Welcome back to another Spark Social Report by Spark Growth! Get ready for some of the latest digital marketing trends and social media updates including WhatsApp’s new disappearing messages feature.
Digital Marketing Trends
Pinterest has shared some 2022 trend insights based on usage data! Trends are provided for various categories to give marketers across different industries a chance to see what may be popular with their audience next year. For example, marketers in the fashion industry may want to look at trends such as pearlcore, check patterns, and loungewear! The full report can be found here.
Social Media Updates
TikTok
TikTok launched a new app called “TikTok Seller” that enables users to leverage the company’s shopping features. Users are able to register, manage inventory, and analyze aspects of their online business on the app. TikTok Seller is currently available for iOS and Android users in Indonesia and expansion to North American markets has yet to be confirmed.
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Get interactive with new group AR effects on Messenger! Facebook partnered with big-time influencers such as King Bach, Bella Poarch, and Zack King for fun AR effects that will surely attract the younger crowd to its platform. Now users can wear a royal crown or feel like they’re in the 90s with a lo-fi camcorder effect.
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Attention all Swifties! Facebook Messenger also released a new Taylor Swift soundmoji in honor of her new album, “Red.” Users can now express their burning love for her by simply tapping the loudspeaker icon and selecting the burning heart emoji.
Additionally, Facebook is testing out “Split Payments” for Messenger starting in the U.S. Users who have access to Split Payments will be able to split bills and expenses evenly or modify contribution amounts for each individual in a group chat thread. Users simply need to click the “Get Started” button in a group chat or the Payments Hub in Messenger. Although Split Payments is still in its testing phase, it will be an opportunity for users to easily discuss and split payments all in one place.
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Messenger Kids also gets a bunch of new updates including dark mode, voice effects, and multiplayer games in message threads! With younger generations spending more time on mobile devices, dark mode options can help mitigate digital eye strain by limiting their exposure to blue light. Kids can also enjoy playing games with their friends in chat as well as sending each other voice messages that can be altered to sound like a robot, gorilla, or mouse.
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Facebook is testing out “Professional Mode for Creator Profiles” to open up more opportunities for creators. Professional Mode will enable users to post, gain audience and profile insights, and access monetization features. For now, the mode is being tested for limited creators in the U.S. and will be rolling out across 20 countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
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Next, Facebook is also kicking the month off with “Stars Fest,” a month-long celebration to give creators the recognition they deserve. “Stars” are a virtual currency on the platform that can be purchased in the Stars Store. During the event, users can purchase Stars at a lower price. Stars Fest is an opportunity for online content creators to further build their communities while being monetized for their content on the platform.
Users can also use their Stars in “Stars Party,” a new feature launching during Stars Fest that enables users to send Stars during a live stream. Star Parties are triggered once a certain number of users have sent Stars during a stream. Once it happens, a countdown timer appears and viewers have five minutes to hit a Stars goal together. Stars Party is an engaging opportunity for communities to gather and have fun while supporting their favorite creators on the platform.
Finally, for all the gamers out there, Facebook is making gaming a more interactive experience with new “Play with Streamer” and “Facebook Interactives.” Play with Streamer enables users to hop into a game to play with their favorite Facebook Gaming creators during a live stream. Viewers can further interact with Facebook Interactives including participating in trivia questions or polls. New features for Facebook Gaming is another way for communities to gather and engage on the platform.
Get creative with your Story links by customizing text and color options! Users are now able to edit these two options to help make Story links fit the aesthetic of their posts. Although the upgrade is small, it enables users and businesses to add an extra flair to their content.
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Whip up a cup of hot cocoa because Instagram is hosting a Holiday Pop-Up Shop LIVE event. From December 7th to 15th, the platform will host a series of live holiday shopping events featuring creators such as Nia Sioux and Lisa Rinna. During the next two weeks, Instagrammers will have the opportunity to enjoy their holiday shopping from the comfort of their own home! Users can tune in through the Instagram Shop tab.
In an effort to protect teens, Instagram launched new tools and features to keep users safe on the app. “Take a Break” has been tested over the past month and has now been released. Users will now receive notifications to encourage them to take a break from the app. Depending on how long a user has been consuming content that covers a specific topic, the app may also provide recommendations on other topics to look at.
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Next, another tool to keep teens safe is giving users the ability to control who can tag or mention them in posts. Users are now able to limit their tags by tapping into their privacy settings. Controlling their tags and mentions minimizes the possibility of teens interacting with people they don’t know or don’t want to hear from.
