This Week in Social and Digital (Week of November 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.
Facebook Begins Monetizing Messenger (Read more at the Messenger Blog)
Ads are on their way to Facebook Messenger with the launch of Messenger Platform V1.3. Now, there will be News Feed ads that launch Messenger Conversations as well as sponsored messages.
The News Feed ads will be used to drive users to start conversations on Messenger. Sponsored messages, however, allow businesses that have open conversations with customers to re-engage them with prompts for additional dialogue. Users can block those messages if they no longer want to hear from a business.
With around 1 billion users, Messenger was ripe for monetization by Facebook, and it appears to be starting out slow by allowing businesses to encourage people to have one-on-one conversations there to make sales, answer questions and so on and then re-engage those users in a CRM-like fashion. Users have adopted Messenger in large numbers, so Facebook will be careful to strike a careful balance to maintain that user trust.
Snapchat Update Introduces World Lenses (Read more at Mashable)
Snapchat released a new update to its iOS and Android app that allows users to add lenses to their surroundings, not just themselves. The feature works by using the rear-facing camera. When user taps on the screen, that user can add lenses to the environment.
Snapchat calls them World Lenses, and right now they include things like a rainbow vomiting cloud and shooting hearts. Beyond that, the Snapchat app noW supports Snap’s sunglasses called Spectacles, which have build in video cameras.
These changes are small, but they show how when Snap called itself a camera company it meant it. Beyond that, this shows just how much Snap is pushing. While everyone else is playing catch up by copying Snapchat’s features, it’s looking at what it does and innovating.
Facebook Launches Snapchat Clone in Brazil (Read more at Recode)
Facebook decided to go all-in when it comes to copying Snapchat, in Brazil at least. It just launched a new app called Flash that allows users to send ephemeral messages with filters, emojis, drawings and more to friends. Users also have the option to create stories that disappear after a specific amount of time.
The move follows a series of features across Facebook’s suite of apps, including Facebook, Messenger and Instagram, that took more than a few cues from Snapchat. The app does have optimizations for the Brazilian market, including being data efficient.
This isn’t Facebook’s first time building a Snapchat clone. It’s tried Poke and Slingshot, both of which failed. It’s hard to tell if this is a defensive move in an emerging market, or if Facebook is testing the waters to see what it can do to launch something that competes more directly with Snapchat in other markets. It’s likely both.
Instagram Adds New Features to Stories (Read more at MarketingLand)
Instagram Stories has taken a step to no longer be a blatant copy and paste of Snapchat Stories thanks to new features. Now, uses can tag friends in Stories, add links and use Boomerang to create videos that loop forwards and then backwards. Users who are tagged will have links to their profiles in the stories, and they’ll receive a notification when they are mentioned Links are only available to verified users for the time being, but Boomerang integration is available for all users.
This marks the biggest update to Instagram Stories since the feature launched, and it appears to be taking a step toward differentiation from Snapchat. Features, like tagging of friends, may be especially helpful in growing engagement with the feature, drawing users to it more frequently and giving them a reason to turn to it over Snapchat.
News Quick Hits
- The latest version of WhatsApp is now available on iOS, and the update allows users to send and receive GIFs. Users can search for GIFs on Giphy and edit them twitch text, stickers and drawings before sending. Beyond that, users can turn videos six seconds in length or less into GIFs. (Read more at The Next Web)
- Facebook is testing a new Jobs tab for Facebook Pages to share job openings for their businesses with information like job title, salary and so on. Users can with Apply Now to go to a job application page with information pre-populated from Facebook. (Read more at TechCrunch)
- Moat, Adjust, AppsFlyer, Apsalar, Kochava and Tune are now available to help advertisers on Pinterest get more robust analytics frothier mobile ads. Pinterest has given them access to its API with the goal of helping advertisers better understand how Pinterest is driving business results, something Pinterest has struggled with. (Read more at AdAge)
- Alphabet X research lab’s Project Wing is cutting back on its projects, ending a partnership with Starbucks and freezing hiring. This comes at a time when Alphabet is working to rein in spending and do fewer money losing bets. Project Wing, specifically, was invested in drone technology, something it planned to leverage for coffee delivery on behalf of Starbucks. (Read more at AdAge)
- One of the problems with Pinterest is you save a lot of projects, but you may not remember what you’ve done and haven’t done. In the coming weeks, checkmarks will be placed next to Pins that users have tried. Users will also be able to share feedback on the project itself, which will be displayed for others who are considering the project. (Read more at Pinterest’s Blog)
- Periscope has added new features to help with engagement on the platform. Now there are Superfans, which show someone who’s broadcasting his or her top to most engaged viewers to build deeper relationships. There are also Groups which allow users to broadcast videos to specific groups of people. (Read more at Periscope’s Blog)