It’s the end of July which means it’s that time of the month again where we share all the latest social media news that has happened throughout July.
A few months ago Pinterest announced that they were building on new e-commerce features as it’s shaping its platform for marketers, however they have just released new tools to help boost organic video content. The new video capabilities which are available for brands include an updated video uploader with a new tab dedicated to videos, ‘lifetime view’ video analytics and the ability to schedule video content with the new Pin Scheduler tool that Pinterest recently released.
As an attempt to compete more competitively for creators’ attention with YouTube, Facebook has announced that they are releasing new updates with the aim to support creators’ efforts to grow audiences and make a profit. These updates include new placement options and regions for video ads, subscription-generated revenue options and enhancements to the Creator Studio including updates to support monetization efforts.
New Placement Options
Facebook understands that not all videos have a ‘natural break for ads’, therefore creators will now be able to include ads which are not interruptive such as image-based ads and pre-roll which will work especially well for shorter videos.
Subscription-Generated Revenue
This is a feature that YouTube has already adopted, however Facebook are now trying to do the same. Creators will be able to offer access to supporter-only groups in exchange for a monthly fee, so they’re essentially paid groups. Creators can also further personalise the experience and use enticements such as exclusive Facebook Live streams and merchandise discounts.
Instagram has been outperforming Facebook in regards to advertising for quite a while, and because its user engagement is rapidly growing too it’s looking to find new ways to generate ad revenue. Instagram will be ‘slowly and thoughtfully’ introducing ads within the explore section of the app, which is where users can discover and browse new content and accounts based on their interests. This is going to be another huge contribution towards their advertising growth as more than 50% of its billion users visit the Explore tab each month, and it’s also a great new opportunity for brands.
This isn’t the only advertisement related update released this month as Instagram made it possible for advertisers to turn organic posts from influencers into advertisements. When this happens the post is labeled as ‘Paid Partnership’ on the top of the post near the brand name, so it’s clear that it’s an ad.
YouTube
There have been a few new announcements from YouTube over the past month including channel membership levels, super stickers and more merchandising partners.
Channel Membership Levels
One of the most requested features from creators was for new Channel Membership levels which is a platform that creators who meet the criteria (100,000+ subscribers and part of the YouTube Partner Program) are able to sell memberships to their channels for $4.99 a month for their subscribers to receive perks such as exclusive content. However they have now launched five different price points for Channel Memberships with creators able to decide what’s included on each level.
Super Stickers
During live streams or Premiere videos subscribers will now be able to purchase animated Super Stickers in an assortment of different languages and categories. This is currently just an announcement and YouTube has said it will be available over the next few months.
As you can see a lot of the social media changes this month have been related to creators and advertisements, with all the social media channels competing against each other. We share a round-up of all the social media updates and changes each month, so sign up to our newsletter if you’re interested in keeping up to date. Also if you have any social media queries or would like advice and help managing your social media channels, you can contact us at 01865 989899 or email hello@cleverbusinesswebsites.co.uk
