Every month, we share bite-size summaries of key social media updates we’ve come across. As a leading digital marketing agency in Singapore, we recommend using these social media updates as it can help you increase your social media reach, engagement and follower growth. Make sure to always test before developing your social strategy entirely, as not every approach works for every account or target audience. As you begin to plan or finalize your strategies for this month, here are some updates from the social media platforms you use the most.
1. Facebook will now come under the ‘Meta’ banner, to show its focus on the next generation of digital connection
CEO Mark Zuckerberg, spoke at the company’s live-streamed augmented reality conference where he revealed that the the new name reflected its work being invested in the metaverse, rather than its name mostly being used as a social media service. The metaverse is defined as a term coined in the dystopian novel “Snow Crash” three decades ago which has now attracted the buzz in Silicon Valley. It depicts the concept of a shared virtual reality which can be accessed by various people by using different devices.
2. YouTube adds “auto chapters” as a more specific search element to highlight segments for user queries
YouTube, the world’s largest video platform aims to provide more accurate search matches by adding new functionality called Automatic chapter as a helpful search element, that can highlight automatically recognized segments with regards to the response from user queries. This can prove to play a greater role in video search discovery making every element of each clip more searchable, providing specific data about what people are searching for.
3. Clubhouse adds a new Pinned Links feature to enable users to attach any URL to the top of the room display
This new feature from Clubhouse will enable moderators of an audio room on the application to pin an external link at the top of the room. These external links can then help users get redirected their listeners to a website, news article, podcast, YouTube video and more. While revealing details about the feature, the Clubhouse CEO says that a moderator will be able to add, change or remove a link regardless of the number of followers they have on the platform.
4. Google adds ‘Quick Tap to Snap’ feature to take a photo or video in Snapchat directly from the lock screen
By simply tapping onto the back of your phone, users can easily create quick Snaps and explore Lenses directly from the lock screen. Bonus points, users don’t have to unlock their phones either. After the Snap is ready to share, you can easily log in to your phone’s lock screen to then unlock the full app experience. Snapchat is collaborating with Google to launch exclusive augmented reality Lenses along with the support of Google’s Pixel features like Ultra Wide Angle and live translation.
5. Instagram allows to schedule IG Live where users get a reminder notification on the broadcast day
Instagram launched a couple of new tools directed towards addressing the making IGTV more focused on Live creators. Now, creators can build up momentum for their upcoming Live by scheduling before 90 days in advance, where they can also share the news across Instagram to alert their fans. The platform is also ready to roll out a new feature called “Practice Mode,” enabling creators to join their guests ahead of the planned event to test network connection, lighting and manage other pre-show preps they want to.
6. Instagram tests a new ‘Partnerships’ messaging folder to facilitate connection with creators that follow their brand profile
The Partnerships messaging folder is a new dedicated folder being tested by Instagram that will help creators track their sponsored content opportunities and communicate with brands and marketers. Communication with brands will be added to a Partnership Message section, coming through the Brand Collabs Manager on Facebook. Essentially, this means that brands using Facebook to schedule campaNotepadigns can reach out to creators on Instagram in a more organised manner.
7. Facebook announces new tools for SMBs, including video and audio calls direct from the Facebook inbox
Facebook is rolling out a series of updates aimed at small businesses that allows SMBs to do audio & video calls in Messenger, live audio rooms, and more. These updates are perfect for the holiday shopping season as it reportedly counts for 20% of annual revenue for small businesses. Businesses now can easily find more ways to communicate with customers this season especially by this feature which will allow customers to book more appointments directly in Facebook, and easier ways to create ads.
8. Instagram tests new and longer video uploads in Stories of up to 1 minute in length
As part of an advanced shift towards video content for maximizing user engagement, Instagram is presently testing new options which would be integrating its various video functions within the app. After the following merger of IGTV into its broader Instagram Video offering, the duration of up to 1 minute in stories is presently sitting in the back-end of the Instagram app and will soon be a live update for all users, claims Instagram.
7. Facebook announces its audio social plans with live audio rooms being made available to public figures globally
Facebook’s Live Audio Rooms will be displayed at the top of the News Feed for those following each creator (even above Stories), while they’ll also be accessible via a feed post. The playback format is very similar to Clubhouse showing the speakers and listeners in separate sections, while Reactions icons will float up the screen as they’re applied, similar to video live-streams.
That was all for the month of October. All these updates will surely prove to be beneficial for all social media marketers looking to build a brand identity. Share your thoughts on the list of updates and why you think it’s a must to implement it.