Social Media Archives - Page 3 of 83

November 8, 2018 by sherrilynne Leave a Comment

Top five: holiday retail trends to the fore

This week’s top five social media must-know news stories feature important retail trends for the run up to the holidays. Google My Business, Snapchat, blended retail, Facebook and Google Assistant all feature.

1. Google My Business rolls out new feature

Google My Business added the ability to announce the date a new business is opening directly in Google Maps and changed how it manages businesses that are within specific service areas.

This means new companies can start communicating with potential customers even before they open for business. Also it gives businesses more control over the regional areas they serve. — SS

2. Now on desktops: Snap Camera

Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is bringing a new camera to the desktop. Snap Camera integrates with apps including Twitch, YouTube, Skype, and Zoom. With Snap Camera running, users can use Snapchat’s filters and lenses.

This move allows Snap to extend its reach into users’ lives, and expand people’s use of augmented reality. — SS

3. Majority of holiday shoppers choose ‘blended retail’

A new NPD Group survey show that shoppers are looking for a blended retail experience this holiday season. NPB found more than three-quarters of consumers are planning to do at least some of their holiday shopping online over the holidays. About 60 per cent said they would shop both online and offline. Only, 28 per cent of respondents said that they preferred to do most of their shopping online.

Retailers that blend online and in person shopping experiences will be this holiday season’s sales winners. — SS

4. Facebook and Macy’s team up

Facebook is opening its first small business pop-up concept in nine Macy’s locations across the United States to bring 100 small businesses and digital-native brands on Facebook and Instagram into retail stores for the holiday shopping season. The Market @ Macy’s helps both emerging and established brands reach new audiences by showcasing them in a physical space inside Macy’s.

More evidence that retailers that blend online and in person shopping experiences will be this holiday season’s sales winners. — SS

5. Sephora beauty tutorials coming to Google Assistant

Google and Sephora have announced they have brought Google Assistant and Sephora’s YouTube content together on the Google Home Hub voice assistant device. The idea is that Sephora customers can use the Home Hub at their mirrors to access beauty tutorials through voice commands as they apply their makeup.

Marketers who ignore voice search in their marketing mix are being left behind. — SS

Get my weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with my free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

November 1, 2018 by sherrilynne Leave a Comment

Top Five: What do Facebook’s growth numbers mean?

This week’s Top 5 must-know news for marketing, communications and PR professionals includes new social functions for Vimeo, Facebook’s growth trends, Twitter and retweets, Pinterest users and fun emojis.

1. Now publish directly to LinkedIn with Vimeo

Vimeo has introduced a new feature that will allow videos to be published directly to LinkedIn. The added support is a part of the company’s “Publish to Social” feature, which already offers publishing to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and is available to paid subscribers. The expansion to LinkedIn is another example of the company’s shift in focus from being a video destination site to one that sells tools and services to professional and semi-professional video creators.

Now it’s easier than ever to share videos. If you’re not using video you’re not doing content marketing. — SS

2. Facebook growth continues to slow

In its 2018 third quarter earnings report, Facebook confirmed that the number of daily active users in US and Canada has remained flat at 185 million, while the number of European users has slipped from 279 million to 278 million. The latter may be a direct result of recent European privacy regulations, namely GDPR, which initially caused Facebook to lose 1 million monthly active users after it went into effect in May.

Although growth has slowed (just about everyone’s already on it?), Facebook isn’t going anywhere. It remains a crucial channel for marketing and communications professionals. — SS

3. Should Twitter get rid of retweets?

The quest to accrue retweets regularly drives users to tweet outlandish comments, extremist opinions, fake news, or worse. Many users knowingly tweet false and damaging information and opinions in an effort to go viral via retweets. Entire Twitter accounts have been built on this strategy. If Twitter really wants to control the out-of-control rewards mechanisms it has created, the retweet button should be the first to go.

No way! This would be throwing the baby out with the bath water. The retweet is Twitter’s essence. It’s what makes it interesting. — SS

4. Who is using Pinterest?

This year, 77.4 million people in the US—or nearly a quarter of the population—will use Pinterest, a 7.0% increase from 2017, according to eMarketer estimates. That’s an increase of 5 million users—more than Facebook and Twitter will gain combined. By the end of the forecasting period in 2022, there will be 87.2 million users on the platform.

Some interesting stats here, especially about reaching men. Marcoms pros ignore Pinterest at their peril. — SS

5. Create an emoji that looks exactly like you on Gboard

Google has launched emoji style mini stickers for Gboard, designed for those who may have stared into the eyes of emoji and not seen themselves staring back. These sticker versions of the emoji are customizable so you can make them look just like yourself.

A great bit of fun! Post your selfie emoji in the comments below. — SS

Get my weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with my free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

October 25, 2018 by sherrilynne Leave a Comment

Top Five: Research shows that Facebook is successfully tackling fake news

Top 5 must-know social media news for the week includes stories about a new Messenger, Soundcloud’s Instagram integration, YouTube’s changed engagement metrics, the fight against fake news and Snapchat’s power with youth demographics.

1. Facebook launches Messenger 4

Facebook is rolling out a new, simplified version of Messenger: Messenger 4. It puts the focus back on messaging and connecting.

The new Messenger will have three tabs instead of nine with users conversations front and centre in the Chats tab. It will have visual communication features like Camera at the top so users can easily capture and share selfies. Features are being rolled out in phases.

Messenger is becoming an essential marketing and communications channel. It should be included as part of all Facebook campaigns. — SS

2. SoundCloud tracks can now be shared to Instagram Stories

Streaming service SoundCloud is making it easier for users to share music directly to Instagram Stories. However, the tracks are shared as a link. To listen to the track, users have to click the “Play on SoundCloud” link, which then redirects them to the SoundCloud app to begin listening.

Great example of digital media integration. — SS

3. YouTube now counts ‘engagement’ for YouTube for action ads at 10 seconds, not 30

YouTube announced it is changing the attribution criteria for TrueView for action video ads. These are designed for performance advertisers and feature call-to-action banners. YouTube is changing the default attribution window from 30 seconds and 30 days to 10 seconds and 3 days to better reflect “the relationship between video ad exposure and conversions.”

Evidence that YouTube is feeling the pinch from Facebook’s competition in the video ad space. — SS

4. New research: Facebook is successfully tackling fake news

Three new, independent research reports indicate that Facebook is successfully tackling the fake news problem. Using different methodologies and definitions of false news, all three reports find that the overall volume of false news on Facebook is trending downward. One noted, “efforts by Facebook following the 2016 election to limit the diffusion of misinformation may have had a meaningful impact.”

Glad that this crucial marketing platform is working to restore its credibility and improve the user experience. — SS

5. Snapchat helped register over 400,000 voters

Snap, the company behind the popular social media service, says it helped more than 400,000 users register to vote during a recent two-week period. Snapchat, which is popular among teenagers and young adults, pushed people 18 and over to register by adding a button about doing so on each user’s profile page. The company also sent video messages to all of those users urging them to register.

This powerful youth-centred platform is often overlooked as a channel for marketing communications. — SS