This Week in Social (Weeks of August 31 and September 7)
This Week in Social is a weekly digest of some of the biggest stories in social media marketing news. These stories are the show notes for the Brave Ad World Podcast. Each story is discussed at a deeper level on the podcast.
Twitter Testing Stickers for Photos (Read more at TechCrunch)
Twitter is testing some image editing add ons, and it’s doing so with celebrities. Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams and other stars, including U.S. Open Tennis Tournament participants, have been spotted posting photos and videos to Twitter that feature stickers.
Currently, all users can do is add filters to their photos or crop them to look just right on the platform. This would add a whole new level of editing.
It would seem Twitter is getting ready to focus even more on photos with new functionality. Stickers and more fun features would make it a departure from the more upscale Instagram and closer to the fun feel offered by platforms like Snapchat.
Instagram Updates Direct Messaging (Read more at Instagram’s Official Blog)
Instagram Direct, the photo-sharing platform’s direct messaging feature, has gotten its first major update since launch. The update brings message threads, a selfie cam button and extra-large emojis to the feature.
Message threading allows users to see all of the previous lines of conversation between a user and a friend. The selfie cam allows a user to quickly shoot a photo of themselves, and emojis can now be shared in extra large sizes. Finally, any message that has been sent can be forwarded along to other friends through a direct message.
Messaging is hot right now, and while it’s not a primary feature, Instagram needed to provide its users a reason to stay on its platform and not go elsewhere. This is something that all major players are doing right now with Facebook’s ongoing support for Messenger, Twitter improving direct messaging and other moves.
LinkedIn Improves Messaging (Read more at Social Media Today)
Everyone it seemed was improving their messaging capabilities over the past couple weeks, even LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is rolling out chat threads as well as the ability to send GIFs and emojis. The update looks similar to Facebook Messenger, a big change from LinkedIn’s previous layout, which looked more like email.
Threaded messages allow users to see the previous few lines of conversations, attach photos and documents, and send emojis, stickers and GIFs.
LinkedIn’s messaging capabilities had grown stale up until this point. The network has made some updates like GIFs and emojis, which certainly push it a little into the consumer realm. It still has a very strong identity in the professional world. That being said, this is a very welcome update.
Facebook’s 360 Degree Ads Being Tested (Read more at AdAge)
Tests for Facebook’s 360-degree video ad units are now out in the wild and being tested by brands including Gatorade and Michale Kors.
The ads, which are hosted by Facebook for quicker loading, take over a user’s entire mobile screen with videos and photos that they can navigate with touch. There is no timeline on when the ads will be rolled out further.
The ads’ biggest advantage is their immersiveness and ability to grab user’s attention, which will likely earn them a premium price tag.
Instagram Opens Up to All Advertisers (Read more at The Verge)
Instagram ads will become available to brands of any size in more than 30 countries starting September 30. As Instagram unrolls ads to everyone, they’re also getting some new functionality.
First, brands will be able to share and promote landscape photos and videos. Video ads will be able to run up to 30 seconds, up from 15 seconds. Instagram is also launching a product called Marquee, which it describes as a premium product that is designed to drive mass awareness and expanded reach over a short time period. It says, this will be best for product launches and movie promotions. Finally, Instagram advertisers will be able to tap into Facebook’s consumer data for advanced targeting.
Instagram worked hard to maintain quality on its platform by having a rigorous approval process for any ad creative. That was designed to keep users at least somewhat happy about the ads they see. Now, with more advertisers getting on board, it will work to maintain quality, but it won’t be able to be as hands on as it has been in the past. That may mean a decline in quality. However, users expect a certain level of creative, so the brands that don’t meet that will see poor results. For the brands that do, however, Instagram looks to be a promising platform that’s no longer reserved for large brands, especially when paired with the power behind Facebook data.
Facebook Updates Pages for Mobile (Read more at AdAge)
Facebook pages have gotten a major update on mobile, the first since 2012. The update focuses mobile pages to be just as much about doing business as delivirering content in the mobile environment.
Facebook made the decision because users tend to message brands more on their phones, which inspired Facebook to put a Contact Us button at the top of mobile pages. Pages can also set up e-commerce shops on their pages and showcase specific services they offer at the top as well as calls to action, such as invitations to download an app. Later this year, pages will be able to add more tabs to the top of pages to allow users to easily navigate to different page sections, initially products and services but more eventually.
Facebook has been changing brand’s relationship with page users. It’s gaining a much more transactional focus over a content focus, emphasizing customer service and e-commerce. As Facebook continues to push this focus and encourages brands to turn pages into storefronts, brands will need to rethink the role of the platform and how they approach it.
News Quick Hits
- Google+ is bringing its Pinterest-like Collections feature to iOS. Collections allows users to create “collections” around particular topics and then add content like photos, videos, events and polls to their Collections. These Collections will be searchable and users will be able to control who can see their Collections and who can’t. (Read more at Venturebeat)
- Google now has a new logo, and it’s chosen to use a flat sans serif font that Google calls Product Sans. The logo also comes with updated logos for Google’s multiple products. (Read more at Mashable)
- Twitter is making Promoted Tweets available to advertisers in 167 more countries and territories. Previously, it was only available to 33, so this should greatly expand Twitter’s 100,000 current and active advertisers. (Read more at AdAge)
- Hulu is expanding its service to include an ad-free option for $11.99 per month. This should make Hulu more competitive with other ad-free streaming options Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video. (Read more at AdAge)
- Facebook has made an update to its Conversion Lift tool that allows advertisers to compare multiple Facebook ads. They can even be evaluated across channels, including store, website and app. The update allows advertisers to compare multiple ads with shared objectives and better understand what is performing best. (Read more at Venturebeat)
- Twitter has updated its iOS apps to better reflect each other on iPhone and iPad. The previous versions had different designs. Now, the apps are more unified in look and feel. According to Twitter, it developed a new framework for a multi-device ecosystem that it calls "adaptive UI." (Read more at PCMAG)
- Facebook has made its celebrity-exclusive app Facebook Mentions and live video functionality available to all verified profiles. This primarily includes journalists and public figures. The apps and feature are not available to all yet, but Facebook is expanding. (Read more at SocialTimes)
- Periscope is now allowing streamers to stream in landscape mode. Previously, users had to stream vertically. According to a company announcement, “We know the community has been craving this feature, but we wanted to be thoughtful about our approach to ensure a seamless experience across all of our platforms.” (Read more at CNET)