Welcome back to Spark Social Report by Spark Growth, your source for social media updates. For all of you soccer fans, Facebook and Snapchat have new features for you and, amidst the chaos, there could be some new Twitter updates coming in the future. Keep reading to get updated on more social media news.
Is your website ready for the upcoming holiday season?
Google released new insights into 100 holiday gift ideas based on Google searches but for marketers, this is also an excellent way to improve your website’s SEO. Here are some quick insights from their report:
- Searches for “home pizza ovens” are up a whopping 80%. Not a surprise, given inflation and how costly it is to dine out these days!
- Health-tracking jewelry is a major trend, with searches up 200% compared to the previous year.
Here are our expert tips on how you can use Google’s list to improve your own website:
- Perform an audit of your existing website and highlight key areas that need improvement.
- Bonus tip: categorize your to-do list into different levels of priority so that you can get the most important pages done first
- Develop a holiday-themed blogging series that targets keywords relevant to your business.
- 54% of shoppers used the word “stressful” when describing holiday shopping. Now is the time to share with your customers just how easy shopping on your website can be. Consider creating an all-in-one holiday landing page and promoting it through social media ads!
Meta announced new safety features
With the FIFA World Cup well underway, Meta has announced updates in a bid to protect users, including soccer players and fans, on its apps. First, users can now turn off direct messaging (DM) completely, which will help cut down on unwanted messages. However, Meta has heard feedback from public figures with some saying they enjoy hearing from fans and don’t want to turn off DMs completely. That’s why the company created Hidden Words, a feature that sends content with restricted words to a hidden folder so that users won’t see them. Meta is currently testing the option to turn this feature on by default for those with creator accounts.
Next, users can choose who can add a comment to their post or turn off commenting altogether. While these features existed previously, the major new update here is that these settings can be adjusted on a post-by-post basis.
Facebook profiles are getting a small makeover
Starting next month, your Facebook profile will look a little bit shorter. That’s because Meta will be reviewing specific information fields, including religious views, political views, addresses, and “interested in,” the latter of which shares the user’s sexual orientation. A spokesperson said that the update aims to make Facebook easier to use and navigate. What are your thoughts on this change?
Meta updates its privacy policy to protect younger users
Lastly for Facebook, Meta has updated its privacy policy on Facebook and Instagram to help protect teens using its platforms. Effective immediately, any new user on Facebook under the age of 16 (or 18 in certain countries) will have their account default to the increased privacy setting mode.
The company has also been testing ways to limit teen interactions with “suspicious” adults they aren’t connected to and removing adults from the “People You May Know” recommendations. Meta states that accounts are labeled “suspicious” if the individual has been blocked or reported by a young user. In the future, users can also expect to see new tools and educational resources that help stop the spread of intimate images online.
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Safety features on Instagram
Continuing from the update above, an Instagram-specific test the company is working on includes removing the “message” button on a teen’s profile when it’s being viewed by a suspicious adult. To read more about these changes, visit the Meta website.
New limits placed on Twitter verification
Despite staffing woes, there are still Twitter updates to look out for! First, Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter verification may have hit a few snags along the way. That’s why the company is now adding a new condition for those looking to get verified. Verification is still available for Twitter Blue subscribers, but accounts must be active for at least 90 days before they can get the blue checkmark.
Twitter verification gets more colorful
Sticking with Twitter verification, Elon Musk says that new badge colors may be launching next week. The new colors will correspond to the account type, with the blue badge being exclusive to individuals, gold badge for companies, and a gray badge for government accounts.
Sorry for the delay, we’re tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week.
Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates.
Painful, but necessary.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
Twitter tests with automatic threads
Next up, the company is currently working on a way to help users turn their long Tweets into a series of threads automatically. For many users who want to share longer content, having to pay attention to character limits and cut off their posts at specific intervals can be an annoyance.
[Source]Twitter is working on making Tweet composer automatically expand into a thread when the characters count is approaching the 280 characters limit https://t.co/nigChFZ2Yn
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) November 17, 2022
Could encrypted DMs come to Twitter?
Reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong also noted that Twitter may be bringing encrypted DMs to the platform. Not much is known about this feature at the moment, so stay tuned!
TikTok
New initiative launched ahead of Small Business Saturday®
Ahead of Small Business Saturday® which takes place on November 26th, TikTok has launched its #ShopSmall Accelerator program in partnership with American Express. To help small businesses launch their digital ads, the company is giving away up to $250,000 in ad credit to those who are eligible. Check out TikTokShopSmall.com for details!
Snapchat
Root for your soccer team on Snapchat
Here’s another social media app update for all of you soccer fans! Snapchat launched new augmented reality (AR) experiences and features to help users root for their favorite team during the FIFA World Cup. While you may have your team’s kit IRL, the AR “try-on” feature allows you to dress up your Bitmoji in official gear as well. A new selfie Lens will also transform your face — no paint needed! Check out a preview below.
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Read about other creative tools on Snapchat’s blog.
YouTube
Add longer music for your YouTube Shorts
YouTube announced that music and sounds used in Shorts can now be up to 60 seconds. Previously, the maximum was only 15 seconds, which was a strange limitation considering the Shorts can be 60 seconds in length. The update is thanks to a new licensing agreement YouTube has finalized, and is currently being rolled out. So if you’re a fan of creating Shorts, keep an eye out for this feature!
Shopping through YouTube Shorts?
Sticking with YouTube Shorts, the Financial Times is reporting that new shopping features and affiliate marketing could come to this video format. This would allow users to shop directly from these short videos. At the moment, only some eligible creators in the U.S. can use these shopping features to tag their products, but users in other markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, and the U.S.) can see these tags and start shopping immediately. Would you buy products through a YouTube Short?
Quiz your audience on YouTube
Next, YouTube is testing new features for Community Posts, which are feed-based updates that can be seen on the Community tab. The team is experimenting with editing capabilities that would allow users to add filters, text, and even stickers to images. At this time, the test is only available to select creators on iOS who have their Community tab enabled.
New language options
Moving on to Pinterest, the company announced that three new language options are coming to its app! These include Afrikaans, Bulgarian, and Croatian. With the new additions, the app now boasts 41 languages available to iOS, Android, and web users.
Schedule posts directly on LinkedIn
Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted that LinkedIn is rolling out a new feature: scheduled posts! Rather than posting immediately, users can click the clock icon next to the “Post” button if they want to schedule their post to go out later. Many users have also shared their experience on Matt’s post, saying that the feature is working well when they’ve tried it.
Reddit shares updates on its video player
Last but certainly not least, Redditors will be the first to tell you that the platform’s video player is…not the greatest. The team in charge of updating and fine-tuning the video feature recently shared an update going through some of the key areas they’re tackling, including a brand new look at what the possible future of videos on Reddit could look like. The video shows a more intuitive integration of swipe motions to browse through videos, GIFs, and images.
That wraps up the latest social media updates you need to know about! Be sure to check us out on Instagram for more digital marketing trends and news.
If you’re interested in reading more insights beyond social media app updates, check out our Spark Growth blog below! You’ll find other digital marketing insights, including how to measure your ROI, why video is a strategy you should use, and more.
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