Welcome back to another Spark Social Report with Spark Growth! This week we’ve got tons of new social media trends and updates including live shopping features on Twitter and Instagram making it possible for every U.S. creator to receive an authentication badge on their profile page.
Social Media Insights
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way people shop and what they expect their shopping experience to look like. In its latest report, Facebook shares new insights into the emerging habits and interests of shoppers.
Its new study focuses on how consumer habits are changing rapidly and readers can learn how businesses can get on board with buyers’ wants and needs. In the 28-page report called “The New Era of Shopping is Hybrid,” Facebook spotlights rising retail trends and new tech, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), both of which have been instrumental in this change.
Facebook’s study makes it clear that the online retail space is wide open, and eCommerce businesses that want to attract consumers must do so strategically. Social media platforms are shifting to accommodate this growing online shopping landscape.
Social Media Updates
TikTok
Do you have a small business? TikTok has released a new holiday guide on how to get started with promoting a small business on the platform. The 19-page guide covers every essential app feature and how to use them effectively, including how to start a business profile and how to use video. The guide also provides pointers on what creators will need for video clips, including advice on specific shots and 20 tips for how to create an engaged and active audience.
Next, TikTok launched a new digital magazine called “The Roundup” that will feature useful marketing approaches in the app. The Roundup will share the most successful tips and strategies used on the platform by business owners and other creators.
Finally, TikTok has started “Creative Exchange,” a new project linking brands with popular creators. Creative Exchange will allow brands to pitch a campaign brief to content creators who respond and arrange an agreement and deal. The Creative Exchange platform is open to companies with verified profiles. Users choose from a variety of campaign types, including “Story” and “Product Intro.” Once a campaign has been selected, companies fill out a form that details the basics of the brand or product they’re pitching to the creator.
In an effort to expand Facebook’s Stories feature and win back younger users in the process, the company has released a brand new “Creative App Platform.” This allows developers to promote Story content directly in Stories. App developers can get their tools listed in the Stories composer flow, allowing users to access more creative apps for their Stories without having to go look for them outside the platform.
[Source]
To ensure that all creators want to stay and promote products and services on Instagram, the company is giving all U.S. creators the opportunity to receive an authentication badge on their profile page. The only catch? Creators must meet certain requirements to be eligible. Some requirements include being over 18-years-old, having a creator or business Instagram account, and having at least 10k followers. Eligible creators can apply by updating their app to the newest version, visiting their profile, and tapping on “professional dashboard.” If and when a creator is approved for monetization, a “Set Up Badges” button will appear. If, however, a creator is eligible but not approved for monetization, they can apply in the app by tapping on “Apply for monetization” and then check their professional dashboard for updates on their status.
Next, Instagram has also launched a live test of longer format videos in Stories. The 60-second video test is where Stories are no longer split up into 15-second increments, but played in full on a single slide. The company notes that longer Stories have been a frequent ask from the community for some time now. Allowing for longer videos will help create a better viewing experience for users!
YouTube
YouTube wants to make it easier for creators to manage user engagement on their channel, so it’s offering more options for monetization and branded content. In July, YouTube tested its Channel Filtering Tool, allowing channel managers to establish protocol about the types of comments their viewers can leave. This test has now been given clearance for more creators to try out. Channel members and non-channel members will be shown differently in the back end of the platform.
Finally, YouTube has given users the ability to reuse video details from previous videos on new videos when using their desktop computer. Details such as the video title, description, language settings, short sampling permissions, and category selections can all be populated with one click.
Twitter has launched a live shopping feature that will allow sellers to livestream products that are available for purchase.
Users can expect a lot of interesting new features. For one, buyers can view a “Shoppable Banner,” and “Shop Tab,” on the live events page. Buyers can also toggle back and forth between the latest tab and the Shop Tab during the livestream and join in on discussions as they’re happening and look at products too. Finally, buyers can watch a seller’s livestream on their website with an in-app browser, and keep watching even when buying their chosen items.
This new feature is currently being tested in partnership with Walmart just in time for Cyber Week. Singer-songwriter, dancer, and social media personality Jason Derulo will host the inaugural Twitter shoppable livestream event on Sunday November 28th, 2021 at 7 pm EST. Shoppers can view and shop from the livestream using the Walmart iOS app or via the Walmart website. Derulo will host a 30-minute variety show for the event, showcasing various electronics, homewares, clothing, seasonal decorations, and surprise guests.
Next, Twitter is now making its tipping feature available to Android users. The in-app tipping feature is only available to users over the age of 18, and comes after the iOS launch in September. Twitter’s ‘Tips’ feature can be connected to Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, and Patreon. Android Twitter users can set up a tip button on their profile by clicking or tapping “Edit Profile” and selecting “Tips” to begin the process. Tips allows you creators out there to add a revenue stream to your Twitter account. It’s also a great feature for non-profits and anyone who wants to fundraise.
Looking to get a little support with tips? Tips is now rolling out to everyone (18+) on iOS.
Add the Tips icon to your profile from the “Edit profile” button. 💸 pic.twitter.com/bFcSIuAbFg
— Support (@Support) September 23, 2021
Finally, Twitter’s latest iOS update will prevent Tweets from disappearing while the user is reading them. When users stop scrolling their timeline to view a specific tweet, the tweet they choose to look at will no longer disappear.
Snapchat
Snapchat has partnered with various major brands to flex its AR) muscles just in time for the biggest shopping season of the year. The company launched several AR-related initiatives that aim to encourage shopping through their platform. Its biggest project is “Snap Holiday Market” which includes big-name brands such as Amazon, Hollister, Under Armour, Coca-Cola, Verizon, and Walmart. Each brand will have a virtual store that Snapchat users can shop through the app. Virtual try-ons and other augmented reality features will be available to users.
Reddit has decided to cease “Dubsmash,” the platform that’s similar to TikTok. By February 22, 2022, Reddit will have pulled it from Apple and Google Play. Reddit acquired Dubsmash in December 2020 and planned to use it to launch video content on Reddit. Instead, Reddit will be integrating Dubsmash’s video tools into its own app. Some of the new features users can expect to see include changing the recording speed, setting a timer, and Reddit-first lenses that are similar to Snapchat lenses.
Reddit has also made it possible for users to add up to five social links to their profile. The good news is that the new links won’t count towards your profile’s character limit! Another part of this update will be new visual changes primarily coming to the profile header. The new features are available to both iOS and Android users and will be slowly rolled out over the next few weeks.
That’s a wrap for all of this week’s latest digital marketing insights and social media updates! Make sure to follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with social media news and more.
In the meantime, do you own a franchise? If increasing your revenue is on your holiday wishlist, our team can help. Click the button below to learn how our social media marketing experts can help you with your digital presence so that your franchise locations aren’t competing against one another.
href="#" data-color-override="false" data-hover-color-override="false" data-hover-text-color-override="#fff">Get a step closer to achieving your business goals!