Social media marketing is an ever-changing environment and keeping up with the latest changes and trends is essential, there’s been a lot happening in July! Take a look at our round up below:
Instagram changes it video layouts
Instagram is making a move on video, meaning that once the update is in place all videos will be uploaded as reels. This goes hand-in-hand with their general move that has been picked up to “be more like TikTok”, testing a full-screen video experience on the app and moving toward serving more recommended videos from creators rather than from those users follow. Reel template options are also being expanding to facilitate jumping onto trends easier.
These changes have been publicly controversial, with some updates being quickly reversed after instant backlash from big names such as Kyle Jenner and Kim Kardashian who shared images stating “Make Instagram Instagram again” – we love to see it.
It’s not just TikTok we can see parallels with amid these updates, dual camera mode is also looking to be introduced, enabling users to film both what is in front of them, and their own reaction using both cameras. An ode to the new BeReal app? Time will tell, but definitely one to watch.
Facebook splits its news feed
Facebook are looking into splitting the feed into two – one for recommended content in a move toward TikTok, and one to maintain Facebook’s personal feel. Facebook have positioned this as allowing users to make it easier to find the content they like rather than showing more ‘entertainment’ style content to keep users on the app longer. It will be interesting to see the reception for this, and the impact on Facebook ads and recommended content.
Twitter becomes more emotive
Twitter may be becoming more emotive, with status tags similar to Facebook’s “Feeling Happy/Feeling Sad/Feeling Excited, etc.” potentially due to be added to the platform. This would assist in improving how communications are conveyed on the channel, making up for the character limit.
Twitter has also been great for viral trends in July, from “They’re a 10 but…” to adopting the “Little Miss memes” in a simpler way. Brands such as Nandos have jumped on the latter trend with “little miss orders the same thing every time” which was well received by the audience. This is a great example of a brand understanding their consumer base and jumping on a trend quickly and simply to join the conversation – something key for a strong social media strategy.
TikTok focuses on accessibility
TikTok is putting a focus on accessibility, introducing new caption and translation tools in a range of popular languages to make its content more accessible globally. This comes after their rollout of auto-captions in 2021 and other similar accessibility features such as their photosensitivity warnings for photosensitive epilepsy.
This type of feature is timely and great to see, ensuring that a diverse user base all have access to the entertainment app.
LinkedIn introduce new carousel posting
LinkedIn are making it easier to post carousels, with no need for uploading makeshift carousels as PDF’s anymore as they introduce a carousel asset option when starting a post. This update will initially be rolled out among key creators before being implemented globally.
It will be interesting to see how this impacts engagement rates, as PDF carousels typically report higher engagement rates due to the interactivity of the post itself. Whether these type of post clicks will be separated from the overall engagement rates is yet to be seen!
LinkedIn are also rolling out tests of a LinkedIn Business Manager – a single dashboard for ad accounts, Matched Audiences and pages to make it easier for organisations to manage the people, ad accounts, pages and the businesses they work with from one place.
Should this get rolled out officially, it will be great to further streamline reporting/insights and may make it quicker for reviewing LinkedIn campaigns which run across organic and paid activity.
At Prohibition, we work with a range of brands across all sectors to create engaging social media marketing strategies that allow brands to stay up to date with the latest trends and updates. Get in contact today to find out how we could help you.
For more interesting articles from us check out these posts:
- 3D Avatars Launched by Instagram and other social media trends
- How effective is video on social media?
- LinkedIn changes it algorithm to tackle ‘engagement baiting’ and Instagram introduces a new story format
