Welcome back to this week’s Spark Social Report by Spark Growth! Let’s dive into the latest digital marketing trends and updates, including Facebook’s new Messenger and Instagram Direct features!
Digital Marketing Trends:
Venngage provides insight into graphic trends to assist with modern marketing strategies in 2022. Some trends include inclusive visuals, branded memes, and social media screencaps. It’s interesting to see that the upcoming social media trends focus on targeting a younger audience with content that resonates with them.
Inclusive visuals being an upcoming trend is hopefully something that will stay in the long run, as there will be more representation of diverse and marginalized groups in marketing. For businesses strategizing for the new year, thinking about brand visuals is a critical factor in appealing to consumers. Check out the full infographic here.
Social Media Updates:
Facebook has announced that it’s changing how the estimated audience reach for ads is being displayed. The platform is moving away from providing specific reach numbers to more generalized potential reach ranges. It’s a new change that makes this metric more consistent with other metrics on the platform, such as Estimated Daily Results.
The app released a plethora of new features for Messenger and Instagram Direct! One new feature includes adding polls to group chats across both platforms. Group chats can also be started with users regardless if they’re using Instagram or Facebook. Facebook had previously announced the integration of cross-app messaging between Messenger and Instagram to enhance users’ messaging experience. Building on the momentum and its full integration plan, new features being added will further add to user engagement.
Social media consultant Matt Navarra shared how Facebook is testing a new option that allows users to share posts with multiple groups. Although the feature has yet to be officially announced, this may help users and businesses share content more efficiently with different audiences.
Facebook is testing a prompt to encourage sharing of posts to multiple groups
ht @AkramAlodini pic.twitter.com/5EOmCRe3Zp
— Matt Navarra (I quit X. Follow me on Threads) (@MattNavarra) October 4, 2021
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Matt Navarra also tweeted another test that Facebook is experimenting with—a scrollable info bar beneath ads. It appears that the feature can include information about where the business is located, the number of followers, and click counts. For businesses, they’ll be easily able to see key metrics about their ads at a glance.
Facebook is testing a scrollable info bar beneath ads
It summarises key info about the ads associated Facebook Page pic.twitter.com/9RBECxmhjZ
— Matt Navarra (I quit X. Follow me on Threads) (@MattNavarra) September 27, 2021
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Continuing with more updates for Instagram Direct, users can also add polls in their Instagram DMs and group chats.
Next, Instagram is planning to retire its IGTV to merge video content into a single “Videos” tab. Although the update doesn’t exactly add new features, it is a way for users to have a more streamlined video experience on the app. Users will no longer have to sift through multiple tabs to view video content—but instead, they can engage with the content in a single organized space. Additional updates include trimming and new filter features.
App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi tweeted that Instagram is testing a new feature that allows users to like Stories. Although the feature is yet to be released, this little feature may enhance user engagement and interaction on the platform.
ℹ️ Likes on stories will appear on your own story in the same place as story viewers. pic.twitter.com/Xdh7j4kOw1
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) October 5, 2021
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Twitter is improving its TweetDeck with a round of new updates. TweetDeck is Twitter’s dashboard application for managing Twitter accounts. Some updates include adding columns that display the latest Tweets, adding a “Scroll to Top” function, as well as adding back the DM column. The features will improve the functionality of the app and make it easier for users to manage their TweetDeck content.
https://twitter.com/TweetDeck/status/1443621767558356996
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The company is also taking the latest NFT craze by the reins and is working on integrating NFT profile verification. Twitter’s Head of Consumer Product Marketing Justin Taylor tweeted a sneak peek at how NFT profile verification works. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique data typically stored on a digital ledger, such as blockchain, and can be verified as public proof of ownership. So far, it looks like when the feature does get released, users will be able to dig into their digital wallet and upload their NFT as their avatar, which will include an NFT verification mark along with it. This is an example of how NFTs can be used on social media platforms like Twitter and how users can further make use of their NFTs.
Here’s a sneak peek👀 on what we’re working on for NFT profile verification.
What do you think? pic.twitter.com/Z8c6tH3BBy
— Justin Taylor (@TheSmarmyBum) September 29, 2021
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Finally, Santa’s elves are already hard at work, and so is Twitter with its new Christmas Hub and ad webinar. To support marketers during the holiday season, Twitter has released resources and insights into holiday trends. The company is also holding a webinar featuring its Twitter Ad specialists on October 14. Businesses will be provided with insights that will elevate their campaigns. With insider insights and holiday-specific campaign tips, users utilizing the platform for marketing their business can start strategizing ahead of time before Santa comes through the chimney this year.
Twitter announced that it is removing the option to invite guests when users go live. This goes hand-in-hand with the recent efforts the app has been making to improve video quality for users. In order to improve video quality for its Live option, the platform had to sacrifice adding guests for now. The company did mention that even though it is removing the option, viewers are still able to interact through chat and hearts as to not completely get rid of interaction and engagement on the feature.
