What’s New in Social Media - April 2022
At Gather Social, we’re here to help you stay up to date with all things social media and marketing! This month, we’ll discuss TikTok’s new search ads, new Instagram Reels editing tools, the latest information on Twitter’s edit button and much more. Keep reading to learn more about your favourite social media platforms.
Instagram Reels editing tools
First up, Instagram has updated the Reels tools to speed up the editing process. They’ve added several new features, making it easier to trim and reorder your clips when making a reel. A new and improved trimming tool means you can now edit your clips by tapping on the thumbnail and cutting down to the segment you want to use. You can then reorder your clips via the new ‘Reorder’ mode, which will streamline the editing flow with a simple drag and drop editing process. From a brand point of view, these newly added tools will be super useful for social media managers wanting to create reels organically in the platform. Thank you Instagram, it’s as simple as that.
TikTok’s new search ads
TikTok is testing new search adverts, which are reportedly now in beta testing. Search ads will be tagged with a sponsored label and will appear when someone does a keyword search on TikTok's discover page. These search ads will show as one of the first three suggested videos, mixed in with organic search results. Advertisers will also be able to access a list of top search terms that are driving ad conversion for their campaigns. Search ads are only been tested with selected partners for now. However, the update is expected to be rolled out to all advertisers if successful.
The main purpose of search ads is to allow brands to serve relevant content to their audience and increase traffic via a prime ad inventory as the first search result shown. Brands should use TikTok’s insight on top of their search terms to help shape their strategy. Use search terms to create ads that solve specific options such as teaching users random life hacks, showing them new recipes, makeup tutorials and more.
Snapchat’s public profiles for brands
From June, brands and businesses will have to set up a Public Profile on Snapchat if they want to run ads from the platform. The introduction of public profiles is the first organic presence for brands on Snapchat, marking organic content's increased importance on the platform going forward. Public profiles let brands share public stories, showcase branded lens experiences and share shoppable products that don’t go anywhere after 24 hours. They are also complementary to advertising on Snapchat, providing audience insight and custom audience segments, people can subscribe to your public profile to stay up to date on all your posts and those who are not subscribed can still find you in the discover tab or spotlight. However, it’s important to note that at the moment, only organisational admins can set up a public profile which will be managed under the members' page.
Meta’s new consequences for videos
Meta is cracking down on videos categorised as ‘Watch Bait’. That is videos that are classed as misleading with the use of specific tactics and video titles and descriptions that entice users to watch. Tactics such as withholding key information, sensational language and misleading viewers about the video's content. Meta will reduce the video's reach, and distribution if its system detects ‘Watch Bait’ which can impact engagement. Repeat offenders can also expect an overall reduction in their page’s reach. Brands should use video titles and descriptions that set the appropriate expectations of the video content and use appropriate images in the thumbnail to avoid being penalised by Meta. Furthermore, avoid excessive use of emojis and all capitalised titles - keep headlines and descriptions informative and clear. Overall, stay clear of ‘Watch Bait’!
Twitter’s edit button.
Twitter has confirmed an ‘Edit’ button is coming and it’s probably its most highly requested feature ever, but be warned, there will be limitations. 73.6% of users voted for an Edit button, in a recent poll from Twitter’s newest shareholder, Elon Musk who bought the platform last week for $44 billion. Twitter announced they’ve been working on the feature since last year and in the coming months testing will open to Twitter Blue users first, so the platform can learn what works, what doesn't and what's possible.
The feature will clean up any tweets which contain typos, or incorrect information and could also be used to solve issues which arise from content moderation. When the function finally rolls out, the edit button will likely be active for a short time after the tweet was sent, similarly to the tested undo button for Twitter Blue users, so accountability and authenticity can be upheld and old tweets can’t be edited either.
You’re all caught up for April! To learn more about some of your favourite social media platforms then head to the Gather Social website today to read another blog, or just click here.
