4 New Social Media Features You Need to Know About

Social media is an ever-changing changing landscape. From new app updates to new apps in general, keeping up with what’s hot before it’s not can be exhausting. That’s why this month, we’ve done the hard work for you. We’re sharing four new social media features that you need to know about and implement for your business.

1. TikTok… It's not just for dancing anymore!

We've been shouting from the rooftops for ages that TikTok is the ideal place for brands to go viral, connect with audiences and build loyal followings. Now to top it all off, it's also a place for brands to sell products.

A new partnership with Shopify will allow brands with Shopify stores to add a shopping tab to their TikTok profile. Read all about it here.

2. Brands work hard to get to 10,000 followers so they can add the coveted swipe up link to their Instagram stories.

But have you ever noticed that the swipe up link doesn't really seem optimal for click throughs? You have to add a text overlay or swipe up sticker for followers to notice that your story includes the swipe up link and it's, frankly, easy to miss.

A new Instagram swipe up sticker hopes to change all of this by making embedded links in Instagram stories more obvious to the end user. This month, Instagram announced that it is removing the swipe up functionality and adding it to stories as a sticker instead.

3. Did you know that Facebook Reels was even a thing?

In an effort to slow down TikTok's growth and keep their competition at arm’s length, Facebook is embracing Reels. Facebook Reels will enable users to create and share Instagram Reels within the main Facebook app.

Once a reel is shared to Facebook, that reel will be displayed with the user's Instagram profile. This may provide some relief to brands who are finding growth more challenging than ever on Instagram and Facebook.

4. 60 Second reels are officially on Instagram!

In a not very surprising move, Instagram announced in July that 60 second reels are here for all users. Have you noticed?

We haven't seen a large number of longer reels but we have noticed that many of our clients have not yet gotten the benefit of this increase duration despite the Instagram announcement. Do you have 60 second reels yet? If so, what do you plan to do with them?

Have you seen success implementing any of these new features on your brand’s social? Do tell!

Or have you found a new social media feature that’s been changing the game for your brand? Spill the tea. There’s nothing we love like putting new apps and app features to the true test.

And if just one glance at this blog has you overwhelmed with how you’ll learn yet another new update, we’ve got you covered. Contact us for a quick chat about how we can help you take your social to the next level.

5 Reasons TikTok Marketing Matters to Your Business in 2021

TikTok has combined the growth of the mobile internet with the power of artificial intelligence -- found in TikTok's For You Page #fyp -- which is revolutionizing how consumers receive information on social media. That's why TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world... and one you can't afford to ignore.

In short: TikTok is far more than lip syncing and dancing. So, does it matter to marketers? YES! In 2021 most marketers can benefit from investing in a TikTok presence. Here's why...

1. Reach Gen Z: TikTok is used primarily by people between the ages of 16 and 24. Specifically, more than 60% of TikTok users are comprised of Generation Z, which refers to users born after 1996.

2. Reach other generations and consumers in other counties: No, TikTok isn't just for Gen Z. In fact, nearly 38% of TikTok’s users within the US are over 30. TikTok allows businesses to gain massive exposure on a minimal budget. Plus, thanks to the expansive reach of this platform in countries outside of the US, TikTok is an affordable and accessible way to reach consumers across the globe.

3. Engagement: Tired of bemoaning your brand's shrinking engagement rates on Instagram? We hear you! What has happened to Instagram engagement over the past couple years is reminiscent of what happened to Facebook engagement back in about 2014. Marketers saw organic engagement plummet as Facebook made it clear that paid reach was the wave of the future. On the contrary, engagement rates are exceptionally high on TikTok. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, TikTok beats all other platforms when it comes to engagement levels across accounts of all sizes.

4. Go Viral: Going viral on TikTok appears to be easier than it is on other networks. Perhaps because of TikTok's unprecedented artificial intelligence which puts the right kind of content in front of the right kind of users. What does this mean? It means that TikTok has mastered showing users the type of content they are going to want to consume. This is gold for your brand.

5. For You Page: As mentioned above, one of the things we love most about TikTok as marketers is the amazing capability of their artificial intelligence to find the exact consumer you are looking for. Unlike other social networks where consumers often start on the social network by looking at posts from people they follow, most consumers start on TikTok's "For You" page... this is an ideal opportunity to get in front of people who don't follow you. The "For You" page is not posts from people you follow rather it is a collection of videos that TikTok thinks may interest you; hence the name "For You."

Thanks to the "For You" page, this video we created was seen by almost 500k people and since the video was about aging, most of those people were 40 or older. In other words, TikTok's artificial intelligence targeted this video towards not only consumers who would find it interesting but also somehow managed to target users above 40 on an app that's often said to be only for young people. Are you starting to see why we love the power of this artificial intelligence?

Or this video we created which managed to find its way to 200,000 people who live in a small part of the US - Northwest Indiana.

And our team member, Katie Kelly, has successfully used her TikTok to reach a hugely targeted group of consumers who love Aldi... yes, Aldi grocery stores... amassing a following of 72,000 Aldi enthusiasts as of July 2021.

Ready to get your brand on TikTok? We got you. Contact us for a quick chat about how we can help you drive revenue and exposure through this fast growing app.