Each month, our team of social experts dig through the trenches of the internet to find the biggest, best and most important news coming out of the social platforms we and our clients use daily.
With 2022 around the corner, everyone is looking for the next big thing in social media. In Hootsuiteâs annual social trends guide, you can get a sneak peek at whatâs to come (higher spends on TikTok, for sure) and whatâs here to stay (creators arenât going anywhere, folks).
What it means for brands: We donât claim to be psychic, but weâre already seeing the effects of social media on post-pandemic shoppers. TikTok is moving past âthat thing my kid spends too much time onâ and quickly catching up to Facebook and Instagram in highlighting new brands and products. This line from trend 2 hit us right in our social marketer hearts: âBrands that want to stand out in 2022 will have to work harder to create ads that mirror and enrich the distinct experience offered by each social network.â Gone are the days of sharing the same ad across platforms, and to that we say good riddance.Â
Instagramâs latest collaboration tool, the âAdd Yoursâ sticker, has rolled out worldwide. The sticker invites people to respond to other usersâ Stories by sharing a photo on the topic of choice, creating a public thread. Everyone is then able to see who else has responded to the prompt by clicking on the sticker within their own story. Â
What it means for brands: We love user-generated content (UGC), and the âAdd Yoursâ sticker gives brands the opportunity to ask for more of it. With an active engagement strategy, the âAdd Yoursâ sticker will be an amazing feature for brands looking to highlight their community content.
Instagram has now added the link sticker for all users. Previously, an account needed 10,000 followers to share links via swipe up.Â
What it means for brands: So much for that goal of 10,000 followers. đ Honestly, it’s a good move for Instagram to allow anyone to share links, especially small businesses and brands who previously haven’t put effort on growing their Instagram presence. Heading into the holiday shopping season, we expect to see an uptick in social selling from Instagram because of the change.Â
For just $2.99 a month, you can access Twitterâs newest revenue driver, Blue. The monthly subscription allows users to preview and change tweets before theyâre sent, update the app icon and color scheme, and access articles from USA Today, BuzzFeed and the Washington Post without advertising.Â
What it means for brands: At the moment? Nothing. Twitter hasnât released any data on subscription numbers, and the benefits donât seem to match the cost (though small). If Twitter allows these users to edit tweets though, weâll be the first to sign up.
Spotify has added podcast advertising to it’s self-service platform, starting at just $500. Spotify Ad Studio will draft the script, record the voiceover and produce the ad at no additional cost to brands. Ads can be purchased by audience or by show.
What it means for brands: Podcast advertising continues to grow in popularity – a growth of 19% in 2021 alone. By providing an easy option to create, product and buy ads, Spotify is ensuring brands choose their platform for entry-level reads.Â
Looking for previous issues of Social in Short?