Social media is constantly transforming. This includes both the design features engineered by the platforms themselves and the way in which consumers use these features.
2021 has already seen a few new features being introduced – some have only just been announced, while others have already been put into action. There have also been a few new trends in the way people social media. Below are just a few ways in which you can take advantage of these new updates and changes.
Instagram hiding likes
Instagram has been testing a new feature – the ability to publicly hide ‘likes’ on your account. This means that no-one else can see how many users have liked your posts. This guide https://macpaw.com/how-to/instagram-removing-likes explains more information on the update.
This new feature is likely to have a big impact on social media marketing. There are a few positive and negative effects to consider:
- Should you choose to hide your likes?: if you’re conscious of how few likes your company page has and are worried this is having an impact on your credibility, hiding your likes could potentially solve this. Alternatively, you may want to show off your page’s likes if you’ve managed to attract lots of likes.
- How do I choose worthy influencers if I can’t see the likes?: Influencer marketing involves paying influential social media users to promote your product. If influencers start hiding their likes, it could become difficult to tell who is a popular influencer on Instagram. Fortunately there are still many ways to spot a true ‘influencer’ beyond likes, plus other platforms are still possible to use. This post https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2020/04/23 explains more on how influencer marketing could be affected.
Twitter ‘super follows’
Twitter has announced the option of a ‘super follows’ feature, which could come into play in the near future. This will allow followers to pay in order to see exclusive content on certain Twitter accounts.
A few companies are likely to benefit from this if it does indeed come into action:
- Consultancy companies may be able to share exclusive advice through Tweets.
- News platforms may be able to share links to exclusive articles.
- Companies may be able to share links to exclusive products or early access to new products.
This could be a new way of marketing exclusive content similar to a mailing list. At the same time, it could allow companies to make extra money through Twitter.
Facebook Shopify integration
Got a Shopify site? Did you know that you can now create a Shop section on your Facebook page? This could allow people to buy products from your Shopify site directly though your page without having to leave Facebook.
This is worth setting up to maximize potential sales on your online store. There may even be instances where you can direct people to your Facebook page instead of your site (if you want people to follow you on Facebook and buy your product, you can now just use one link or one QR code).
LinkedIn product pages
LinkedIn has always been about people not products – but as of December 2020 this has changed. The site now allows you to set up product pages that could help to give your product some more online credibility.
Other users can now set this product as a skill. For instance, if you sell software or a drone robot, your customers can publicly declare that they are skilled in using your product.
You can find more information on how to set up a Linked product page online.
The rise of TikTok
TikTok’s user base has been steadily rising over the last couple years and it’s predicted to overtake all other forms of social media in terms of popularity in the near future. The site allows users to create and share videos with the world that are between 15 seconds and 1 minute. It’s a bit like a mix between Instagram and YouTube with a few unique features of its own.
Social media marketers are now turning their attention towards TikTok and the different ways that they can utilize it. A few different ways to take advantage of this fresh new platform include:
- Creating your own promotional video content.
- Advertising through TikTok using TikTok ads.
- Paying TikTok influencers to promote your product.
As many tech trends have shown in the past, getting in there early can pay off – you may be able to start building an established presence through the app before other rival brands get a chance to.
