Social Media Update. Winter Updates: December, January, February

Transcription

1 Social Media Update Winter Updates: December, January, February

2 Introducing CI s Social Media Update Service What is the Social Media Update service? Social media platforms are updated with new features on a daily basis, many of which are crucial for social media marketers today. In order to drive results through social media, marketers must be aware of the latest social innovations and know how to implement them. That s why we created the CI Social Media Update: a new service that arms you with the research necessary to effectively adapt, expand and optimize your social strategy based on the newest trends and updates to social platforms. What does the service include? 12 monthly slide decks reviewing key updates to the major social media networks Updates in areas that are useful for your business, including advertising, analytics, mobile updates, security, algorithm changes and many more Impact of these updates for social media marketers Additional resources for each update to help you utilize the latest innovations Profiles of up-and-coming social platforms as they emerge to keep you informed and ready to tackle social media in the future We cover all the major social media platforms Methodology CI tracks updates directly from blogs of the major social media networks. There are several blogs for each network, including general user blogs, business blogs, developer blogs, blogs for advertising and media use and more. We track these blogs on a daily basis to provide you with timely, relevant updates as they occur. Sample Slide 1 Sample Slide 2

3 CI s Social Media Update The pace of change and innovation across the social media landscape is staggering. Social media platforms are being updated with new features on a daily basis and valuable new social networks are emerging without warning. As marketers, it is imperative that we stay up to speed with the latest platform enhancements and trends in order to optimize our social media marketing strategies. Corporate Insight s Social Media Update service arms you with the research necessary to effectively adapt and expand your social strategy. Your annual subscription includes 12 monthly slide decks reviewing key updates to the major social media networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube. The reports discuss the impact of these updates for businesses and offer additional resources to utilize the latest innovations. The Social Media Update service also places an emphasis on preparing you for what s next. Many reports will profile up-and-coming social media networks to keep you informed and ready to tackle social media in the future. To kick off the service, we are giving away this sample update in report format that covers December 2014, January 2015 and February Future reports will be published monthly and in slide deck format. We hope you find this report valuable and welcome your feedback as we launch this service!

4 Facebook 1. New Call-to-Action Feature for Pages What it is: With Facebook s new call-to-action button for Pages, marketers can now choose between seven calls-to-action to place on a Page s cover photo. The button can be linked to any URL on or off Facebook to help drive specific business objectives. The current button options include Book Now, Contact Us, Use App, Play Game, Shop Now, Sign Up and Watch Video. While Facebook may expand its call-to-action options in the future, the initial choices represent most key business objectives. Why it s important: Tailored call-to-action buttons allow brands to really focus on their objectives and needs. Looking for higher engagement rates, more leads, more trials or increased sales? Each of the callto-action buttons is designed for one of these unique objectives. The new feature is a simple way to turn Page visitors into potential customers. Although the button is small, it is placed at the top of the page for guaranteed views.

5 2. Updated Marketing Partners Program What it is: The Marketing Partner Program is a community of companies, all of which are verified experts in certain aspects of Facebook. If marketers want to optimize ad campaigns, target the right audiences, or improve their content marketing, Partners companies can bring expertise and knowledge for Facebook success. In February, Facebook launched a new website for this program (facebookmarketingpartners.com). The new website is the core of the program, with useful product updates and industry news. The website also includes a revamped Partner matching tool, designed to help marketers quickly and easily find the right Partners for their unique goals. There are currently 128 Partners in the program, and they are divided by expertise: Ad technology 20 Partners Media buying 11 Partners FBX 9 Partners Community management 20 Partners Content marketing 8 Partners Small business solutions 20 Partners Audience onboarding 6 Partners Audience data providers 3 Partners Measurement 6 Partners Many of the Partners are experts in more than one area; you can sort the list by multiple specialties on the website. For more information, visit and click on Partner Directory to see a full list of Partners. When you find a Partner that s right for you, Facebook gives you the option to contact them. Why it s important: Most people aren t experts at everything, and most marketers aren t experts in every part of marketing. Partners are extremely valuable to brands that want to drive Facebook performance in specific areas they may not know as well. For marketers who want a new Partner or have new objectives, the tool helps narrow the field to find the right Partner for a brand s specific needs.

