With social media constantly evolving we look at some of the latest updates to some of the most commonly used social media platforms.
Facebook introduces the rollout of Facebook Reels
Earlier this month, Facebook announced that it will begin the rollout of Facebook Reels in the U.S. Select Facebook users are now able to create Reels within the Facebook app (on both iOS and Android), and share them to Facebook Groups and their News Feeds. Facebook Reels, which will give Facebook users the ability to create and share short-form video content directly within the News Feed or within Facebook Groups.
Facebook and Instagram face criticism for Covid misinformation
Social media companies came under fire after a report by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) revealed that a group dubbed the “disinformation dozen” are responsible for 65% of online anti-vaccine content.
Instagram Reels can now be 60 seconds long! (hurrah)
In response to community feedback, Instagram will now allow Reels to be up to one minute in length. Reels first launched with a 15-second time limit in August 2020, and was doubled to 30 seconds a month later. https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-updates/instagram/reels-up-to-60-seconds-long/
TikTok has announced new partnerships with both Vimeo and Canva to provide more ways for marketers to build better campaign creative in each respective app.
The new integrations will facilitate direct connection between TikTok Ad Manager and each platform, making it easy to build TikTok creative, and upload it straight into your campaign. The creative options also align with key TikTok dimensions and creative flows, ensuring that your clips feel natural and in line with the rest of the platform – and not too polished and ad-like, which is a key consideration in your TikTok marketing approach.
We also thought you may find interesting, recent marketing statistics from the social media examiner industry report
- Instagram is hot: Seventy-eight percent of marketers are using Instagram. It’s the second most important social platform for marketing (behind Facebook). A significant 64% of marketers plan on increasing their Instagram organic activities over the next 12 months. Instagram is the number-one platform marketers want to learn more about.
- Stories video use is on the rise: Short-form video is growing. More than half of all marketers regularly use Instagram and Facebook for video-based stories.
- YouTube interest is high: A significant 71% of marketers plan on increasing their use of YouTube video and 72% want to learn more about organic video marketing on the platform.
- TikTok is ignored by most marketers: Only 9% of marketers are using TikTok. A significant 68% do not plan on using the platform in the next year; however, 32% are interested in learning more about TikTok.
- Facebook dominance still strong: A very significant 93% of marketers use Facebook (followed by Instagram at 78%). Fifty-four percent of marketers claim Facebook is their most important social platform. Facebook Live is the leading live video platform used by 30% of marketers. Facebook ads are used by 75% of marketers and 61% find the Facebook ads platform the most important for ads.
Their research also shows a significant 64% of marketers plan on increasing their Instagram organic activities over the next 12 months, making it the top platform where marketers plan on doing more.
You can download the full report here:
https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/report/
If you want to find out more about using social media to raise your brand awareness and drive sales, contact designated’s marketing director Michelle who would be happy to tell you all about our fab team: michelle.wheeler@designated.com
