The world of social media is constantly changing. Read up on these hot-button items from the EVR Media Group to make sure you’re keeping up.
Instagram Is Changing Things Up
Facing increasing pressure from TikTok’s constantly growing presence, Instagram is testing and rolling out new ways for people to use the platform in hopes of retaining current users (and maybe snatching some from its rival). In a move meant to push users into the short-form video space, Instagram will now be showing all videos under 90 seconds within Reels search results, whether you posted it there or not. It’s also beefing up its local business search tools to rival Google’s, allowing users to use a map-based local search to find businesses of interest. Taking a page out of Twitter’s book, it’s also now allowing users to pin posts and Reels to the tops of their pages to draw more attention to important content—a move that will be huge for brands looking to promote specific products or offerings. Finally, Instagram is also expanding its livestreaming capabilities by testing new producer tools that will allow users to stream directly from their PCs instead of requiring streams to be done via phone, allowing for more customizability and refined production options. While you don’t need to tackle all new features at once, picking the one that most closely aligns with your business goals can help revitalize your brand’s Instagram presence.
Facebook Is Looking to Take a Page from TikTok’s Algorithm Book
From an internal memo, The Verge discovered that Facebook has plans to push its algorithm toward an AI similar to TikTok’s, which prioritizes user interests and viewing history over content from friends and those you follow. While the move feels like it’ll make the platform’s notoriously inscrutable algorithm even harder to manage, this may actually help brands in the long run. While the only way to reach new followers currently is to have one of your current followers share a post to their friends or to spend money on boosting, this new development means it may become easier to reach new eyes—as long as they have an interest in what you’re offering on the platform. This will make following trends and staying agile even more integral to your Facebook strategy once it’s implemented.
Meanwhile, TikTok Is Getting More Transparent with Its Algorithm
In a rare move from a social media platform, TikTok self-published an explanation to users of how its algorithm selects videos for you to watch. While many of the revelations in the article are unsurprising (you’ll see videos based on what videos you’ve previously interacted with or hashtags you’ve searched), the article also gives users guidance on how to “teach” their algorithms to provide them with content they’re more interested in, along with revealing that TikTok attempts to diversify the content it suggests to avoid fatigue. While the blog is clearly for users, brands can read between the lines and do a little reverse engineering to generate ideas of how to slip into their target audience’s feeds more easily.
