New this week in social media: verified Twitter users get a new feature to help manage mentions, Facebook adds autoplay ads to some, Instagram announces ads are on the horizon, Twitter goes public, and top apps for smartphones.
1. Twitter’s Exclusive Features for Your Company
If your company’s Twitter account is verified (has the blue check mark) you are eligible for a new feature. Verified users will be able to view their mentions in three different categories: all, filtered, and verified. According to Product Manager, Ed Gutman, “Filtered” mentions will be based on an “algorithm we use to filter out spam” while “Verified” mentions will show mentions by other verified users.
How does this help you?
This is another way Twitter is helping you better manage conversations. Go check out the new setup but make sure you don’t get focused on just “filtered” or “verified” or you might miss out hearing from others in your audience.
2. Facebook Tests Autoplay Ads
Rumored for some time, Facebook began testing autoplay ads on mobile News Feeds. Being the top social network, Facebook sees this as a way for advertisers to stand out from the rest. Starting at $1 million – higher depending on placement – Facebook encourages original content and predicts success if ads are well-targeted.
There is also the rumored possibility that Facebook will allow GIF-based ads in the future.
Why does this matter to your brand?
If you’re willing and able to pay for these autoplay ads, try generating new content (i.e. don’t use a commercial or already uploaded videos). How Facebook users will like this non-traditional advertising is still up in the air – the ads need to be memorable and not irritating. Can’t afford these ads? The possibility of being able to create GIF-based ads might be worth waiting for.
3. Instagram will be Getting Ads
Emily White, Instagram’s director of business operations, told the Wall Street Journal that they will start selling ads by the end of the year. While it’s unsure what type of ads will be added to Instagram, every major advertising addition to Facebook or Twitter has generated negative reactions. Check out this video about what’s soon to come:
What does this mean for you?
Instagram has over 150 million monthly active users – growing 50% since February 2013. For the time being, keep working on growing your brand’s following and success on Instagram but with it’s growing popularity, it’s worth looking into Instagram ads when they launch.
4. Twitter Files for IPO
Creating lots of news, Twitter filed its documents for an initial public offering with the SEC. While documents will stay guarded from the public for another few weeks, filing their S-1’s confidentially mean that overall, Twitter is making less than $1 billion in annual revenue. True to form, the company posted this news via a tweet:
5. Top 15 Apps Downloaded for Smartphones
If you guessed Facebook would be number one, you’re right. Joining Facebook in the top three are YouTube and Google Play. Twitter, however, with over 500 MILLION active, registered monthly users is number 13 – see what networks beat out Twitter here.
Join us next week to stay on top of social media news. Let us know if you have any comments or suggestions!