Welcome back to another Spark Social Report by Spark Growth! Picture this: it’s Christmas Eve and to celebrate, social media platforms are bringing in tons of exciting tools for the holidays. But where can you find all of these fun updates?
Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered with the latest digital marketing insights and social media updates including TikTok implementing new creative holiday tools!
Digital Marketing Insights
Did you know that women control over two-thirds of the global consumer expenditure? Yet only 9% of women reported that marketing initiatives had actively engaged with them. TikTok is pushing forward opportunities to help empower women to advocate for brands that they care about.
The company states that “brands need to be authentic, approachable, entertaining, inclusive, community-centric, and socially responsible.” In order for brands to break the disparity and drive real results, one of the many tips that TikTok offers is partnering with TikTok creators as part of a brand’s core strategy. By partnering with more creators, especially women on TikTok, brands can reach a wide market made up of women around the world, and connect with new customers. For more insight into marketing on TikTok, read here.
Social Media Updates
TikTok
‘Tis the season for new content! TikTok launched new video editing features just in time for the holidays! TikTok is bringing the magic of the holiday season to its app with tools such as GIPHY in Green Screen, a Visual Enhancements button, and new music and animal voice effects. Just like magic, users can simply tap to instantly enhance the exposure and color of their video with the Visual Enhancement button. These new tools are meant to easily boost creativity and empower users to express themselves. It’s the perfect time for users to capture moments for the holiday season and share that with their friends and loved ones.
TikTok will be diversifying its For You feed. In order to interrupt repetitive patterns on the app, TikTok is developing a tool that enables users to pick out which topics they want to avoid. The tool may help users avoid potentially harmful topics while still maintaining an entertaining feed. At the moment, there is no specific timeline for when this option will be available for users so stay tuned!
Next, the company also implemented a new “LIVE Intro” option that enables users to add their own short text descriptions during livestreams. The new feature was shared on Twitter by musician Jonah Manzano to demonstrate how users can tap into their stream settings to add a short blurb about their stream. LIVE Intros are an easy way for users to introduce their stream and welcome viewers. It can also help explain what the stream is about and even serve as a fun way to catch the attention of existing and new users.
On top of that, the company is testing out a new desktop livestreaming app called “TikTok Live Studio.” Aiming to create a more streamlined viewing experience that keeps users on the TikTok platform, this new app may be Twitch’s next big rival. Users able to download the program on their desktop will be able to engage with audiences through a chat feature. Currently, the program is only available and being tested for a small number of users and there is no guarantee that the program will officially roll out. If the test proves successful, we may see more creators remaining and creating more content on the app.
Tiktok has quietly launched its own streaming software called TikTok Live Studio. #StreamerNews pic.twitter.com/SOxJshxWy7
— Zach Bussey (@zachbussey) December 15, 2021
[Source]
Ding dong, your delivery has arrived! TikTok has plans to open up its own food delivery chain called “TikTok Kitchen.” #FoodTok is a large community on the platform, and to leverage this, TikTok is promoting viral food posts by having these goodies delivered right to your door. The initial menu consists of dishes such as baked feta pasta, smash burgers, and pasta chips. In addition to this, creators will receive credit and proceeds for bringing these dishes to life. TikTok isn’t seriously looking to delve into the food industry, but rather trying to promote the app through fun food-themed initiatives. The company is partnering with Virtual Dining Concepts and Grubhub to launch its delivery service across the U.S. next year.
Lastly, TikTok is testing a new “Repost” option enabling users to re-share video clips with their followers. Social media expert Matt Navarra shared the news on Twitter, demonstrating how users can repost content. The Repost button may serve as a way to help facilitate engagement with audiences. The feature is currently being tested by some users and has no official release date yet.
