We’ve come to the end of another month which means it’s time for the social media updates for April! Get yourself a cup of tea, get comfortable and enjoy the read!
This month we’re starting with LinkedIn, which has joined a number of other social media platforms in introducing “for you” style content. These posts can be recognised under the label “Suggested” and will show up in-stream and is based on your interests/previous engagement.
It’s worth noting that in-stream suggested posts are getting mixed reactions… naturally, there are some users who only want to see content from people they follow. But, we think it’s a great tool to increase engagement and boost discovery.
If you’re looking to build a business around your personal brand, this update from LinkedIn could be helpful! The platform is rolling out a new option for LinkedIn Premium subscribers to add a custom CTA button to their profile. The CTA’s include; contact us, learn more, and sign up. Along with those buttons, LinkedIn also provides analytics, so you can see what kind of response your chosen CTA button gets!
Meta has announced a new series of webinars that can help to improve advertising performance across Meta’s platforms. It’s been designed specifically to help small and medium-sized businesses and gets a big thumbs up from us!
Stories can be a great way to boost engagement but can often be an afterthought. To combat that, Facebook is experimenting with new ways to get more people to post to Stories. They’re doing that by creating an image recognition AI which will create new Stories based on your shared content!
Meta’s developing a way to share status updates from WhatsApp to Facebook! While it’s already possible to share status updates to Facebook stories, previously, users had to manually share them. Now, thanks to this new feature, the process will be automatic when the option is enabled.
Instagram is experimenting with a new Discovery update. This update would allow users to view a collaborative feed of content from accounts you and a ‘friend’ follow in common. This could be a great way for businesses to be found by more users and help businesses interact with more potential customers!
Instagram is also expanding its API access to allow brand agencies to send DMs and project requests more easily to content creators. This includes sending prioritised DMs through a third-party creator platform and extending access to brand agencies. This looks like it will be a great way to help creators and brands form the perfect partnership!
Instagram now allows users to display up to 5 links in their profile bio (woohoo!). We’re pretty excited about this update and we’d suggest using one of these links to promote your newsletter!
Instagram has added new updates for Reels! This update includes information on what’s trending (audio/hashtags). They’re bringing together video clips, audio, stickers, and text on a unified editing screen. Adding two new analytics metrics – total watch time and average watch time. As well as improving and expanding gifts!
Finally, Meta is implementing xHE-AAC across Facebook and Instagram Reels and Stories. You might have read that headline and thought “what the…”! So, before we continue, it’s worth noting that xHE-AAC is a new type of audio encoding that corrects changing audio levels!
If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through Reels and found that you’ve had to regularly adjust the volume because; on one clip it’s too quiet and the next too loud…this update should fix that! It works to provide a better audio experience on Facebook and Instagram, meaning your audience is more likely to keep listening.
YouTube is launching reactions on live streams! This update is said to “strengthen community” and ultimately will increase live engagement. Users will be able to tap the reaction of how they’re feeling whilst watching long-form videos live. Other viewers will be able to see the reaction, but at the moment, they won’t be able to see who reacted.
YouTube has added and updated 5 premium features! This update includes:
This update includes:
YouTube has launched live product drops! Previously, when you wanted to promote products during your live streams, you had to upload it in advance. Now, users can release products during a livestream without the audience knowing in advance! This will help keep products launches secret and allow you to build more excitement for a product drop.
Back in December, TikTok started introducing shopping as a new feature. This is now getting a new push, with a range of sellers being invited to join the app to help boost in-app shopping! This could have something to do with their ‘new’ sister app…
Speaking of which, if you haven’t heard -TikTok owner ByteDance launched a new app called Lemon8, back in 2020.
Lemon8 is described as ’a place for young creatives to share a diversity of content’. It’s been said to be a cross between Instagram and Pinterest and over the last month, the app has grown in popularity in the US and UK!
So far, it looks to be a great space to share tips, give inspiration and sell products. If you’re already using the app, be sure to let us know what you think!
Finally, TikTok has shared information on how you can maximise your messaging! And apparently, “Brands that think community-first don’t just get views—they get results” (love it!). TikTok is recommending you find your communities, develop your content strategy and then create your content. And in this update, they’ve given you tips and tricks on how you can do this and why!
Social media algorithms are constantly changing and as a business owner it’s important to know how they work. Luckily for us, Twitter has published its Tweet ranking algorithm data to GitHub! Since the initial post, there have been further updates but it definitely gives a big insight into how it works…. and it seems likes and retweets are by far the most significant indicators of interest!! 😉
Twitter has updated its promotional features for brands to build into their social media campaigns. This includes Hashmojis (formerly branded hashtags), hashfetti and custom likes. While these aren’t new features, they’ve been refreshed for brands to take into consideration when building a Twitter campaign. By using these branded features, “brands can create unique experiences on Twitter and engage with their audiences in a more personalized way”.
We’ve been holding off on updates about Twitter verification as there’s been a lot of back and forth and no decision seems to be final! However, we think it’s important to give you an idea of where it’s currently at and what we would recommend.
Over the last month, Twitter announced that “legacy blue” checkmarks would be removed and only Tweets from Twitter Blue subscribers would be recommended. Currently, it seems that users with over 1 million followers are keeping their verified status, however, these verifications are still labelled as Twitter Blue subscribers despite those users not subscribing.
Our recommendation would be to save your money and stay away from subscribing just to get a verified tick. Verification currently means very little and is likely to change again in the future.
Be sure to stay mindful of potential scams – just because an account has the blue tick, doesn’t mean it’s always the official page for a brand or person.
If you need some more help understanding how to use Twitter, check out our beginners’ guide to Twitter for business.
We hope you enjoyed this roundup of the latest social media updates. Don’t forget to Tweet us and let us know your thoughts!
Next month, “it’s gonna be May!” (thanks for the reminder N*SYNC 😉) and we’ll be back with another round up of all the updates from your favourite social media platforms! Until then, stay social!
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