As the marketing world recovers after SuperBowl LIII and looks ahead for what 2019 has in store, social media platforms don’t snooze. Here is what’s happening with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Pinterest this week.
Instagram IGTV Will Clutter The Users’ Feeds
Instagram intends to add IGTV previews to users feeds.
Why it matters: The company’s major intent with IGTV was to compete with larger video content sites, such as YouTube and Twitch. The feature, however, didn’t receive a lot of enthusiasm from Instagram users.
The details: Instagram told Techcrunch that the users will see brief, one-minute previews in their Feed and will be able to control the audio. To watch the full version of the video, the user will have to tap the IGTV icon.
As for IGTV app itself, Sensor Tower reported that after seeing 1.5 million downloads in its first month in 2018, IGTV app has only grown to 3.5 million total downloads worldwide.
Twitter Reveals Q4 Results And Daily User Pool
In its Q4 earnings report, Twitter disclosed the number of engaged users who come to the site each day. The company has 126 million daily active users.
Why it matters: Even though the new report shows Twitter’s lesser size in comparison with other social networks (Facebook has 1.2 billion daily users), the number keeps growing, with a nine percent increase YoY.
The details: Here are the highlights from the report.
- Q4 2018 ended with revenue up 24 percent YoY
- According to Twitter, the platform saw a 16 percent YoY decrease in abuse reports “from people who had an interaction with their alleged abuser on Twitter”
- Average monetizable daily active users were 126 million in Q4, up 9 percent YoY
Pinterest Is Completely Automating “Shop the Look” Tool
Pinterest is completely automating its “Shop the Look” tool, the company shared on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The tool automation will make it easier for the “inspiration searchers” to find and shop the products, and brands will be able to better market and sell their products on Pinterest.
The details: The update increases “Shop The Look” Pin coverage by 22.5x across billions of Pins and products, and in early testing has already lifted engagement by 7 percent, the company reported. Previously, Pinterest had experimented with a human-in-the-loop approach to match product links with Pins but required a more effective method of scaling across the billions of images the platform hosts. As a solution, computer vision was used to fully automate the process of matching products to user preferences and needs.
Facebook Acquires Its First Blockchain
According to Cheddar, Facebook made its first acquisition in the blockchain industry. The company bought a small blockchain startup, Chainspace.
Why it matters: The sharp move signals Facebook’s ambition to be a big player in the application of blockchain.
The details: As per Cheddar, at the moment, more than 40 people work in Facebook’s blockchain division, and Facebook has also demonstrated eagerness in hiring other teams behind developing cryptocurrency and blockchain-related projects similar to Chainspace.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the company had hired employees from Chainspace but declined to comment on specific hires, Cheddar reported.
Snapchat Stops Losing Users, Reports Stable Q4 Numbers
Snapchat isn’t gaining a ton of new users, but the company has stopped losing them, Snapchat’s Q4 report shows.
Why it matters: At the end of last year, marketers were concerned with Snapchat losing popularity, but the report demonstrates strong and steady numbers.
The details: The company remains stable at 186 million users per day, after seeing a decrease from 191 million in Q1 to 188 million in Q2 to 186 million in Q3. 30 percent more people are now watching Publisher Stories and Shows every day compared to last year, and each person is consuming more of these Stories per day on average. Snapchat increased reached more international markets, including France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, the UK, India, and the Middle East in 2018. It reached record revenue of $390 million in the holiday quarter, up 36 percent year-over-year to beat the $378 million Wall Street estimate, and Snapchat lost just $0.04 per share compared to Wall Street’s $0.08 loss estimate for a beat in Q4 earnings.
Facebook Is Developing A Feature For Business Messaging
Axios reported on Tuesday that Facebook is in the process of developing a messaging for businesses feature that will allow businesses access and manage Instagram Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger messages simultaneously.
Why it matters: Since countless businesses worldwide use Facebook’s messaging platforms as a communication tool, the feature promises to make communication more convenient.
The details: In business messaging feature, Instagram Direct messaging will be added to a page host’s messaging inbox within the Facebook Pages Manager app on both web and mobile. At the moment, the feature only lets businesses control messages coming from Facebook Messenger. It is important to note that the tool will only be available to business page managers and Facebook users would not be able to see the difference when their message is answered, Axios reported.
Twitter Reports Data On Purpose-Driven Marketing Campaigns In Super Bowl 2019
The winners of its #BrandBowl, which celebrated the most successful Super Bowl tie-in campaigns via tweet, were not the only focus of Twitter’s Marketing Insights team this week. On Wednesday, Twitter Marketing also posted a brief summary of data on purpose-driven marketing campaigns.