TikTok is testing a ‘Repost’ button
h/t @adrianokev1 pic.twitter.com/Nwbj07GXsK
— Matt Navarra (I quit X. Follow me on Threads) (@MattNavarra) December 19, 2021
[Source]
Meta announced new partnerships with photo and video mobile apps including Snow, Likee, Kwai, and many more. The partnership provides users with a more curated content-sharing experience, allowing them to share recaps of their year by directly exporting content to Facebook and Instagram. Providing more opportunities for creativity is part of Meta’s overall strategy to win back younger audiences and keep them within the company’s network.
[Source]
Spread the holiday cheer with new holiday-themed elements on Messenger! Some festive features include seasonal AR effects, new Soundmojis, and suggested word effects. Users can add in some sparkle and snowflakes during video calls with new AR effects, sprinkle in holiday-themed emojis in chats, and even spruce up chats with Soundmojis! The seasonal elements are an engaging way for users to interact with their loved ones this season.
[Source]
It’s time to ring in the new year as Messenger collabs with Cosmopolitan for some New Years’ Eve Group Effects! Users can toast with their loved ones using “Nugget Cheers,” an interactive AR effect with chicken nuggets sprouting out of champagne flutes. It’s an odd pairing but makes for a fun and interesting way for users to share a special moment together.
Instagram introduced a new update that will improve Instagram previews on Twitter. Now, users with public accounts can share their Instagram posts on Twitter that will display an image preview with the post caption. Posts such as photos, videos, carousels, and Reels can be shared on Twitter, but the only catch is that Stories currently can’t be displayed as previews. For users and creators using both apps, improved previews make sharing content easier to engage with and creates a more streamlined cross-app experience.
[Source]
The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, shared some new Instagram features in his Tweet, including Playback, Reels Visual Replies, and Profile Embed (the latter of which is only available in the U.S. for now). The profile embed feature that will let users integrate a miniature version of their Instagram profiles into websites such as blogs and portfolios. This way, users can show off and promote their Instagram account on other platforms. Listen to what he has to say about the other features in his video below!
🎉 New Features 🎉
We’ve rolled out some pretty fun new features this week that I wanted to share with you:
– #IGPlayback
– Reels Visual Replies
– Profile Embed (US only for now)Any new features you’d like to see? Let me know! 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/p8mvtJn4kA
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) December 16, 2021
[Source]
YouTube
It’s been settled! YouTube and Disney have worked out their deal and Disney is here to stay. After negotiations, a deal has been reached for the multinational entertainment company to stay on the video streaming platform. To make amends for disruptions, YouTube is providing customers with $15 of credit.
For content creators, YouTube updated its Studio app to make it easier to manage content. Some new updates include new search filters for comments, analytics options, new icons, and a bottom navigation bar. With new search filters, creators can easily look up certain types of comments they want to reply to. By being able to filter through the comment section, engaging with audience comments and questions just got a lot faster! Check out the rest of the updates here.
Lastly, YouTube also added several new updates for Shorts including new analytics, expanding its Shorts Fund to more than 70 regions, and a new Shorts grid view for channel pages. With new Short-specific analytics, users can access a new card that displays how videos have been created from their own content. It also shows a list of some of the most popular content from the user’s channel. Short-specific analytics can be helpful for YouTube Shorts creators in curating more engaging and viral content. Short analytics will be released over the next coming weeks.
[Source]
Clubhouse
Before the year ends, Clubhouse may just have another update in store. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong shared with her Twitter audience how the platform is implementing a new “Saved Replays” option. Saved Replays enables users to save audio recorded from in-app chats so that users can listen to them later. The ability to save audio adds more functionality and utility to users’ experience on the platform.
[Source]
That’s a wrap for this week’s latest digital marketing insights and social media updates. The Spark Growth team wants to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a cozy and safe holiday! Make sure to keep up with new exciting trends and updates on our Facebook. See you next year!
With 2022 fast approaching, are you ready to work on those New Year’s resolutions and leverage social media for your business? If that’s the case, chat with our social media experts and see how your online presence can capture audiences’ attention and boost sales.
href="#" data-color-override="false" data-hover-color-override="false" data-hover-text-color-override="#fff">Book a 30-minute consultation today!