It seems like there is a new social media feature to master every day, and we understand that sometimes it feels like it is hard to keep up.
Therefore, we did a quick round-up of the most significant recent changes on the biggest platforms, so you're aware of the current features and can determine which you should adopt for your own social strategy.
Let's dive in...
This photo platform has released two big updates in just the last week. After yesterday, Instagram now...
1. Supports landscape and portrait formats as uploads
If you have dabbled in apps like InstaFit or Blur Box, then you're well aware of the frustrations that come with trying to get photos you've taken on your phone to be the perfect square for Instagram. Luckily, the network saw others were profiting by this oversight, and decided to take action. However, I'm most excited that they've also integrated their app Layout into the interface so I can make collages of my photos within Instagram. It's a stellar update.
2. Allows sharing, selfies, and emojis within Instagram Direct
How many times have you had your photo comments cluttered by people tagging others so they can share your post? With this update, Instagram has cleaned up your comments section by introducing a share button on posts to send your images directly between contacts. The ability to send back a selfie or emoji has also been enabled.
While this is great for the user, I'd love to know if Instagram plans on sending notifications if your photo has been shared to help brands keep tabs on the level of engagement with their post.
Both of these changes demonstrate Instagram is listening to their users as they make product decisions. In which case, I'm curious how long it will be before we see something similar to the Repost app integrated into Instagram? Only time will tell!
Twitter has long been known as the place for breaking news and giving us insight into the world's trending topics. But in the last couple of months, it's also gained more relevance in the areas of customer service and search engine optimization (SEO).
1. Twitter does an overhaul on Direct Messages
Not only can you now send a Direct Message (DM) to anyone without them following you back, but you can also DMs that exceed the previous 140-character limitation. Customer support associates or those trying to coordinate an event can no doubt envision the advantages to this update.
2. Google provides tweets alongside search results on desktop
Now more than ever, the saying 'you are what you tweet' applies to brands. This is because when Google users perform a search, it's likely that your tweet could appear as part of those results. This means that the hashtags you choose and the topics you tweet about can become extremely important for being discovered organically on the web.
Pinterest is known to be a leader in ecommerce, with the highest average order value per customer on social media. So it should be no surprise that their latest updates assist in making conversions even easier.
1. Pinterest introduces Pinterest Developers Platform
While this isn't the newest news (announced in May), it's a progressive update since companies are continually joining the platform each month. The Marketing Developer Partners are of the most interest - they're a group of companies determined to provide business users with tools and services to improve their presence and marketing on Pinterest, and the announcement says their focus will be on ads and content publishing.
2. Pinterest enables Buyable Pins
After tapping on an item you see on a Pinterest board, you'll be able to see a "Buy It" button alongside the "Pin It" button. The 'Buy it' button will take you to an order screen inside the app to complete your purchase. This direct-purchasing gives brands an opportunity to make boards another avenue for profit, and see Pinterest as an even more valuable social platform.
This is especially helpful after Pinterest recently added an extension to mobile. For users that take a little bit longer to consider purchases, they may see something they like on your website, pin it to their Pinterest board, and now be able to directly buy the item from their board later when they are ready to purchase.
There's always something going on at The Social Network, and last month was no exception. Both of these updates aim to help business admins connect to their customers in a more efficient manner.
1. Facebook creates new features for Pages messaging
We've always stressed that customer service on social media should be a priority for your business. Facebook has emphasized that importance by providing a quick method to reply to your customers directly from your Page. Not only can you 'Reply' to a customer comment, but now you can 'Message' that person to take sensitive or private conversations off-line for a more intimate conversation with your audience.
Facebook has also decided to reward brands who use this function quickly with badges at the top of their page.
2. Facebook allows you to save replies
Though we're not condoning the use of canned messages, it is possible that there are questions your company often receives which elicit the same response in order to provide the information you need to to help them with their query. For example, you need to ask a customer for their name, order number, and date of purchase to bring up the proper data to answer their question. As simple as it is to write that out, it may become cumbersome to write it out hundreds of times a day. Facebook has also provided a how-to guide for creating a saved reply for your Page to help you earn that 'Very Responsive' badge on your Page more often.
Ths post originally appeared on the Pagemodo blog