2018 Changes in Social Media
It is no secret that digital tools and devices are constantly changing, and that means constant updates to apps. That is why it is critical for business owners and content creators to stay up to date with the latest adjustments.
Not even six months into 2018 and Facebook has made notable revisions to its advertising platform. The company changed the advertising algorithm, which now gives users the advantage of creating varied ads with different images. The new algorithm allows users to find the best combination of headlines, images, and text with the Dynamic Creative feature. The new feature permits you to include up to 30 creative assets on a Facebook ad. Once the ad is published, the site will do the A/B testing-like work for you to see which variation delivers the best results.
Along with the Dynamic Creative feature, the company introduced the Dynamic Language Optimization. This new feature gives users the opportunity to create ads and set them in up to six languages, rather than having to create different sets of ads for each language you chose to use. Facebook will automatically optimize your marketing campaign budget and deliver your ads in the selected languages to the right audiences.
Facebook has also been making major adjustments to your news feed. Users can expect to see more posts from family members, friends, and groups instead of so many public posts from businesses and the media. There will be more content from local news sources, which will diminish the possibility of seeing fake news on your feed and it will improve the overall quality of news shared on the platform.
Advertising just got a little easier for businesses, but now that the new algorithm will show less content from businesses on news feeds, marketers will need to work a little harder to get their content seen. Stay on top of the engagement rates and insights for your Facebook page.
Instagram introduced a new option to follow hashtags. When you select a hashtag to follow, it will show selected photos associated with that hashtag on your feed. This gives business owners the opportunity to see what will give them a better insight into what kinds of posts are most engaging.
The app also came out with a ‘regram’ option that allows Instagram users to share other user’s posts on your feed. Though, as of right now, the option is only available through a third-party app. Developers are currently working on an option to share other people’s posts through your own story. Only a select few people have gotten this option so far. Could sharing posts become a new tool to enhance engagement? It could be, but for now, we will have to wait until Instagram has mastered it.
For a short period, LinkedIn’s groups feature took a fall in the amount that users were using it. The site decided to step up its game and make the feature more accessible to users. For starters, users can now see group content on their homepage feed and receive notifications about these. Users also have the opportunity to post videos in their groups, now. This means that they have a greater capacity for connection and engagement with one another.
LinkedIn also redesigned the account pages including improved search filters and new email alerts. The new features permit users to transfer data to corporate account with a self-serve tool. Businesses have a better opportunity to stay connected to prospective and existing customers with these new updates.
Snapchat
Snapchat recently went through a complete redesign of the interface. Users weren’t too happy about the new separation of media content from “friends” content. In fact, when they made the changes, users began a petition to revert the face back to the earlier version, which got 800,000 signatures.
Businesses need to start thinking about paying for advertising on the main platform, now that the media publisher and branded content is not in their face. When the developers redesigned the layout, they also updated the algorithm. The new algorithm gives Snapchat the power to choose what users see on the Discover Page. This means businesses should seriously start considering buying ads if they want to get their posts in front of their fans and keep their engagement levels up.
Stay on Top of It
The best advice for any business would be to stay on top of the consistent changes to these social media apps. The easier you can adapt to the advancements, the better off you are at keeping your engagement levels. Your marketing success is heavily dependent on how well you are able to use the latest features on these social media platforms. Once you have adapted to the latest changes, start thinking outside the box for creative ways to promote your business on these sites.
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