March has come and gone, leaving its mark on the world the same way it always does.
So what are the latest updates on social media that March has introduced to us?
Read on below to find the latest insights in the social media marketing world:
Facebook Ends Testing of Split News Feed
Starting off with some GREAT news for us marketers, Facebook has finally pulled the plug on testing a split News Feed which separated posts from brands and publishers from friends and family.
Following Mark Zuckerberg’s statement in January, the idea was to keep content from brands and publishers in a separate “Explore” tab in hopes to improve content quality by prioritizing posts by friends and family.
Although the test was limited to six countries, Facebook received enough negative feedback to end the project right away.
Instagram Expands Shopping Feature To 8 Additional Countries
Exactly a year ago (give or take a few days), Instagram introduced Instagram Shopping—an in-app tool that allows businesses to sell products to their customers just by viewing an organic photo.
By tagging products in an image, interested users can see everything they need to know about the product, from product details to pricing, and buy it right on the spot.
However, there was one issue: this feature has only been available in the US.
But this month Instagram announced that Shopping would be released to more countries, including the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, and Australia.
As a business with a social media presence based in one of the countries listed above, this is a huge deal.
Instagram Shopping has been incredibly successful since its introduction in the US a year ago, with over 200 million Instagram users visiting at least one business page daily on Instagram.
It’s time to step up your game and start tagging your photos with the products you think will sell best.
Facebook Testing Two Cool New Ways To Connect: Micropodcasting and Messenger Mass Promotions
Facebook might be under the magnifying glass this month, but that doesn’t take away its status as the number one social media giant for now and the foreseeable future.
No good social media team would benefit from taking Facebook off their daily carousel of responsibilities.
When it comes to Facebook, you might feel like you already know everything it has to offer. But they don’t stop surprising, do they?
This month, Facebook started testing two separate features that are unlike anything the platform previously offered.
First is Voice Clips, a feature that allows users to “record a short audio snippet to use as a status update.”
What does this mean for businesses? It might be time to start finding some good voice actors that can sound the way your business looks.
Then there’s Facebook’s latest attempt to enable mass promotion with the Messenger app.
Instead of letting brands use chatbots, Facebook is trialing a new feature that allows brands to mass-send a tailored promotional message to their followers.
To keep things under control, brands can only mass-send these messages to users that have messaged them in the past.
Twitter Is About To Change Everything Up With a Camera-First Feature
Twitter has always been about short and concise messages coupled with breaking news and immediate interaction, and it’s done a great job of maintaining that niche in a social media world that is obsessed with pictures and videos.
But the latest news coming out of the Twitter world reports that development is going on with a “camera-first feature”, encouraging users to more post images and videos.
While it is still reportedly in the earliest stages of development, we are already wondering what a more image-centric Twitter might look like.
Insider executives reportedly claim that the feature is meant to stand up against the Our Story feature on Snapchat, in which posts from the same location or on the same topic are placed together to create a fuller narrative.
For social media marketing, there’s definitely potential to explore. Who knows—social media managers could go from tweeting in the office one day to filming and participating in relevant events the next.
Better put your journalist shoes on!
Instagram Testing “Nametag” Scanning
There was always something extremely convenient about Snapchat’s QR Snapcode scanning feature, where a user could scan another user’s unique QR and follow them right away.
It was so convenient, in fact, that Instagram has recently decided to pick it up for themselves: Instagram has an upcoming nametag scanning feature in the works, allowing users to scan nametags and follow profiles instantly.
It was found in Instagram’s latest code that users will soon be able to “add stickers and selfies to their nametag.”
Other users who want to follow those profiles will just have to open the photo in their own stories camera and then immediately follow the account.
What does this mean for businesses? A load off your shoulders, that’s what.
Instead of messing around adding your profile link and bio link to every piece of marketing material you push out, all you have to do is include your nametag on your posts, and users can follow you right away.
There’s one more new Instagram development we want to mention for this month—some users are reportedly testing a “Regram” option, which is exactly what it sounds like. Users will soon be able to Regram photos the same way you can Retweet tweets, with your own added comment around the photo.
So if you weren’t paying attention to your Instagram photos before, you better start paying close attention to them now.
Snapchat To Promote Popular Lens Creators
And last but not least, we visit Snapchat and their latest attempts to rebuild their brand after the disaster of their infamous interface overhaul.
In an effort to boost its relationship with active platform creators, Snapchat has announced that they will soon start promoting lenses made by third party creators on their Lens Studio tool.
This means that popular lens creators like Shaun McBride will receive some well-earned official recognition from Snapchat, which might be a step forward towards getting back in good graces with their disenchanted community.
Whenever a user scrolls to a promoted lens, it will show the name of the creator underneath.
Take a second to explore these creative lenses and make it work for your brand.
What Update Most Interested You?
As social media marketers, we constantly have to update and revise our game plan.
But was March relevant enough to change the way you approach your promotion and marketing?
Let us know what update interested you most, and which ones you think we can do better without.
