» What’s Next in Social Media: November 2015

Posted by Allison | November 30, 2015 | 1 Comment

Social media is constantly changing. Each network has its own strategy and features, and it can be hard to keep up with the latest news. Never fear! We’ve got your monthly update, all in one place, so you can be prepared for what’s next in social media!

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next in social media from November 2015:

Instagram Now Testing Support For Account Switching, No Log Out Required

Image via TechCrunch

Instagram finally tests multiple accounts

Instagram is rumored to be beta testing an account switching feature that would allow users to enter in another set of login credentials to their current account. A new selector feature allows you to switch between multiple accounts, and a banner notification makes it clear when you’ve switched accounts. The initial test appeared on the Android version of the social network, and it’s unclear when and how this feature will be rolled out.

What this means for you: Sick of logging in and out of your personal Instagram account when you need to post on your business account? When the update is live for all users, you’ll be able to switch between accounts easily. This update would also presumably allow you to see notifications across both accounts, making it more efficient to check in on notifications from your followers. Being active on your business Instagram will be much easier for those who are also active on their personal accounts!

» What’s Next in Social Media: August 2015

Posted by Allison | August 26, 2015 | 1 Comment

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next in social media from August 2015:

Image via Facebook Media

Facebook introduces live streaming

As part of the Facebook Mentions app for public figures, celebrities, and other influencers, Facebook has introduced Live, a new way for public figures to share videos with their fans on Facebook. The new feature allows for a more direct connection between the influencer and their fans, but it also takes advantage of new live-streaming technologies being rolled out like Periscope and Meerkat.

» What’s Next in Social Media: June 2015

Posted by Allison | June 30, 2015 | 1 Comment

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next in social media from June 2015:

Facebook favors video

In late June, Facebook announced that it has made yet another News Feed tweak – this time to take more video engagement into account. Previously, Facebook tracked whether you watch a video and for how long. This new update takes into account even more video actions, such as turning on sound or playing the video in full screen. These actions taken on videos affect the prioritization of videos in your News Feed, so the more you interact with videos, the more videos you’ll see.

Continue reading on Forbes >>

Pinterest unveils Buyable Pins

Though the social network has been building towards more integrated e-commerce for a while, Pinterest has finally unveiled a new type of Rich Pin that allows users to purchase things directly from Pinterest partner retailers like Macy’s or Nordstrom. Pinterest users will be able to see prices, select details about the product (like color), and purchase with one tap of a button with a credit card or though Apple Pay. Buyable Pins will also show up in Pinterest recommendations and search.

Find out more from TechCrunch >>

Twitter adds Product Pages

Twitter has taken a page out of Pinterest’s book with new Product Pages and Collections. These new features include multiple tweets from a brand, but they also have basic product information and the ability to actually purchase those products. Collections look like normal tweets with multiple images, but when a user opens it they get more information and more images which all link to actual product pages. Twitter plans to extend this initial test to provide more personalized and relevant information to users.

Continue reading →

» What’s Next in Social Media: March 2015

Posted by Allison | March 25, 2015 | Comments Off

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next in social media from March 2015:

Image via Re/code

Facebook Messenger allows payments

Facebook’s standalone app for messaging, Messenger, has introduced the ability for users to tie their debit cards to their Facebook accounts in order to send money to peers through messaging. Money sent through Messenger is transferred to Facebook before the network sends it along to the user’s bank. Peer-to-peer payment apps like Venmo and Square already exist, but this new functionality is novel as many users are already using Messenger to have conversations that culminate in payments which they could not do through the network. Facebook has combined both the organization and payment for events, trips and other peer-to-peer payments.

» What’s Next in Social Media: February 2015

Posted by Allison | February 23, 2015 | Comments Off

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next in social media from February 2015:

Product Ads on Facebook

In addition to Facebook’s existing ad products, the social network has announced new Product Ads, designed to help businesses promote products or product catalogs across all devices. These ads allow businesses to highlight their products to specific audiences, or let Facebook display the most relevant products to people. These are a great way to link directly to your products and offer discounts.

Twitter launches Curator

Twitter’s latest tool, Curator, helps media outlets and businesses figure out which topics are popular and where. Curator allows you to search through tweets, Vine videos and other data with filters to narrow down the results by location, word count, sentiment and more. Users can also select tweets from the search results to present them together in relevant groups.

