clicking on the ad in their News Feed, a customer can browse from a variety of products before going to the retailer’s actual website. Seems like it could be a win-win for the customer and the business.
Facebook is supporting new immersive video formats: Recently Facebook released live video options via Mentions, now they’ve released 360 video to allow views from multiple angles. In addition to new video tools for Pages, they’ve begun testing features for video publishers as well. Look for more video updates from Facebook in the near future!
Facebook begins to roll out Reactions: Facebook is testing this new way for users to share their feelings about posts. The intent is to give users the opportunity to expand beyond simply”liking” something. This is great for businesses who want to learn more about their audience.
Facebook opens leads to all advertisers: Facebook offers all advertisers lead ads where their prospective customers can easily sign up for information through mobile devices.
Facebook offering verified badges for local businesses: Much like celebrities, public figures, sports teams, etc. can verify their official Facebook Page, local businesses with a physical address can display a grey verified checkmark badge.
Facebook introduces new tools for broadcasters: The resources and tools being made available fall into 3 main areas: engaging, deciding, and displaying. All of these areas allow for more interaction between broadcasters and their audience.
Instagram
Instagram announces Boomerang from Instagram: This video app takes bursts of photos during the captured moment and combines them together for an engaging mini video that plays forwards and backwards.
Instagram launches @InstagramForBusiness: Instagram will run weekly behind-the-scenes stories related to their three important business groups: world-brands, small businesses, creative agencies.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn introduces new LinkedIn Groups experience: LinkedIn listened to their members and improved their users’ group experiences by making engagement easier, more shareable, creative and accessible…including a new iOS app specifically for groups.
LinkedIn makes changes to groups: Previously the options of public and private were available to groups. By default, all groups will now be private with only members being able to view and contribute to conversations.
LinkedIn introduces LinkedIn Pulse for Apple watch:Get the latest and most popular articles on your wrist! Breaking news, article summaries, and the ability to save articles for future reading are just a few of the features.
Twitter rolls out polls to all users: Now, everyone on twitter will be able to create polls where users can weigh in on conversations, etc. This allows businesses to quickly engage with their followers and get feedback on products, etc.
New video upload options on Twitter: There are now 3 ways to upload videos to Twitter. Similar to Facebook, Twitter wants you to be able to share videos directly versus having to upload to YouTube, etc.
Twitter introduces Moments: A new icon will take you what is most popular on Twitter in the moment. This includes more than just those who you follow.
Twitter announces new collections API: A new website display option gives companies the ability to create stories and engage with followers through campaigns.
YouTube
YouTube offers paid viewer membership: This membership, similar to Pandora/Spotify, allows viewers to watch videos without the interruption of ads or commercials. Members also have access to features such as offline viewing and exclusive content.