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Lastly, Instagram gets jiggy with it with its “Dancification” test feature for Reels. App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi tweeted a sneak-peek of the feature, but what does it mean to “dancify” your content? Dancify is just a fancy way of saying the app will sync uploaded videos to the chosen music track! The company has yet to officially announce the release of this feature so stay tuned!
#Instagram is working on "Dancification", a new feature for #Reels that can automatically dancify your clip to any track 👀 pic.twitter.com/kut6U5UQCE
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) December 6, 2021
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Snapchat
Snapchat held its annual Lens Fest event to show off its latest advances in AR and new technologies. Some highlights from the showcase include updates for the app’s Lens Studio tool, World Mesh, and new real-time data integrations for Lens creators. Updates for Snap’s Lens Studio tool enable new kinds of Lens creation through more interactive and realistic digital animations. In the same breath, World Mesh AR mapping will also get a more realistic touch as creators will have access to in-depth information and world geometry to create AR experiences that feel real. The company has also added real-time integrations via Snap’s API Library for Lenses that gives creators the opportunity to add elements like weather and stock market information into their Lenses. Although these are just a few highlights from the event, it’s clear that Snapchat is aiming towards a more realistic experience for users on the platform.
Pinterest acquired the video creation and editing app Vochi which will expand Pinterest’s set of video creation tools. We’ve seen video content continue to trend upwards, getting more engagement as more users engage with this format. With that being said, Pinterest is keeping up with social media trends by allowing users to post more video content in addition to the platform’s iconic image pinboards. Pinterest users will now have the opportunity to create more effective video content and showcase their passions within the community.
In light of World AIDS Day that took place on December 1st, Twitter expanded its #ThereIsHelp notification service with a dedicated search prompt for HIV-related information. The notification service is currently available for causes such as mental health and suicide, COVID-19, child sexual exploitation, and now the new addition of HIV. The prompt will provide users with trusted information and valuable resources about HIV that will encourage people to reach out and receive help.
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Next, Twitter has acquired the business-focused messaging app Quill. With Quill’s team joining Twitter’s Experience organization, predictions for direct messaging improvements on the platform have popped up. Either way, users can look forward to what Twitter has in store in terms of improving the app’s communication and convenience.
The company is testing an option that enables users to add content warnings on images. This option may be an extra preventative measure to provide users with more protection and limit exposure to sensitive content. The option is still currently being tested but the tool can definitely be useful in terms of keeping users safe on the app.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1468317145423511554
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Twitter is testing out a new way to make the reporting process easier. The platform receives millions of reports, but the process of reporting can be cumbersome for some. The method that Twitter is planning to take is called “symptoms-first” where users will be prompted to answer what is going on in order to receive accurate information. The reporting process can help Twitter’s team get more details to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. While the process is still in its testing phase, Twitter is working on improving the function so it can be rolled out sometime next year.
If you’re a B2B business trying to reach your target audience then LinkedIn’s got you covered. The company is testing out “Group Identity” that leverages its own first-party data. The process is intended to reach audiences across channels such as the LinkedIn Audience Network, meaning that users will be able to reach consumers on third-party sites. Group Identity is still being tested but will serve as an opportunity for businesses to further reach audiences on the platform.
With more than 600 million Hindi speakers worldwide, LinkedIn has finally launched its first Indian regional language support. The platform is working towards expanding job opportunities that are available for Hindi-speaking professionals and enabling them to create and find jobs in their native language.
Clubhouse
Clubhouse rolled out its second round of language localization with 13 new languages for Android. Some of the languages include Arabic, Bengali, Thai, and Turkish. Clubhouse also assures iOS users that the second phase of language support will also be coming their way soon! The company’s expansion of languages has helped with community growth and allows more users to engage and communicate in their own native language.
The platform also expanded its Topics to include more niche interests. Users will be able to discover different topics as the platform will list topics on user profiles. Rather than searching for “baseball,” topics will be more defined, such as “The Dodgers.” Android and iOS users will have the opportunity to share more of their passions with other users!
Pssst. WhatsApp launched disappearing messages to help users keep things private. The feature enables users to have more control over their messages by allowing them to turn on disappearing messages by default. Users can choose the duration in which their message can appear to keep things private. The chat can also be switched back to normal if there is a particular conversation that needs to remain permanent. Disappearing messages are meant to assure users that they are engaging in private conversations.
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That’s all the social media trends and updates for this week folks! Stay tuned next week for more and make sure to follow us on Facebook to keep up to date.
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