What comes next: Social platform edition - July

The latest developments from all the social platforms, in one place, to help you identify what comes next in social

In June, there’s been a flurry of long awaited changes that we’ve known would arrive eventually… and about time, too.

Across platforms, there’s a divergence in developments that either take control away from people - such as AI-powered features that improve efficiency in brand-collaborator processes - or give it back to people - like more control over how content is shown on user profiles. Scroll on, and uncover the specifics… 

Meta/Facebook -  This month’s updates focus on introducing new AI features, as well as building community 

• Meta has launched a creator assistant chatbot, which helps creators with content, posting time and content suggestions. The update has rolled out in the US, Canada, and India so far 

• The company has launched its AI business agent globally - the agent can answer user questions across all meta platforms, recommend products and close sales  

• Meta has been testing letting creators form ‘Series’ from their videos across Instagram and Facebook -  these videos, grouped by a theme or topic, would be displayed in a separate playback section on user profiles. The idea is to help creators build community with a clear theme

  
  

Instagram - Exciting grid changes dominated Instagram’s updates this month

• Users can now reorder posts on their grid, as well as frames within a carousel. These features provide an opportunity for more storytelling and further engagement with audiences - for brands, the true value beyond making grid-takeover stunts simpler, is limited 

• Instagram has launched multiple captions on carousels, allowing users to add different copy for each frame. This update is significant in increasing depth of storytelling, and opportunities to have content rank in Social Search results. Now, more than ever, carousels are a great format for content

• Video ads can now be placed at the end of Reels, giving companies an opportunity to get their product in front of already engaged users  

• It is now possible to comment on posts with photos from your camera roll - this opens up an opportunity for deeper engagement with audiences - whether that be interactive content that prompts sharing, or replying to community content with images 

• In the works for a while, Instagram has now officially launched Instagram Plus - some of the top features of the subscription are seeing how many times a story was rewatched, extending a story post beyond the 48 hours, and the ability to create as many audience lists as possible. These features give an opportunity to reach more people, and in a more intentional way. So far, it’s available in the US only, and the utility for brands doesn't seem significant, but, watch this space for its arrival on UK devices  

• This month, Meta has re-launched Creator Marketplace, to compete with TikTok’s established Creator Marketplace. The feature facilitates brand-creator collaborations, with tools such as AI powered discovery and search, profile and portfolio navigation, creator lists and end-to-end collaboration - which help brands find the perfect creators for their campaigns, evaluate their insights with speed, and manage this process without leaving the platform

LinkedIn - In June, LinkedIn focused on content creation features, whether that be facilitating creator content, AI content or introducing collaborative posts

• LinkedIn launched a creator marketplace - the new feature gives brands an opportunity to partner with creators in the US and Canada, in a push to reach and influence more B2B buyers. This update empowers creators to monetize their content on the app, and for brands to effectively target their audience 

• The platform is testing collaborative posts - the feature would allow users to invite other users or pages to co-create posts, in a similar way to the existing feature on Instagram and TikTok. This update would create a new way of sharing company news or team achievements, and offers brands great opportunities to drive increased visibility on the platform through third parties. About time! 

• LinkedIn has continued to expand its brand kit feature, which allows companies to set core brand colours, fonts and tone of voice, which is then used by LinkedIn’s AI feature to suggest future ads and content - it’s an evolution of existing use of AI in content creation for ad platforms, but is unlikely to revolutionise anything

• More post performance insights have been added to the platform - users will now be able to see a breakdown of who is viewing content and whether they have come from within or outside their network - this was already available at a profile level, but rolling this out to be able to dive into per post offers a greater understanding of who’s engaging with what content

  
  

Google/Youtube - this month’s updates focus on giving users more control on how they show up on platforms

• Google has launched Search profiles, which is a personalised page where creators can exhibit their content, including articles, videos and social posts. Creators must have 100,000 followers to be eligible, and the feature is only available to US users currently

• Youtube has expanded in-app video sharing - as with Instagram and TikTok, users can now dm each other. This means more opportunity for brands to engage users on the platform 

• Google has introduced Ask Ad Manager, which helps users get insights on existing content, as well as suggestions and insights on future content

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