Social media platforms are constantly updating, improving, and unrolling new features. This past month has been a big month for changes, especially following the Facebook F8 Conference. Our team is keeping up with the trends and applying this knowledge to our clients’ business. Here’s the latest scoop!
Expect Facebook to get a facelift with significant redesigns in the works. Changes are intended to make Facebook simpler, faster and easier to navigate enhancing the overall user experience. Agencies and brands should be mindful of a few changes in specific, but a larger list of upcoming updates can be found here.
Groups: Facebook has found that groups can be one of the most engaging elements of the platform. The redesign will make it easier for people to find relevant communities. What does this mean for clients in this space? Create and activate your groups to facilitate conversations! The more active the group, the more often members will see content.
Messenger App: Facebook Messenger will be improving speeds and file sharing capabilities, as well as launching an appointment booking feature. Certain industries can benefit from this scheduling tool, such as local health and beauty businesses that use social media to acquire new patients and appointments.
Instagram is also expecting big changes, but many of these updates are still in the testing phases. After select testing and trials, the platform will leverage user feedback prior to implementing to all users.
Like Count: Instagram says they are testing out a new model that hides this number to have users concentrate on the content and interactions, rather than the number. Each person can see their own metrics, but the quantity of likes is not visible to followers scrolling through their feed. This update has some worried about how it will impact their brand, presence, credibility, and even popularity. While this is in early testing phases, it’s still something to consider, especially while selecting influencers. See for yourself!
Creator Profile: A new Creator Profile is being tested by influencers Instagram, giving them access to new data and capabilities to help grow their personal brands. Features include growth insights, messaging tools, and shopping their looks directly from Instagram. Look into more of the Creator capabilities to determine if your brand should take on this new profile format.
It’s common to see “trolls” on social media spamming threads with negativity, abuse and vulgar language. Twitter is experimenting with moderation capabilities to put a stop to this negative environment.
Hide Replies: Twitter is set to launch “Hide Replies” in June allowing the conversation starter to hide the nonconstructive commentary. This could be a great way to eventually encourage positivity, while also controlling inappropriate messages before they spiral out of hand. As a brand it will be important to consider honesty and transparency rather than using the power to delete all comments that show opposing opinions.
Stay tuned as we continue to dive into the digital world and share updates about the ever-changing industry by subscribing below.
