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Lately in Social Media – 6/29/18

Posted on June 29, 2018

As motivational speaker Denis Waitley once said, “You must welcome change as the rule, but not as your ruler.” And when it comes to social media marketing, that’s absolutely the case. Despite the constant whirlwind of changes on these platforms, us marketers and advertisers have to hold tight to our directives and make the most of the tools we’ve still got.

So, let’s dive in to the tweaks and updates that matter most to marketers right now:

FACEBOOK

  • Unsurprisingly, privacy is still an issue Facebook is grappling with very publicly. But let’s be honest – taking our data has always been Facebook’s prerogative.
  • In the interest of transparency, Facebook will now let users see the ads a Page is running on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and their partner network, just by selecting “Info and Ads” on the Page. At least your competitor and market research just got a little easier!
  • After a Texas immigration charity’s fundraiser found viral success, Facebook will begin letting users make automatic, recurring monthly donations to nonprofits by using the donate button on their Page. Also, Pages will be able to donate directly to nonprofit fundraisers. (How’s that for ROI, fund development folks??)
  • The post-GDPR changes we’ve been anticipating are starting to hit, including new requirements for custom audience targeting.
  • In more political news, Facebook can’t decide if it should treat publishers’ promoted news stories about politics the same way it treats political ads, which are not the same thing.
  • Influencer marketing is officially the future of Facebook marketing, according to Facebook, with the launch of the Brand Collabs Manager tool.
  • Messenger can now translate between English and Spanish, which feels like something that should’ve been possible a long time ago, right?
  • If you’re like me and Facebook is always part of your workday, then let’s both have a good laugh at ourselves if/when Facebook starts showing us how much of our time was not “well spent.”
  • Facebook is giving a select few group admins the ability to charge subscription fees to members, which could range from $5 to $30 per month. So far it sounds like the organization or individual leading the group would actually receive most of the money, but at some point I’m sure we’ll find out that Facebook doesn’t really want to share. They say subscriptions for Instant Articles are doing well so far, at least.
  • If you like “On This Day,” take a trip through your “Memories” to recall a time when Facebook felt…worthwhile?
  • By adding new features like polls and quizzes to live video, Facebook hopes creators will migrate over from YouTube (which has had these kinds of features on the Community tab for awhile now).
  • When you’re tired of everyone in your news feed talking about a triggering subject, you can snooze that keyword. With the emotionally exhausting headlines these days, who’s to blame you?
    • I just read that this is apparently supposed to help people avoid spoilers for the TV shows they should have just watched already. Smh.
  • And just because: What if engagement is the bane of the internet?

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

SNAPCHAT

  • If crazy-high prices scared you away from Snapchat advertising before, maybe reconsider now that they’re getting really cheap and are allegedly as effective as Facebook ads.
  • I’m fascinated with the concept of the Snap Map, because I’m pretty sure no one asked for it. Just like I’m pretty sure no one cares to watch rain fall on their Bitmoji. What am I missing here? Please tell me.
  • On that note: You can now upload photos and videos from your Spectacles in new formats: Square, wide-screen, circular black and white – sounds like a nice change from the default circle format, I guess? Knock yourself out?

YOUTUBE

  • Good news for creators: If you’re member of the YouTube Partner Program, at least 18 years old and have more than 100,000 subscribers, you can charge for channel membership and sell merchandise directly to fans!
  • The ups and downs of YouTube drama have taken a toll on many creators who make a living from their video content, but it still seems to be the best option for monetizing their work.

P.S. Remember the GDPR? LOL.

Got questions about social media marketing? Not sure how social tools could benefit your business? Let’s talk!

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