6 3. Several New and Improved Ad Features I. Expanded Measurement Tools with Conversion Lift What it is: In addition to existing Facebook measurement tools, conversion lift allows marketers to determine exactly how their Facebook ads are impacting their business. Facebook does this by creating randomized test groups and control groups. With these groups, Facebook can use the advertisers data to track additional lift in the test group. The results are tracked in Ads Manager. Why it s important: It s difficult for businesses to know which advertising channels are creating revenue, especially with social media. The enhanced conversion lift feature determines exactly how successful a Facebook ad campaign is and paves the way for future advertising decisions. For more information on Conversion Lift, visit II. Introducing Relevance Scores for Ads What it is: In February, Facebook began rolling out relevance scores for ads in the ads reporting tool. Based on positive and negative feedback expected from an ad s target audience, Facebook calculates a rating for an ad from 1 to 10, with 1 being least relevant and 10 being most relevant. Positive feedback varies based on objective but includes metrics such as likes, shares, video views and conversions. Negative feedback includes reporting or hiding ads. As audiences provide feedback, scores are updated in real time to reflect actual feedback. Why it s important: A relevance score is a great tool to help brands test ads with different images, copy and audiences and also to monitor and adjust existing campaigns. By tracking relevance scores, brands can determine which grouping of ads and audiences will see the best results. According to Facebook s announcement, content with a higher relevance score will also have a higher delivery rate and therefore, cost less for ads to reach people. To learn more about Relevance Scores, visit

7 III. New Product Ads Promote Multiple Products at Once What it is: Product Ads let businesses more effectively target their audiences with more than one product. Advertisers can upload their entire product catalog, and Facebook will automatically create ad campaigns for different combinations of audiences and products. They also have the ability to manually create campaigns for any audience or product they choose. The ads can promote up to five products at the same time, showcasing images for each product that rotate through the ad. Advertisers can customize these ads to showcase multiple popular products or several features of one product. Why it s important: This new tool makes targeting a lot easier, with the ability to advertise several different products to the people who will most likely want them. With more products featured in ads, Facebook users are more likely to find products they want and become customers. For more information on Product Ads, visit

8 IV. New Ads Manager App What it is: Facebook introduced an Ads Manager app, which is currently available for ios. Previously, Facebook had an Ads Manager mobile site. With the app, advertisers can create new ads or track existing ones. Why it s important: Advertisers can now access their ads easily from their mobile devices, an increasingly important feature in today s mobile society. Facebook expects to launch the app for Android later this year.

9 Twitter 1. Updates to Twitter Timeline I. While You Were Away Feature What it is: While You Were Away shows users the top 2-4 tweets they missed from accounts they follow while they were not on Twitter. Top tweets are determined by engagement, followers and other factors that make these posts important to users. Users can see these tweets at the top of their timelines. Why it s important: Twitter is based on real time updates, which makes the focus on quantity of tweets, rather than quality. Previously, businesses had to tweet multiple times a day and put in loads of time to increase their Twitter presence. There s another downside, too: tweeting multiple times a day can hurt businesses and cause them to lose followers. This new feature changes the Twitter game for businesses. Simply, it helps brands get noticed for quality tweets, allowing their content to be featured for more than a few minutes at a time. These brands now receive more exposure and more engagement for their content. Businesses don t have to spend as much time tweeting, and their followers won t be annoyed by constant updates. II. Instant Timeline for New Users What it is: For new users, this feature is really helpful. Based on the new user s phone contacts, Twitter suggests accounts that it thinks the user will be interested in. It takes away the tedious process of following accounts that a user may not like. The feature is available for ios and Android.

10 Why it s important: Brands may gain more exposure to new users with interests in line with their business. For example, if a banker joins Twitter for the first time, Twitter may suggest several bank Twitter accounts that the user might not have otherwise followed. 2. New Targeting and Advertising Features I. New Ways to Target Mobile Audiences What it is: Twitter now has the ability to create audience segments based on different mobile app actions, such as sign up or purchase. This allows advertisers to target segments based on their stage in the customer journey; for example, a user who installed an app will not see ads that are meant to increase installs. The feature can also target users similar to those who already took mobile app actions. In addition, advertisers can now target segments based on mobile carrier and whether or not a user has a new mobile device. Why it s important: According to Twitter, more than 80% of its users are active on its mobile platform. Advertisers can no longer afford to ignore mobile audience segments, and these updates make it easier to connect with mobile users. With the right mobile targeting, brands can increase engagement and ROI across Twitter. For more information on mobile targeting, visit

11 II. Quick Promote Feature What it is: This feature is a quick and easy option to promote individual tweets from the Tweet activity dashboard. Simply click on a Tweet in the dashboard, choose a budget ($10, $25 or $50), and Twitter will algorithmically target segments that are similar to a brand s followers. Results are then available in real time. Why it s important: The traditional Promoted Tweet method is a manual process with the ability to choose target segments based on demographics, location and interests. This can take a lot of time that marketers don t always have. Quick Promote saves time in choosing target segments and also allows marketers to promote Tweets that are already doing well. Because the feature is accessible from the Tweet activity dashboard, marketers can easily look at one screen to choose the right Tweets for their objectives. To learn more about the Quick Promote feature, visit 3. Tweets to Appear in Google search results What it is: Mirroring a previous deal between Twitter and Google that ended in 2011, Google now has access to Twitter s full archive of real-time Tweets. This means that Tweets will appear in Google search results. The deal was made in February, but it will take some time to go into effect. We ll keep you updated as we receive more information.

