Social Media updates and what they mean for you – September 5th

Another week, another round of updates – here’s everything you need to know about the Social Media world this week.

BeReal
One that hasn’t featured before, this fun app aims to take the editing and fake aspirational lifestyles out of social media. At a random point throughout the day you get a notification to post whatever is in front of you alongside a selfie.

What does this mean for you?
Right now, not a whole lot as the whole point of BeReal is to remove the marketing aspect of social media. BUT we think there is the potential for companies to use for behind-the-scenes content or if you’re a founder who wants to share their real life (instead of the polished BS version we usually see plastered all over our feeds). Needless to say, we’re big fans.

Instagram
The latest data shows that Reels drive the highest engagement on the platform. But, despite what IG would have you believe, they still don’t make up the majority of the content posted on the platform which is pretty interesting. The platform has also released a bunch of new features to allow you to personalise your feed even further.

What does this mean for you?
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, video is where it’s at. So to get noticed you’ve got to be creating video content that’s either entertaining, educational, or motivational. A good place to start is answering FAQs, using funny trends to inject a bit of humour (if appropriate for your brand), or spreading some good old-fashioned motivation.

When it comes to users being more in control of their feed we think this is a good thing, because IG still pushes related content which means that if you’re doing the above your content will be recommended. So keep on doing the good stuff!

LinkedIn
A lovely new update from LinkedIn is pinning comments, much needed on a platform where you’re penalised for posting links within the main content. They also released news of plans for a native scheduling function, tools to help you maximise employment opportunities, and new certification partnerships with Meta, IBM, Oracle and other big players.

What does this mean for you?
The new pin comments feature means you can post the external link and then pin it to the top of your comments, so no more being penalised for posting it in the main body of content.

Next up is native scheduling – while it’s in development this could be a great option for small businesses or personal profiles where you want to batch content but don’t want to pay for a scheduler (assuming they release it as an unpaid feature).

The tools to help people maximise opportunities are also great for companies who are hiring. It recommends businesses and jobs within your existing network first so you have a better opportunity to get in front of suitable candidates.

Finally, certification partnerships are great news for companies hiring because they show up on the person’s profile, which means you can easily see their suitability.

Facebook
Group invite links have landed AND Meta is exploring the potential for paid add-on features a la Snapchat+ (possibly).

What does this mean for you?
Loads of businesses have groups, they can be a great tool for generating leads so this new messenger feature is a big win. No more adding every individual person to a group chat, simply select from the list of members and message away! We reckon it’ll be great for releasing premium updates, sales, etc. to a select few without the need for an email list.

There’s not a whole lot of info on what the paid add-on (or add-ons) will look like so stay tuned as we learn more.

See you back here next week for the next update!

Jordan shares tons of tips on her LinkedIn – head on over for more social media fun (we’re going with fun and sticking with it).