Lately in Social Media – 6/20/16

Some big changes in the world of social media to report this week. From big buyouts, to changes in how ads are shown, there are some things you should definitely know going into the digital marketing world right now.

Twitter:

1. Twitter adds Periscope button – With live-streaming being the hot new feature for social media platforms, Twitter is trying to fight back against Facebook’s takeover of the functionality. Twitter has added a button, for both iOS and Android, that allows you to directly stream live through Periscope and have it on your Twitter feed as well. Combined with the new save functionality, this allows Twitter to compete directly with Facebook Live. Let the battle continue.
2. Can now retweet yourself – In honor of all the narcissists out there, Twitter now allows you to retweet yourself. Thought something you said 3 years ago was funny and worth retweeting? Go for it! Think something you said 5 minutes ago is worth retweeting? Retweet that, it’s obviously important! Might allow brands to retweet important things they really want to emphasize. Might also allow people to retweet not-so-important things they want to emphasize.

Snapchat:

Increased ads on Snapchat – There are now multiple ways advertisers can increase their engagement with users. While you can already see ads through the Instant-Article style options on a feed, it’s now easier for users to engage with these ads. If a user likes an ad and wants to go to the website, or install the specified app, they can simply swipe up and complete whatever the call-to-action is for that ad. Ads will now also appear between stories once you auto-advance from one story to the next. They won’t be within a user’s story, and they won’t be shown after every auto-advance, but they will be there. Good news for advertising and getting exposure, but probably not ideal for users. This is all great progress for a possible Snapchat IPO though, so don’t be surprised if that chatter increases.

Facebook:

Facebook Messenger gets a new homepage design – Facebook’s messaging app has redesigned the homepage to have more quick-connect features within easy reach. The features include knowing who your favorites are, who’s birthdays might be coming up, as well as an indicator of who is online at that time. While this may not seem like a huge change, Facebook is trying to make it easier to engage directly with Messenger and increase usage. Facebook is probably thinking that seeing everyone who is online, or seeing a reminder of your favorites, might increase your use of the app.

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn was bought out by Microsoft –  Microsoft just spent $26 billion to buy out LinkedIn. Now two of the most professional-focused companies are joined and ready to take over the business/professional world. LinkedIn has become THE social media for professionals looking to learn and network. Microsoft has been the go-to for organizations around the world looking for business-focused programs and technologies, like email and e-learning software. With this merger, we can see the intent to merge the functionalities of both companies together to make them even more powerful and more effective for business professionals. Look out business world, Microsoft/LinkedIn are coming for ya!

YouTube:

Launch of YouTube Director suite of products – The Youtube Director suite of products makes it super easy for companies to create their own ads for YouTube. The main Director app allows users to create high quality, professional-looking ads from their phones. The app walks the user through simple steps, like describing your business and creating a quick introductory video, and then puts all the pieces together to create an ad. Advertisers can then use these ads to promote their companies, like in AdWords campaigns. This tool is extremely helpful for small businesses that can’t afford to create original ads for digital marketing but still want to advertise online and look professional. Small business can benefit tremendously from an app like this.

Pinterest:

New targeting tools for ads – Pinterest added three new ways for advertisers to target their ads to be more effective. The first is customer list targeting, which targets customers using emails or mobile ad ID’s. Visitor retargeting allows advertisers to reach people who have visited their sites, and lookalike targeting can help advertisers reach a larger audience based on how their current audience looks and acts. All these forms of targeting will help ads become much more effective for advertisers, who will benefit from a more focused approach to their advertising on Pinterest.