Social Media updates and what they mean for you – December 2nd

Another week, another bunch of changes to Twitter. LinkedIn and Meta make an appearance too. Let’s get this going.

Twitter
Finally, you’ll be able to see your reach metrics on tweets. This is a direct attempt to get more users engaged with the platform after 2021 research showed that 25% of US users produce 97% of tweets. Not exactly an ideal situation for a relatively small social media platform. The hope is that more visible metrics will encourage more engagement.

In line with many other platforms, Twitter is now showing you more content recommendations from accounts you don’t follow. These are based on: interests based on tweet activity, topics you follow, tweets you’ve engaged with, tweets people in your network have engaged with, and people followed by people you follow. The hope is to keep people on the app for as long as possible by showing you more entertaining content.

After firing 65% of Twitter’s workforce, Musk is apparently a man with a plan. He shared a slide deck outlining stats, such as increased usage – which is most likely down to people pulling up a chair to watch the dumpster fire from a front-row seat. It also included plans for the future, such as encrypted DMs, longform tweets, the revamped $8 blue tick verification *sigh*, and payments. Most of which have become pretty standard in the social media platform playbook.

What does this mean for me?
If you’re one of the users who does regularly tweet, this will be a great help as you’ll finally be able to see how they’re performing. Reach is just one metric that can show how your content is performing, and by using this, along with likes, retweets, and messages, you’ll be able to calculate your engagement rate.

Recommended content brings a lot of potential exposure. Similarly to TikTok, the more you engage, the better the recommendations will become – so it’s a case of “you get out what you put in”. The more you tweet about certain topics, the more likely Twitter is to share it with other people who also engage with that type of content.

We highly recommend taking a look at the changes outlined by Musk. None of them are particularly revolutionary. Most would bring it more in line with other platforms, which could actually make your life just that little bit easier.

LinkedIn
The business platform rolled out two big changes this week, both of which are very welcome. First up is a “focused inbox”. Initially announced in September, this feature helps you keep tabs on important messages while filtering out the less important stuff. If you haven’t got it yet, you will soon.

Sound the claxons – in-app scheduling has officially arrived for everyone! After a couple of months of testing, this awesome feature is slowly rolling out to most accounts. It’s super easy to use too – write your post as normal and then instead of clicking “post”, click the little clock to the left. You’ll find yourself in a new window with the option to choose a date and time in the future. Easy!

What does this mean for me?
If you use paid InMails, it’s unclear what the impact will be – they might end up in the “other” folder, but time will tell. For all other messages, this is a much easier way to manage conversations with connections.

You know we’re big advocates for scheduling ahead of time and being able to do so natively is always a win. Cancel your scheduler, delete that alarm in your calendar, and bask in the glory of not having to think on the fly. In all seriousness, please do use this feature if you rely on LinkedIn as your main platform. Batching content will help you no end. If you’re not sure how to do it, check out our how to batch content like a pro blog.

Facebook/Meta
It wouldn’t be a social media updates roundup without Meta, would it? This week they’re highlighting creative opportunities in the Metaverse by working with digital artists and musicians such as Doja Cat (spenny!). Let’s just say they’re leaning into the Metaverse and are hoping this will showcase potential opportunities.

What does this mean for me?
If you’re a digital artist or work with people who are, this could have big potential. Checking it out could also provide guidance on how to use the Metaverse for your own digital marketing. It’s safe to say VR isn’t going anywhere and being an early adopter could pay off.

That’s it for this week folks! Remember to sign up for weekly updates direct to your inbox and connect with Jordan on her LinkedIn for more tips. See you next week!