Welcome back to another week of Spark Social Report by Spark Growth! This week, Pinterest added a Shop collection that showcases a number of Black-owned businesses. Read more for further social media updates!
Facebook is testing Facebook Shop, a tool for businesses to create and manage their own online store. Brands can create a Shop on both Facebook and Instagram, but will only have to set it up on one platform for it to be available on both. This feature is ideal for businesses that are looking to get started in eCommerce, an option that more brands are turning to these days due to the impact of COVID-19. It’s only available in the U.S. for now, but stay tuned to see when this feature is released in other markets.
Facebook has also announced that it’s adding new resources to better support Black-owned businesses. After announcing the $100 million grant designated towards SMBs in the U.S. back in March, Facebook noted that $40 million of the budget will be allocated towards Black-owned businesses. Facebook states, “Starting today, any majority Black-owned business with 50 or fewer employees can apply for a grant. We know every day counts, so we’re partnering with Accenture and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) to get these grants to Black-owned businesses quickly.” Businesses who are interested in applying to the program can do so by visiting Business Grants. Users can also identify their Page as a Black or minority-owned business, which will also appear in the “Businesses Nearby” section for users to discover.
Facebook has also added a new option to Messenger Rooms. Users can customize their own backgrounds by uploading a photo or video, making for a more personalized experience. In addition to that, users will now be able to access options such as Discover, Create, Edit, Manage, and Share Rooms within the Messenger app.
Twitter users who receive direct message (DM) requests will now be given more context as to who the sender is. As pictured in the Tweet below, this may include any mutual followers or connections. Once tapping on the request, users will then be able to see the sender’s profile information. This feature may help users to better identify and filter through unwanted or spam messages.
New message request…who's this?
Now when you receive a DM request, we're giving you more context upfront about who sent it, like how you’re connected to the person on Twitter. And once you tap into the request, you’ll see their profile info along with their message. pic.twitter.com/QNtwuP99AT
— Support (@Support) August 20, 2020
The platform also appears to be testing with renaming “Retweets with Comments” to “Quotes.” Though there is no official word on whether this will permanently change, “Quotes” is a more simplified title which declutters the visuals on a Tweet’s insights.
Twitter seems to be favouring using ‘Quotes’ instead of ‘Retweets with comment' pic.twitter.com/GaVDvLhhkV
— Matt Navarra (I quit X. Follow me on Threads) (@MattNavarra) August 25, 2020
When users share an Instagram post from a private account, a new feature now notifies the user of friends who follow the account versus those who do not. This feature will help users avoid sending private posts to a person who can’t see the content.
No more accidentally sharing private posts to your friends in DMs.
With this new feature out now, you can tell who can or can’t see a private post or story before you hit send. pic.twitter.com/o8GtZQSumS
— Vishal Shah (@vishalshahis) August 19, 2020
Suggested Posts will also now be featured at the end of users’ following feed, showing up only after the “You’re All Caught Up” notification. This may help users feel less bombarded with outside content while scrolling through the posts of those they follow. Instagram has also stated that this approach is more effective in terms of generating user engagement.
Following the updates to Facebook Shop, all eligible sellers in the U.S. will soon be able to use a checkout function on Instagram. The company states, “Checkout makes it easy for people to make a purchase in just a few taps, without leaving the app. To use checkout, businesses must have Shops and use Facebook Commerce Manager or our partners Shopify and BigCommerce.” Due to the economic impact that many have suffered from due to the COVID-19 crisis, the platform will also be waiving selling fees for businesses until the end of the year. Businesses will also be able to communicate with Shop customers via a new “messaging” button. This will allow brands to help customers with any questions or concerns they have while shopping, offering a more personalized experience.
Lastly, Pinterest is celebrating National Black Business Month with a new Pinterest Shop collection. The collection features over 20 Black-owned fashion and beauty businesses. Pinterest says, “Each product is a shoppable Product Pin that links directly to the respective store’s online checkout, so [users] can buy in a few clicks. To mark the launch, supermodel Liya Kebede has curated a board of her favorite picks from her sustainable fashion label, lemlem, with women’s artisan-driven resort wear made in Africa.” This feature helps contribute to the movement of amplifying and highlighting Black-owned businesses.
That wraps up this week’s social media updates! Be sure to follow Spark Growth on Twitter to keep up with more digital marketing news!
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