You may have a strong social media strategy now, but if you’re not refreshing your approach based on platform updates, your metrics could suffer. At Riley & You we believe that keeping up on social media trends and updates is an essential component of digital marketing. This month, we’re highlighting a few of the most significant updates to be aware of on some of the more popular social media platforms in 2022.
Instagram is testing new feed options
In January, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced that Instagram would be testing new feed options for its users. These options include Home, Favorites, and Following. The Home feature prioritizes feed content “based on how interested we think you are in each post.” This has been the only option for users until recently. Favorites allows you to select an exclusive list of accounts that you would like to see content from. Finally, Following allows you to go back to the old days—before 2016—when Instagram simply presented content from accounts you follow in chronological order.
While Instagram was only testing these features in Q1, Mosseri states, “We hope that we can launch the full experience in the first half of this year.” However the updates turn out, it is important for businesses and marketers to recognize the shift towards giving users the power to control their own feeds. Strong content and a carefully thought-out social media strategy are only becoming more important. And Instagram isn’t the only platform considering significant feed changes for its users. Twitter has also been testing how its feed settings work.
Facebook and Instagram continue to push video
Over the last few years, we’ve seen Facebook and Instagram shift towards being more video-focused. In late 2021, Facebook brought Reels to U.S. users, and they have announced a plan to launch Reels globally this year. Instagram is continuing to innovate Reels to bring greater priority to short-form video content. The platform even added auto-generated captions to further expand the reach and effectiveness of videos. While image-based marketing isn’t going away on these platforms, it’s important to take stock of this greater emphasis on video and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Meta advertisers will have more control over placements
Meta recently announced plans to “build content-based suitability controls to address concerns that advertisers have of their ads appearing adjacent to content that is not suitable for their brand preferences.” Advertisers on Facebook and Instagram will have even more control over who sees their feed ads with these controls. Meta plans to begin testing these controls in Q3 and Q4 of 2022 before “rolling out more broadly in early 2023.” They also plan to expand placement coverage beyond feed ads eventually. This is significant news for advertisers on the two platforms, as more control ultimately allows for more optimization opportunities.
Don’t let your social media strategy expire. The platforms you rely on for advertising and customer communication are constantly changing, and you need to remain aware of each important update. Keeping your finger on the pulse of the social media landscape can be daunting when you run a small business. Let us do the research, strategizing, and posting, so you can focus on other aspects of your business.
