Happy 2024! As we enter the New Year, we can expect lots of updates coming to social media as 2024 progresses, and have started to see updates being rolled out this January. 

 

Here’s all the social media news this January. 

 

 

Meta have announced certain targeting options are to be removed from Facebook Ads due to low usage, being too specific and causing issues due to sensitive topics such as race, ethnicity and health. 

As we head towards the end of 2023, there’s been some updates to social media platforms over November that could be helpful to make note of, especially as you approach reviewing or creating your digital marketing strategy for 2024. 

 

Here’s all the updates from November! 

 

 

It was just last month that Elon Musk decided to remove link previews from articles when posted to X, meaning the article image was the only thing displayed to users, meaning they’d have to click the image to find the article, and marketers would have to try and cram enough information into their copy in order to let their audiences know what they were sharing. Now, Musk is said to have done a U-Turn, with the article titles returning to the display of links when they’re posted on X. 

This October, there’s been a few changes to social media platforms that could be helpful for you to know so you can adapt and create your own business’ social strategies accordingly. 

 

Here’s all the news from October… 

 

 

YouTube has expanded its partner programme to include users in another 23 countries to have access to monetisation options should they have 500 or more subscribers. This was previously only rolled out to select regions. 

 

For Youtube Shorts, AI features are being rolled out to enhance videos and add filters to creator’s videos (much like TikTok). This is still in early development, although looks to be another way that YouTube plans to continue promoting the Shorts feature, making it a worthy competitor to both Reels and TikTok. 

 

 

Video marketing has become a powerful and important part of marketing on social media – with the rise of TikTok at the start of the 2020s resulting in more video content being pushed on other platforms – most recognisably the reels feature on Facebook and Instagram – it’s transformed the way businesses market towards their audience and potential customers. 

 

82% of the global internet traffic came from videos in 2022, with an audience reach of 97% worldwide. Videos can help to add context, give more information and introduce audiences to the faces behind the business – in fact, 96% of people use video to learn more about a product or service. 

 

The power of video marketing cannot be underestimated – here’s how you can use video for your business on social media. 

 

 

As we reach the end of August, there’s been a number of updates to social media platforms that are worth noting if you’re looking to improve or build on your digital marketing efforts. 

 

Here’s all the latest news from the last month… 

 

 

YouTube has started to test out more AI-based features, this time allowing users to use AI Generated Video Summaries to help add more context to clips. 

There’s been some big social media news this month, from new platform launches to rebrands and feature changes that could be handy for marketers to take advantage of. 

 

Let’s take a look at the latest updates for July 2023…. 

 

 

The biggest news from July is the launch of Meta’s new social media app, Threads. 

 

Threads works in a similar way to Twitter – even having a similar interface, where users can create text-based posts, follow other creators, like, repost and quote other ‘thread’s’. They have also introduced a similar ‘For You’ and ‘Following’ timeline feature, after listening to concerns from users that they weren’t seeing content from users they follow on the initial app’s rollout. 

We’ve had a lot of updates for social media platforms this June, from new features to monetisation opportunities. 

 

Here’s the latest updates in the world of social media this month…. 

 

 

Meta are currently experimenting with using AI, and over on Instagram they have introduced a new AI chatbot. This works similarly to Snapchats ‘My AI’, where users can ask questions and get instant responses. By @’ing the AI in your DMs, you can incorporate the feature into discussions. 

 

Mark Zuckerberg spoke of Meta’s current decision to focus on developing AI features: “In the short term, we’ll focus on building creative and expressive tools. Over the longer term, we’ll focus on developing AI personas that can help people in a variety of ways. We’re exploring experiences with text, with images, and with video and multi-modal experiences.” 

 

This May has seen lots of new updates appear for social media platforms, allowing businesses to take advantage of new features to maximise their reach and engagement. 

 

Let’s take a look at the latest news… 

 

 

YouTube has made community posts available for all YouTube channels, allowing even smaller creators to have interactions with their audiences more directly. 

 

Initially posts were only available for channels with over 1,000 subscribers, but have now given all users the opportunity to take advantage of the feature in the hopes it will help creators be able to build their presence on the site. 

 

 

April is coming to an end, and over the month we’ve had some changes in the world of social media – let’s take a look at all the recent updates. 

 

 

Instagram now allows users to put 5 links in their bio. Previously, users who wanted to link to multiple sites or other social media on Instagram would have to use services like Linktree. 

Now, users can add 5 separate links in their bio, and choose the order that these links appear in. This can be helpful for businesses who want to promote not just their website on their Instagram profile, but link to their other social media too. 

 

On your social media, you have the ability to tell stories to your audience that will get them engaged, allow them to learn more about your business and communicate you message and business values. 

 

Stories aren’t just limited to what we read in books or watch in films, they’re powerful narratives that help to convey information to an audience and inspire them 

 

Social Media storytelling allows you to tell stories about a product, service, your brand – whatever you deem necessary to captivate the audience’s attention. You’ll be able to tell your followers what your brand is all about in a way that isn’t just a sales pitch. 

 

Here’s why telling stories on social media is so powerful. 

Whilst most social media seems to be simple text or image posts, many forget the importance of videos. Video’s will capture your audience in just a few seconds, and if your content is interesting enough, the viewer is likely to stick around. With the rise of YouTube, TikTok and most recently Instagram Reels, many businesses now look to post engaging content for new audiences across these platforms. 

 

Videos allow you to create interesting, visually based content that is a lot easier to consume than written paragraphs or swiping across to view paragraphs on attractive infographics. Videos require little to no interaction from the viewer – they simply have to press play, or just stop scrolling due to the auto-play feature. If you take a look at some of the most successful companies on social media, they will often use videos, especially when they’re trying to reach new audiences. As long as you have a good idea about who your audience is, you’re likely to succeed. 

Whilst most social media seems to be simple text or image posts, many forget the importance of videos. Video’s will capture your audience in just a few seconds, and if your content is interesting enough, the viewer is likely to stick around. With the rise of YouTube, TikTok and most recently Instagram Reels, many businesses now look to post engaging content for new audiences across these platforms. 

 

Videos allow you to create interesting, visually based content that is a lot easier to consume than written paragraphs or swiping across to view paragraphs on attractive infographics. Videos require little to no interaction from the viewer – they simply have to press play, or just stop scrolling due to the auto-play feature. If you take a look at some of the most successful companies on social media, they will often use videos, especially when they’re trying to reach new audiences. As long as you have a good idea about who your audience is, you’re likely to succeed. TikTok is the perfect platform to try and reach a bigger audience – if a viewer is already interacting with similar content to yours on their personalised ‘For You’ page, then your video is more likely to appear in their streamlined timeline. This means you gain more exposure, new followers, and the more interaction your video gets, the more likely you are to appear on other people’s pages.