Are you up-to-date on the latest social media updates?
Spring has sprung and Q2 has begun. Social Summits are in full bloom and the competition between platform updates are in the air. Catch up on the latest updates to ensure your Q2 campaigns are set up for success.
Checkout, on aisle Instagram!
Instagram continues to lead consumers down an immersive storefront with a user experience that has just gotten easier. Customers can now buy your products directly on Instagram.
With Checkout on Instagram, your customer can now make a purchase without leaving the app. When they see a product from a brand’s shopping post, a “Checkout on Instagram” button appears. Soak up the sunshine and shop from your phone. Summertime, Instagram is ready for you!
Interactive Stories
If you’re looking to generate more impact and increase your engagement, Interactive Stories may be worth testing!
Instagram did a test using their latest polling stickers and found that 9 out of 10 beta campaigns saw increased 3-second video views. And brands like Dunkin’ achieved a 20% lower cost-per-video view using the polling sticker.
Not only are polling stickers an interactive experience for your users, but they also offer you valuable consumer insight. Learn more about your audience by proposing a question or curate your content by asking your audience what they want to see more of — a playful yet strategic new tool!
Influencer Marketing
An almost $2 billion industry, Instagram has announced that it’s working on a new ad format which will better enable brands and influencers to collaborate.
Offering a more financially beneficial and transparent approach for brands to leverage the platform. The offer has been described as an extension of Instagram’s existing branded content tagging system.
File it under the Ad Library
In an effort to display transparency, Facebook has released the Ad Library. Available to anyone with a Facebook account, the Ad Library provides advertisers with searchable ads. You can even view posts that are no longer active and have been removed from Facebook.
Above is an example of a Celeste Beauty ad image that ran without a disclaimer. Simply search by name, topic, or organization and filter by country and/or ad status.
Tweet a Pic
It was only a matter of time before Twitter adapted its platform to capture and share images in real time. Last month, Twitter launched a new quick-swipe camera to help make sharing photos and videos just as in the moment as that text tweet.
The new camera tool which will enable users to capture Stories-like images is complete with overlays and displayed in the ‘What’s Happening’ section within the Explore tab related to events.
The anticipation of an IPO
Pinterest has become the latest platform to publish details of its plans to go public. With this announcement, Pinterest continues to update its ad tools. Expanding beyond discovery and adapting a shopper’s mindset, Pinterest has added a few new features to make it easier for Pinners to convert.
ICYMI, Pinners can now shop a brand, receive personalized shopping recommendations and experience Shopping Ads via the product feed.
Snapchat
Join the party!
Snap just had their first ever Partner Summit last week, where they announced several new releases.
Some highlights include:
- Snap Audience Network
- Resembling Facebook’s Audience network, Snap is developing a mobile ad network called Snap Audience Network. The Audience Network will run full-screen, vertical video Snap Ads within third-party mobile apps.
- Ad-supported Snap Games
- Snap will be rolling out games, free-to-play, starring you and your friends. Bitmoji Party is the first of many games to come, which means advertising space will soon be available. Snap will run its 6-second, non-skippable video ads called Commercials in Snap Games.
B2B Trends
This past week we visited Chicago to attend LinkedIn’s session on B2B Trends for Contrarian Marketers.
As LinkedIn continues to refine their tools, the audience and content remain the same. Over 560 million business professionals engaging in thought leadership conversions. LinkedIn continues to maintain that thought leadership is key for marketer’s credibility and profitability.
To ensure your B2B LinkedIn Marketing strategy is on-point, follow LinkedIn’s S.C.O.R.E algorithm:
- Structure
- Use a consistent and simple structure in your B2B marketing messaging tactics. (Don’t be afraid of templates).
- Contrarian
- Don’t be afraid to stand out from the masses. Carve your own and reposition your brand to stand out as a thought-leader.
- Ownable
- Find your distinct branding and place it on everything (Take Lacoste as an example —everyone knows the brand’s alligator).
- Replication
- Iterate to get your message right then repeat, repeat, repeat.
- Expertise
- The better the thought leadership, the more credible the brand.
Quick Recap
- Instagram = Checkout, Interactive Stories & Influencer Marketing
- Facebook = Transparency with Ads Library
- Pinterest = IPO is in the air
- Twitter = Capture it in real time, the new camera feature
- Snapchat = New Audience Network & placements within games
- LinkedIn = Use the S.C.O.R.E algorithm = B2B strategy on point 👌
If you are interested in learning more about how you can improve your current social campaigns or have questions regarding platform updates we’d love to chat!