12 Why it s important: Brands will have the opportunity to increase their presence in Google search. This will bring more traffic, awareness and engagement to brands Twitter pages. While no one knows exactly how Google will choose which Tweets are indexed, content with high engagement will most likely be shown. This is even more of a reason to create engaging, interesting content for audiences. 4. Group Private Messages What it is: People can now use Direct Messages (DM) for private group conversations of up to 20 people. The new function lets you start group messages with any of your followers, regardless of whether or not everyone follows each other. Why it s important: Group messaging is great for marketers who want to have targeted conversations with more than one of their followers. It s a good way to increase engagement and connect more authentically with specific audiences. In addition, group messages do not have the 140-character Tweet limit, resulting in more in-depth conversations with followers. 5. TweetDeck teams What it is: TweetDeck released a new feature that allows multiple people to manage an account, without sharing passwords. Administrators can add team members, known as contributors, to the account. From there, team members can send and schedule tweets, follow and unfollow accounts and build lists. Why it s important: TweetDeck teams provide more account security by not sharing passwords with multiple people. The new feature also brings Twitter into the world of third party social media management providers, such as Hootsuite, and reduces the need to use one of these providers as frequently. To get started with TweetDeck teams, visit to learn how.

13 6. Mobile Tweet analytics for ios What it is: Twitter recently launched mobile analytics for ios. How to use it: To access analytics for a Tweet, click on the Tweet to get to the Tweet detail page. Then, click View Tweet Activity. 7. Original Video on Twitter What it is: Twitter released a native video feature that allows people to upload original videos up to 30 seconds long right from the Twitter app. The new platform is a one-stop shop for original video, with the ability to capture, edit and share videos to Twitter in one place. After the initial launch of this feature, Twitter began allowing users to embed original Twitter videos onto their websites, competing with social networks like Facebook and YouTube. Why it s important: Videos are important engagement tools for brands and are constantly shared on social media. The ability to upload original videos can help personify your business. Videos can also help users conceptualize issues that are difficult to explain in 140 characters, such as how-to s and product walk-through s.

14 8. Cool Twitter Tool: MyTopTweet MyTopTweet is a simple tool that lets you know what your top ten Tweets are, out of your last 3,200 tweets. The tool determines your top ten Tweets based on the number of retweets each Tweet has. For businesses that post often, this tool is helpful to sort through tweets and find what is working well. MyTopTweet gives insight into what content is being shared the most and what headlines have been most successful. To use this tool, visit and sign in with your Twitter account.

15 LinkedIn 1. More Effective Search Function What it is: LinkedIn reengineered its Search function to make it easier and faster for users to find what they re looking for. This includes finding people by full first and last name who they are not connected with, which used to be a Premium feature only. It also allows people to personalize their search results for jobs and people based on previous jobs, interests and more. Finally, Search will surface relevant thought leadership content based on the searched keywords. Why it s important: Sometimes, it can be difficult for people to find companies relevant to them with LinkedIn because of its high volume of information. Now, the right people will have access to your job postings, content, and thought leadership, letting people find you more easily. People who never heard of your business may suddenly become engaged with your content found through Search. For more information on LinkedIn Search, visit

16 2. Connected App for Android What it is: The new Connected app is a tool designed to help people strengthen their professional relationships. The app keeps you updated on your connections birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs and promotions, giving you reasons to reach out. This tool also offers contact and calendar synching, showing relevant information about a person you might have a meeting with. In addition, information about your relationship is available, including the other person s title, where the relationship started, and how many connections you have in common. Why it s important: Relationships are crucial in any business, whether it be for networking opportunities, lead generation or other purposes. The new app is helpful in making those relationships stronger and in facilitating professional growth for businesses.