As of today we’re removing the option to invite guests when you go live, so we can improve your video broadcast quality. 🎥
Your viewers can still interact with you through chat and hearts. https://t.co/bymoq55VIy
— Support (@Support) October 5, 2021
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TikTok
TikTok is another platform that also wants to get in on the NFT trend by releasing its own NFT collection called “TikTok Top Moments.” The collection will feature six culturally significant TikTok videos from beloved creators on the platform. Creators have partnered with NFT artists to curate limited edition NFTs that will be released and auctioned weekly until the end of October. With TikTok integrating NFTs into its platform, it’s a way for content creators to monetize their work and simultaneously allow users to purchase their own unique digital artwork.
In light of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, TikTok launches its “#BeCyberSmart” Campaign. Taking inspiration from #LearnOnTikTok, the app launched a video series on “TikTokTips” on defending against common cyber threats and how to protect yourself online. The company is partnering with industry experts to provide users with valuable and educational content on cybersecurity.
YouTube
YouTube added new audience retention insights for creators to help with their content approach strategy. The video streaming platform features more specific metrics, such as elements that display performance listings by “Intro,” “Top Moments,” “Spikes,” and “Dips.” The insights will allow users to observe how their videos are performing in comparison to their regular performance measures.
Another addition to audience retention insights will be a “typical” retention comparison line that highlights regular retention performance. This means users will be able to see exactly where viewers tend to stop watching a video. By further improving viewer retention insights on the platform, YouTube is essentially guiding content creators to further improve their content approach.
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Snapchat
Snapchat recently launched its Augmented Reality partnership with WPP. The collaboration plans to deliver enhanced marketing and commerce solutions for brands as well as providing consumers with immersive AR experiences. The focus of the collaboration is the development of a new “AR Lab” that facilitates the creation of AR ad campaigns. The partnership is a win-win for both sides: WPP, a British creative communications agency, will have access to user trends and Snapchat will be able to broaden its outreach to larger businesses. With 94% of consumers expected to use AR features to shop online, this partnership will further advance the app’s existing AR tools, such as its digital “try-on” feature.
The app has also released “Run for Office Mini”, enabling any Snapchatter in the United States to make the process of voting and engaging in politics more accessible. Users can run for local offices from City Neighborhood Board to School Board and State Representative. Snapchat’s goal with its new feature is to support young people running for local offices and combatting common barriers they face. Some Run for Office Mini features include a centralized portal on local elected offices that can be filtered by issue and a personalized campaign hub. Young users on the platform can now get involved and make a difference in their local communities.
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Snapchat also introduced “Spotlight Challenges” to its platform as a way to reward creators. Snapchatters will have a chance to win cash prizes for creating top-performing Spotlight Snaps. The challenges will begin to roll out next month to users over the age of 16 in the U.S. It’s an opportunity for content creators to showcase their voice, personality, and creativity!
Reddit released some updates for its platform, bringing back view counts on posts as well as experimenting with Creator Statistics. A few years back, Reddit had discontinued view counts on posts due to scaling issues on the site. Creator Statistics is an experiment the company is testing that allows creators to get deeper insights on post engagements. Users will be able to see total post views, upvote rates, community karma, and total shares. Currently, only 50% of desktop users and moderators will be able to access the feature, but if all goes according to plan, Reddit has greater things in store for what Creator Statistics could look like in the future.
Pinterest announced new shopping features to help users find what they love! Features include Slideshow for collections, Idea Ads, Merchant details, and expanding the Verified Merchant Program. Slideshow for collections pulls products from user catalogs into a collections ad for easier discovery and shopping. Merchant details allow users to showcase their values on their Pinterest profiles. The platform has also expanded the Verified Merchant Program to help shoppers discover vetted brands.
Although not yet released, Pinterest is building on its Idea Pin format. The company is currently testing Idea Ads with paid partnerships to help creators make money on Pinterest—advertisers can promote Idea Pins as an Idea Ad. All these new features that have already been released or are being tested aim to enhance the user’s online shopping experience.
Clubhouse
Clubhouse has outlined many new features to enhance user engagement and app functionality. Some features the platform has brought to the table include universal search, adding “Clips” to broadcast public rooms, and “Replays” to create audio content. Clips allow users to share 30-second videos of public rooms to improve discoverability. Replays, a feature the company will be rolling out soon, allows users to record conversations, which can be downloaded and shared. From the content that the platform has rolled out, it’s clear that Clubhouse is listening to user feedback.
That’s all the latest social media updates and marketing trends for this week. Stay tuned next week! Keep up to date by checking out our Facebook page.
As we talked about graphic design trends for 2022 that businesses should look out for, Spark Growth is also here to help you with your digital marketing strategy for the new year. Chat with our marketing experts to learn more about curating visually appealing content that drives your business forward!
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