Digital Marketing Updates and Social Media News from Q3 of 2020
Posted by Maxwell Blome in Digital Ads / E-Commerce / Mobile Apps / Social Media on October 8, 2020
This long, difficult year is starting to wrap up as we enter the winter months and embrace the holidays. Developers are further improving our online experience as we find ourselves even more confined to the indoors as the year gets colder. In 2020 our virtual lives have evolved from being a convenience, to an essential way to be healthy while staying connected. Before we get into this quarter, check out our previous blog to see how developers made updates to keep us connected.
And onto the third quarter update…
With more and more of us turning to social media, these already feature rich platforms are being further updated for the benefit of users in discovering new content, businesses operating digitally and improved user safety. For Facebook and Instagram, the third quarter social media news was about improving our online shopping experience, making it easier for brands to stay afloat during these difficult times. Snapchat is releasing features to compete with the ever growing TikTok that may eventually give TikTok some real competition. Pinterest is making your feed more balanced and discovery oriented than ever, as well as including more videos on what has historically been a photo based platform. LinkedIn has worked on making their platform safer and more user friendly with features that aid in socially distanced hiring and the new remote job market. Google and Twitter have added new feature sets that aid in a more positive and streamlined comment section experience. Altogether a very exciting quarter for updates that make operating in this new, distanced world a more positive and productive experience for creators and businesses.
- Google has added a “Smart Reply” function for Youtube Studio that scans the comments and provides optional responses that allow the user to reply without typing. This one tap system is great for users with a large audience that still want to reach out to their audience and maintain feedback without the hassle.
- Pinterest has added a few things that improve the user experience. They updated their feed algorithm to be more balanced and focus less on engagement data and more on experience by giving the user a better variety in terms of content.
- Pinterest not typically known for videos is also showing more videos to users. These videos are generally short in length, but are not limited like TikTok and can be up to 15 minutes long or a 2 gigabyte file size.
TikTok
- TikTok launched their new “branded effects” feature for companies looking for a new fun way to interactively market with users. Branded effects are filters that are very similar to the ones on Snapchat we have been seeing for years that also promote or represent a company or business somehow. They are limited release and have to be paid for by the business. Cost varies based on different factors
- TikTok launched a “TikTok for Business” platform to allow brands to market in a more conventional paid fashion as they have for years on Youtube and Snapchat. This feature allows businesses to pay for ads on the platform in many different forms like full page ads when the app is opened to sponsored hashtags. The scale and length of time the ad is run can greatly vary the price this may cost a business.
Snapchat
- SnapChat is adding lenses that were created in collaboration with TikTok stars in an obvious attempt to compete with the ever growing TikTok. They are hoping to engage TikTok users on Snapchat and draw users to Snapchat to participate in TikTok dance trends. Currently the music selection is very limited, however Snapchat is looking into adding more music to lenses to increase its popularity and create legitimate competition with TikTok.
- Instagram launched a new comment pin feature to allow users to pin their favorite comments to the top of the comment section. This provides another outlet for creators and businesses to reach out to their audience in a positive way. They can pin useful or fun comments that they want to share with the rest of their audience.
- Instagram also added an explore section to their already popular Instagram shops feature. This allows users to delve into new products and explore beyond pages they already follow or products they are already interested in. This gives businesses more opportunity for new customers.
- Facebook has added some new resources to support Black owned businesses.
- They have committed $200 million in grants supporting Black owned non-profits, creators, and businesses that are now open for application in the United States.
- Facebook also added a feature where a business can easily identify itself as a minority or Black owned business on Facebook. Using this new identification one can find Black owned businesses nearby through Facebook.
- Facebook has also launched a new paid events option that allows media outlets, creators and businesses to earn money through online Facebook events. From Facebook: “Now Page owners can create an online event, set a price, promote the event, collect payment and host the event, all in one place. This is another feature to help businesses survive when in person gatherings are less than ideal.
- Twitter launched a new feature that allows users to control who replies to their tweets. This feature filters who can reply to your tweet before you send it. The options include anyone on Twitter (standard), only people you follow, and only people you mention. This is a great way to curb negativity and trolls on your tweets if desired.
- Twitter has expanded the availability of their “Voice Tweet” feature for more iOS users and committed to the addition of captions for the voice tweets to make it more accessible.
- LinkedIn has added new warnings for users on possible inappropriate messages and content to users in an effort to further aid in maintaining professionalism and safety on the platform.
- They have also added new features to its Marketing Partner Program with new categories to help businesses grow and market effectively through LinkedIn.
I hope you found this recap of the third quarter useful. From the entire team here at Zora, we hope you are staying healthy and safe during these difficult times. See you during the holidays!
For more digital marketing updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter @ZoraDigital.
Zora Digital is a Chicago digital marketing agency. We help healthy lifestyle brands with a spirit of innovation navigate the digital landscape and create significant ROI.
