After the whirlwind summer of updates in social, things seem to have settled as we move into autumn. While we haven’t seen the groundbreaking changes of algorithm switch-ups and new video features, November is set to bring some exciting innovations as social media giants fight each other for users’ attention. Let’s see what’s in store.
Finally, Instagram’s scheduling tool
Social media managers breathe a sigh of relief, Instagram is live testing an in-app scheduling tool. In one of the most vital updates we’ve seen in recent times, this handy new feature will enable you to schedule both regular posts and Reels, but there is currently no information on whether you can schedule Stories. We can all agree that having a native, in-app scheduling option, right in the composer flow, is going to save a lot of time. No more weekends on your work phone.
Twitter jumps on the video bandwagon
It was only a matter of time before Twitter followed fellow social giants TikTok and Instagram by integrating a scrolling video feature. As it stands, users are seeing increasingly more ‘Suggested’ videos on their feeds, and we have been promised that, subject to testing, the endless feed function will eventually appear for everyone.
TikTok solidifying itself as the discovery platform
Did you know that 40% of people between 18 and 24 across the world use TikTok over Google as their favoured search engine? Following the release of this statistic from Yahoo, as well as TikTok’s own latest report on its algorithm, it’s clear that the app is pushing itself as the app of ‘discovery’. So what does that mean for content creators?
With the favouring of SEO over hashtags, creators need to ensure that they utilise the longer captions to improve their rankings in the search results, as well as create longer videos where possible.
Building connected content
With the turbulent summer at Instagram HQ, a few things have had to be cleared up regarding exactly what content is being favoured by the algorithm. After a report was released earlier this month, ‘Building Connected Content’, we condensed the key tenets of successful content on The Gram:
- The hook in the first few seconds is the most important – grab the attention of the viewer as soon as possible
- Match your clips and transitions with the beat of the music
- Get creative with your transitions
- Encourage users to stitch, duets and remix your own video
- Get your brand values in there where possible
- ‘Experiment, iterate, test’: Don’t be afraid to try different kinds of content
LinkedIn on the up
As LinkedIn reported record engagements this month, it also reported measures to combat the increasing number of fraud accounts and scammers creeping onto the app. Following the personal information of 1.2 billion accounts becoming available on the DarkWeb, the platform had to tighten up security measures as well as features which legitimise a company’s presence. What can we expect to see? An ‘About this profile’ is set to drop, including when the profile was created and the last time it was updated, as well as updated information on users engaging with your content.
