November Social Shake
Platform changes are dropping as quickly as the temperature. Is this the new dawn of social media?
November has drawn to a close and the festive season is creeping up on us all. But the age-old decision between white or colourful Christmas lights won’t be the only choice you’ll be making this December. Elon Musk is gutting Twitter while Instagram and LinkedIn are fighting for the business of scheduling platforms. With big changes in the works, it’s up to marketers everywhere to decide which platforms are naughty or nice.
Twitter’s at it again
You’ve likely heard about Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, and his big, blue plans for the platform. And if you’re confused by all the changes, you’re far from alone.
Let’s break it down from the beginning. On Twitter, official accounts for businesses, celebrities, etc. were known by their blue tick. This icon next to their name indicated that the account was verified by the platform as the real deal. Since the new update, any user can pay for Twitter Blue to achieve the same results.
Twitter Blue is a subscription where customers pay $8/month and receive a verification tick in return. Understandably, Twitter is now facing a very serious fake account problem.
Ranging from meme-worthy to horrifying, tweets that appeared to be from well-known entities could no longer be verified as truth. To patch up this issue, the platform is blocking new accounts from attaining blue tick status. There’s talk of introducing account categories and cutting inactive users to mitigate the issue. But a sure path remains unclear.
Further, Twitter is no longer enforcing its COVID-19 misinformation policy which monitored harmful rhetoric around the virus and vaccines. This update means restoring banned accounts and allowing all information to spread (whether true or, well, absolute nonsense) – a move made even more dangerous considering the ambiguity of verified accounts.
After firing 50 per cent of staff and spurring a blue tick debacle, you’d think Musk would be done. He’s not.
Twitter ads will have a new targeting option, including web conversion optimisation. In the platform’s ‘conversion’ objective, you can focus promotions on users that are likely to take a specific action in response. Instead of targeting for a tap, you can select options like the following:
- Add to cart
- Purchase
- Register contact info
- Subscribe
However, this optimisation is not likely to have major impact. Most of the new conversion options are already available and contact info isn’t usually a key prize for Twitter advertisers.
What does this mean for you?
Though Musk’s plans for Twitter are gradually becoming clearer, the changes are likely just beginning . Wariness about Musk’s reformation has already caused a dramatic decline in users – and whispers indicate this may be the end of Twitter as we know it.
We can’t know what will happen next, but we do know that change is on the horizon. So, keep an eye on the data to make the most educated decisions for your clients’ accounts.
TikTok’s trending
In contrast to the dramatic changes occurring in the Twitterverse, TikTok has retained its position as the escapist golden child of social media. Still, the platform’s rapid-fire trend algorithm decides what’s hot or not – and it’s our job to keep track. Here’s a few standouts from recent weeks:
Hacker
Try it for yourself: (Audio)
If someone stole your phone and leaked all your photos, what would they see? This trend offers creators a chance to show the world. Often, the sound is used as a joke to display specific interests or funny photos.
Voice effects
While this trend doesn’t have a specific soundtrack, it’s significant to the future of the app. TikTok has always had features that could warp your voice. Now, users can change their voice entirely to sound like a different person as they narrate videos.
What does this mean for you?
Trends are always a hot topic for marketers. Brands will never miss a chance to show off how beloved they are – and this ‘hacker’ trend is an opportunity for just that.
Keeping an eye on TikTok is never a bad idea, especially considering its increasingly sophisticated features. Are complete voice changes simply a cool tech feature or a slippery slope into the unknown? Time will tell, but consider our interest piqued.
Instagram’s rocking out
Since Instagram’s recent orientation towards Reels didn’t pan out, they’ve decided to go after the best of both worlds. Users will now have the option to add 5-90 second segments of music to their still photos. It’s the same concept that exists on Stories, but it’s now on the feed too.
As Insta’s green-eyed monster vies for TikTok audiences, it seems they’re chasing after business from scheduling platforms as well. Professional accounts can now schedule posts in-app for up to 75 days in advance.
What does this mean for you?
Social media marketers, rejoice! You can now schedule Reels, photos and carousel posts in-app – and add a catchy tune to them all.
LinkedIn’s planning ahead
LinkedIn’s taking a page out of Instagram’s book (or vice versa). The business-oriented platform has launched in-app post scheduling for up to 90 days in advance. Certain users have already seen this tool as it was trialled, but it’s now officially available everywhere.
What does this mean for you?
Social media marketers appear to be firmly on the nice list this year. After all, we’re being positively spoiled with scheduling updates. These additions are hugely beneficial. But as the need for scheduling platforms dwindles, we’re curious to when in-app data tracking will grow enough for marketers to ditch third parties altogether.