Social Media News: September 2020
Each month I recap the biggest changes in social media so you can stay informed and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly. Here are the highlights of what you should know from September 2020:
Facebook Lets Users View Instagram Stories: Facebook and Instagram are growing more and more connected! Some users are now able to view Instagram Stories on Facebook, with Instagram Stories showing up in the Facebook Stories feed. The Instagram stories are differentiated from the Facebook Stories with the signature Instagram rainbow around the profile circle, instead of Facebook’s blue circle. However, you must be connected to people on both Facebook and Instagram for users to view your Instagram Stories. Facebook has confirmed that this is currently being tested by a limited number of users.
Pinterest Changes Feed Ranking: Pinterest is on the rise during these isolating times! With Pinterest’s focus on product discovery and eCommerce, their updated system now shows more relevant Pin results to each user on their Home feed. This takes into account user actions, making more accurate predictions to show more relevant pins. It also adjusts relevancy rankings based off business needs. For example, since videos are now the most engaging content type across all platforms, and as a result, videos are more likely to show up on a user’s home feed. Learn more about their new ranking system here.
Instagram Promotes Reels with ‘Suggested Reels’: Instagram is now promoting its Reels feature! Some users now have a display of “Suggested Reels” in their main feed. These Reels show up between feed posts and highlight relevant clips for you to check out. Additionally, Instagram released a monthly Reels Trend Report, which takes a deeper look at some of the popular trends. Learn more in this report here.
TikTok Launches Marketing Partner Program: TikTok is building its advertising potential. Their new Marketing Partner Program offers a range of ad and creative services to assist brands in marketing themselves on their app. TikTok already has 20 certified partners, divided into categories of: Campaign Management, Creative Development, Branded Effects, and Measurement. Learn more about this program at TikTok’s announcement here.
Instagram Adds Shop Tabs: Reels isn’t the only new feature that Instagram is promoting this month. Instagram is also testing where to place the new Shops tab. The Shops tab is currently being placed on the bottom navigation bar, with the idea to make shopping as accessible as possible in the app. Currently, Instagram is testing three different layouts.
What do you think of these changes? Which one are you most excited to try out? Let me know in the comments below!