Why it matters: The data shows that purpose-driven campaigns were met by the users with a lot of positive engagement and are worth emulating in approaches to marketing strategies.
The details: According to Twitter, Microsoft’s,”‘We All Win” message was the absolute winner. Here is a quick overview of the data highlights:
- 42 percent more brands activated a “purpose-driven” message on Twitter during #SB53 vs.#SB52.
- 88 percent of Tweets about purpose-driven ads were positive.
- 85 percent of Tweets about purpose-driven ads were from women (compared to 42.15 percent men)
- 58 percent of all Tweets about purpose-driven ads were related to Microsoft.
Twitter Announces Winners of #BrandBowl 2019
This case study published by Twitter today showcased the brand campaigns that inspired the most engagement and activity on the platform.
Why it matters: Several brands chose not to buy the on-air advertising time at all this year and joined the #BrandBowl competition on Twitter in the fight for the Interception Award instead, which proved the growing power of social media in the world of marketing once again.
The details: Planters won the top prize for their sweepstakes; Game of Thrones & Bud Light’s co-branded spot spiked the discussion; Marvel Studio’s Avengers trailer was eagerly shared; Frank’s Red Hot dominated the feed by placing themselves on every other ad; Verizon’s tribute to first responders campaign had all eyes on it, the case study reported.
UK Publishers Are In Search For Snapchat Alternatives
Digiday reported Tuesday, that the UK publishers are looking for alternative ways to profit from their Snapchat efforts. Many consider piloting shows to sell to broadcasters and exploring eCommerce options, as the Snap’s six-second commercials in Europe hasn’t yet reached its full potential.
Why it matters: Since most UK publishers are using the platform in creative ways for other revenue opportunities, profits from ads in Shows isn’t the end goal for them.
The details: Snapchat told Digiday that it was too early to draw definitive conclusions from the success of Shows feature in the UK. The company is confident, though, that the audiences are growing and the company plans to add more content partners in 2019.
YouTube Reaches A Milestone At 2 Billion Monthly Users
According to Fortune, YouTube celebrates a new milestone of nearly 2 billion monthly logged-in users.
Why it matters: This number reflects the platform’s steady-growing popularity and thriving profit opportunities. And the impressive pool of users gives Youtube’s owner, Google, and its parent company, Alphabet, a chance to offer YouTube subscription services to a massive audience.
The details: The number of YouTube channels with more than 1 million subscribers grew twice in size in 2018. The number of content creators earning between $10,000 to $1 million grew more than 40 percent compared to a year earlier, as well.
Facebook Introduces Household Income Targeting Based On Household Income
Facebook now allows marketers to reach audiences based on their US ZIP codes’ average household income.
Why it matters: With the new feature introduced by the company, marketers can now tailor their creative content and incorporate income demographics to display more relevant ads to their audiences.
The details: As per the report published by the company, to build Facebook’s household income by US ZIP, the company ordered all US ZIP codes by their average household income and then grouped them into ranges. There are also some restrictions, as the reports stress the fact that the audiences are not available for Housing, Employment and Credit ads and are only available for inclusion targeting for other ads.
YouTube Is Changing The Pricing And Format Of Masthead Ads
According to Business Insider, YouTube is changing its masthead ad pricing model from cost-per-day to cost per impression.
Why it matters: The new model will make it more challenging and competitive for brands to advertise on the YouTube platform.
The details: YouTube’s masthead ads used to be charged on a fixed, cost-per-day rate, which means that a single advertiser could purchase one slot each day. But with the new pricing model implemented by YouTube, masthead ads will be sold on CPM (cost per impression), which will make it possible for multiple advertisers to bid and set the price for up to seven days in a row.
Instagram Is Working On Stories Quiz Stickers Launch
As spotted by code hacker Jane Manchun Wong, Instagram seems to be getting close to releasing a new “Quiz” sticker for Instagram Stories, Social Media Today reported on Saturday.
Why it matters: The feature would provide additional creative options for boosting engagement via Instagram Stories. Considering that 500 million users utilize Stories every day, Quiz Stickers can be potentially used by brands.
The details: The new feature should allow brands to create buzz around new products, obtain authentic audience feedback and educate the followers about brands through quiz questions.
TikTok Is Getting To The Top Of Social Media Food Chain
TikTok, the Chinese social media platform which allows users to create and share short video clips, is getting to the top of download charts and is becoming a huge competitor to Snapchat and even Twitter, according to CNBC.
Why it matters: TikTok hosts 500 million monthly actives users compared with Twitter’s 326 million, which makes it a desirable platform.
The details: Research firm App Annie reported that TikTok’s ranking in 2018 was No. 4 worldwide in downloads across iOS and Google Play.