17 3. Changes to Developer Program What it is: In February, LinkedIn announced that it would change its developers platform, moving from open application programming interfaces (APIs) to closed APIs. This means that many third-party software applications won t be able to use LinkedIn s data to create new products. With this change, LinkedIn hopes to eliminate several competitive products. Changes will roll out on May 12, Why it s important: This will change the relationship developers have with LinkedIn, requiring them to work more closely with the company. Developers will have to become members of one of LinkedIn s Partner Programs for most API functionality and data access. For more technical information on the new changes, visit 4. New Tools for Marketing Solutions Platform What it is: LinkedIn launched two new tools to expand the Marketing Solutions Platform. The first is LinkedIn Lead Accelerator, which is a lead generation product that connects companies to relevant people. It offers targeted display and social ads, targeted ad sequencing, better lead capturing capabilities, A/B testing to optimize messaging and detailed performance analytics. The second is LinkedIn Network Display, which provides display advertising on LinkedIn as well as other publisher sites. To get started with LinkedIn Lead Accelerator, visit this website and submit your name, company, contact information and quarterly advertising budget. LinkedIn sales representatives contact users for more specific information and pricing. Why it s important: The expanded Marketing Solutions Platform offers a one-stop solution for marketing on LinkedIn, making it easier for companies to reach people, engage them and convert them to customers in one place. Previously, each part of the Platform was designed to achieve a different objective. Now, all parts are integrated and work together to help achieve higher conversion rates. To learn more about the new Marketing Platform, visit

18 Google+ 1. Better Video Editing What it is: Google+ now has auto-enhance capabilities to improve lighting, color and stability at the same time. The new feature automatically analyzes video quality, shows the preview auto-enhancement and then changes videos once the user approves the edits. Google+ also plans to update this tool to include speech improvement in the near future. Why it s important: Better videos mean more views, higher engagement and better perceptions from audiences. 2. Updated Mobile Experience What it is: The new mobile experience is much faster than before and is also more visually appealing, with a more intuitive stream design and faster sharing capabilities. Why it s important: As mobile platforms become increasingly popular, it s important that users can engage with brands content quickly from anywhere. The new stream design may cause users to spend more time on brand pages and make it easier for users to find what they are looking for.

19 Pinterest 1. Promoted Pins Available to Everyone What it is: Last year, Pinterest introduced a Promoted Pins beta for brand advertisers and are now starting to offer this feature to more businesses at a CPM. While they are not available to all businesses yet, Pinterest is taking a step in that direction. Why it s important: With Pinterest becoming more popular, brands need to figure out how to reach consumers on this platform. Promoted Pins are a great way to increase Pinterest presence; according to results from the Promoted Pins beta, advertisers saw a 30% bump in earned media (on average) and a 5% bump in earned media in the whole month following campaigns with Promoted Pins. To sign up for Promoted Pins and receive priority access, visit 2. Introducing Pinstitute What it is: Pinstitute is a new program to help businesses learn how to use Pinterest to increase their return on investment and see measurable results from the platform. There will be quarterly Pinstitute workshops, and Pinterest has already invited select brands to participate in these workshops to focus on the creative and measurement aspects of marketing on Pinterest. Small businesses will have the opportunity to participate in a series of webinars and other online learning tools in the near future. Why it s important: Advertisers can learn how to take full advantage of Pinterest s capabilities for their businesses. While the program is just being launched, Pinterest seems to have plans to expand it for various purposes. We will keep you updated on new additions.

20 3. Direct App Installs from Pins What it is: App Pins allow users to directly install iphone and ipad apps from Pinterest. To create an App Pin that links to the App store, select Add a Pin from the board view, go to Your Device and then insert an image of the app. The final step is to set the app s location in the app store as the destination URL. Why it s important: Businesses have another outlet to promote their apps on Pinterest and receive more app installs. For more information on setting up App Pins, visit 4. Plan to launch Buy Button What it is: Pinterest is planning to introduce a Buy button to its service that allows users to buy products directly from the platform. The release date is unknown but is projected to be some time in the next six months. Why it s important: This feature will add convenience to the buying process for users, making purchases and higher sales more likely.

21 ABOUT CORPORATE INSIGHT Corporate Insight (CI) provides competitive intelligence and user experience research to the nation's leading financial institutions. For over 20 years, we have continuously tracked technological innovations across the financial services industry identifying best practices in online banking and investing, mobile finance, social media, online insurance, active trading platforms and other emerging areas. We are known for our detailed, objective research, unmatched expertise, and emphasis on the actual user experience. There are no assumptions in Corporate Insight s work we use live accounts at the firms we track to benchmark their effectiveness across all major channels. By actually becoming the customer, we are able to provide our clients with unparalleled intelligence on the competition. PRESS MENTIONS CONNECT WITH US

22 ABOUT THE AUTHOR JENNA LESNOY Marketing Associate Jenna Lesnoy is a Marketing Associate for Corporate Insight. She has experience in managing and curating content for social media accounts and has conducted research on innovations in social media platforms. This guide is the result of Jenna s interest in the changing role of social media for businesses. Jenna graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Maryland in CONTACT JENNA (646) jlesnoy@corporateinsight.com Connect with Jenna