Continue on Mashable >>

Pinterest’s new spam-fighting tool

Stingray, a spam-fighting service widely used at Pinterest, can identify inappropriate and unwanted behavior on the social network in real-time. Since many social networks rely on manual moderation to keep spam posts under control, Stingray balances automatic detection and manual intervention. Rather than block the spam account, the service makes it so that the spammer’s posts are invisible to others.

Continue reading →

» What’s Next in Social Media: 2014 Year in Review

Posted by Allison | December 29, 2014 | Comments Off

The big social networks are still finding new ways to innovate and introduce new features, even though they’re years old at this point. Don’t be fooled – just because networks like Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest aren’t shiny and new doesn’t mean that their updates don’t constantly influence the way businesses conduct online marketing. 2014 was still a huge year for the big social players!

If you’re just now deciding whether or not to start a new social media marketing strategy, make sure you catch up on the latest social media news and updates before you start planning for the New Year.

Before you spend time searching the news stories to find out what’s next in social media, check out the biggest updates to social networks in 2014!

Facebook

Facebook’s biggest update for businesses was announced in December – new tools and insights for businesses are coming for 2015! The exciting announcement came as a result of feedback from publishers who need more social media marketing tools than just paid options. Facebook is introducing interest targeting for organic posts that allows you to target a subset of people who like your page so only that subset sees your post. Facebook will also give publishers the option to add a Post End Date to prevent users from seeing out-of-date posts from your business. Finally, Facebook will introduce Smart Publishing to help businesses publish the most relevant and timely posts automatically. Besides the Facebook redesign in March and the News Feed algorithm update in June, these new tools are the biggest Facebook news for businesses in 2014!

Twitter

2014 was a big year for Twitter. Following its late-year IPO in 2013, Twitter created a new desktop design that radically changed the layout of the social network. The network then added Promoted Accounts to Twitter search so businesses could suggest their account to users searching on a similar topic. In July, Twitter helped businesses out in a big way by expanding Twitter Analytics so businesses could find out more about those following them as well as other users who show interest in their brand or activities. In the final months of the year Twitter also made strides in the e-commerce market by adding the “Buy” button to tweets as well as adding Offers to help businesses drive urgency with deals. All these features helped Twitter to solidify its presence in the top of the social media world, and businesses would do well to take advantage of these features in the New Year.

Continue reading →

» What’s Next in Social Media: September 2014

Posted by Allison | September 29, 2014 | 2 Comments

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next in social media from September 2014:

Facebook enforcing “real name” policy

While Facebook’s name policy is not new, the social network has made headlines this month as it began enforcing the policy. Facebook’s policy maintains that it requires “everyone to provide their real names, so you always know who you’re connecting with.” This policy affects personal, individual Facebook profiles, not business pages – but if you have yet to create a real business page for your business, now’s the time to make the switch!

» Infographic: How to Build a Buzzworthy Brand

Posted by Kari | September 24, 2014 | Comments Off

In today’s marketing landscape, 72% of internet users are active on social media and 46% of online users count on social media when making a purchase decision. Those are impressive statistics! Is your wedding business taking advantage of these statistics to reach couples planning their wedding?

If you need help building a buzzworthy brand in the wedding industry, our infographic has tips for using social media to grow your business’ presence!

» What’s Next in Social Media: July 2014

Posted by Allison | July 31, 2014 | Comments Off

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next in social media from July 2014:

Facebook separates Messenger app

In a move some in the industry are questioning, Facebook is separating its Messenger functionality from its mobile and tablet apps, thereby forcing users to download Messenger if they would like to continue receiving Facebook messages on their phones. While user research suggests that users like to use separate apps for separate activities, many have complained about using multiple apps to interact with friends on Facebook. Messenger remains a free app for those who like to use Facebook chat on mobile devices.

» What’s Next in Social Media: June 2014

Posted by Allison | June 24, 2014 | Comments Off

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next in social media from June 2014:

Facebook’s latest algorithm change

Facebook has updated its News Feed algorithm yet again! This change, though, should make users a bit happier: the change will assist Facebook in serving users videos that are most relevant to them. Now, a video’s “weight” or value in the News Feed will be partially determined by how long a user watches a video and the number of engagement metrics such as likes, comments and shares. If you typically watch a lot of videos when browsing your News Feed, you’ll start seeing more of them with this new change! The good news for businesses is that the videos that are popular and being watched will reach a larger audience than those that have low engagement.