The social media landscape is changing rapidly. Users feel they are just getting to know a new feature, before it’s changed again or a new one is added.
Keeping up to date with social media updates is vital if brands are to use the platforms to their full potential and stay ahead of their competition.
Minor changes and updates are rolling out constantly, but there are a few main trends which have been a mainstay over most social media platforms recently.
Video, Video, Video
Over the last few years, video content on social media has become hard to ignore.
In July 2021, head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, announced that the platform was moving away from being a photo sharing app, shifting its focus heavily to video content. The introduction of Instagram Reels confirmed this; this feature is now a key part of the platform, competing directly with video-first app, Tik Tok.
Many platform’s algorithms now specifically favour video, with video posts consistently outperforming still posts .
Instagram Reel videos require more screen real estate, which makes it more engaging and harder for users to scroll past than other forms of content.
Due to the influence of Tik Tok, video content has started to shift into the low-fi territory, meaning the content is often shot on a phone, edited in-app and is less polished than traditional high production video content. Users can be more receptive to this type of content, due to it appearing more authentic and engaging.
Platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter are embracing video, with statistics from Twitter showing that on Twitter alone, over two billion videos are watched every day.
A study from worldwide video production company, Lemonlight, found that up to 99% of users enjoy watching video content from brands online. Video content isn’t something to sleep on when it comes to brands communicating with their customers.
Stories
Another key part of many social media platforms ‘stories’ short snippets of content that remain live on a user’s page for 24 hours only.
This feature made popular by Snapchat was quickly adopted by Instagram, with other platforms following.
On some platforms the feature was short-lived. Both LinkedIn and Twitter removed their iteration of stories in late 2021, while it remains a key part of how users share on Instagram.
Users enjoy viewing stories because they’re more authentic, relatable and timely. From a posting point of view, there’s less pressure on users to create polished content and less need for their followers to engage via likes or comments.
Paid Subscriptions
Following in the footsteps of platforms like Patreon, a paid membership content platform, Instagram started testing a similar feature in January 2021.
Paid subscriptions are currently available in select regions and via select high profile creators. Users can pay a monthly fee and receive live videos, stories and other content for subscribers only.
This is part of a push to help creators monetise their platforms and allow for a stronger relationship between creators, users and the platform itself.
While this paid model is still in its early stages, it’s something that will more than likely become a focus for Instagram over the second half of the year.
Social Media News – Top Picks
Because of the fast-paced nature of social media, it’s important to keep an eye out for social media news and updates to keep on top of changes and get ahead of them early.
Updates can roll out in different markets before Australia, so keeping up to date with changes across the globe can help brands hit the ground running when those features become available in Australia.
Some of our favourite resources for social media news are:
https://smk.co/digital-marketing-news/
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/
https://www.marketingmag.com.au/
Tip: Sign up to their newsletters and get the news sent straight to your inbox.
